Rocker cover gasket replacement

[sockpuppet]

Has anyone used an after market rocker cover gasket (preferably diesel engine) as the rocker cover gasket from seat only comes as a complete kit with the rocker cover at a cost of £150. I'm wondering if it's a nightmare to separate the gasket from the cover?
If its easy to separate the two then I will get a eurocarparts/GSF gasket, if it's a nightmare I might try something like Permatex ultra black to try and re-seal the original gasket.

 

[Solaris]

Yes mate. After the 6bolts or so are removed from the rocker, get a screwdriver to pop the rocker cover up, then you can lift it off. Ease the gasket up with it as it can get stuck down and it can break (doesnt matter if your chucking it)

It peels off real easy from the rocker. Also make sure the sparkplug gasket is removed, it gets left behind.

Clean up all the gasket line area from oil n gack so its shiny, clean up the rocker base too.

When you replace the gasket, just slips on easy as pie, get some high temp silicone, i ise stove 1400degree stuff from fleabay. Seal all the way along the top of the gasket and around the edges where the bung bits are, will make it airtight, no leaks etc and your gasket will last longer

Tightening the rocker up after, just as a side note for anyone, the bolt order is: do the 4 bolts in the middle first, tightening equally, then the edges

Hope that helps.

 

[Solaris]

Fleabay sell the gaskets for our cars (sparkplug gasket and rocker gasket + a few others) for £25. Oem ones, good quality, highly rated and trusted.

 

[sockpuppet]

It sounds like you did this on a petrol rather than a diesel? Are they exactly the same because mine has 13 bolts holding the rocker cover in place.

 

[Solaris]

It sounds like you did this on a petrol rather than a diesel? Are they exactly the same because mine has 13 bolts holding the rocker cover in place.

Yeah mine was on a 1.8T, but i assume the principle is the same few more bolts, but the gasket replacement/sealing/cleaning up still applies. Just need the diesel gaskets,
Same price.

 

[sockpuppet]

I replaced the rocker cover gasket and thought I would share what I did as there doesn't seem to be much info on this.

I have a TDI150 and the parts I got were from GSF Reinz gasket sealant grey 982VG0011 and Reinz Rocker cover gasket 110VG0200 £12.49 for the pair.


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I removed the 90 degree pipe the goes into the EGR on the left side of the engine and also removed the cambelt cover. I then removed the bolt (5) on the charge pipe and the circlip attaching the pipe to the air filter and pushed the charge pipe back a little. I then pushed in either side of the clip (4) and this releases the pipe.


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It may be possible to get to the number 10 bolt with a long thin extension bar and a universal joint attachment, but I only had a 3/8 extension bar and had to undo the 3 EGR bolts (6mm allen key) so I could move it enough to get the extension bar on the number 10 bolt.
The diagram shows the order to undo the bolts (and also do them back up in this order). Once the bolts were all loose I got the rocker cover off (It would come off easier if you pull all the bolts out, but then you risk dropping them)

The bolts have an in-built washer that holds the gasket in place so when you pull the rubber gasket off, the bolts will all drop out. I put the new gasket onto the rocker cover, replaced all the bolts and checked the gasket was flush with the rocker cover. I then cleaned the surface of the engine and added a thin line of gasket sealant all the way around the engine, before replacing the rocker cover gasket.
I went round all the bolts screwing them in a few turns to check they were all seated and the rocker cover was seated correctly. Then I went round in sequence tightening the bolts to finger tight, then did this again as the first couple of bolts were loose. Then I went round in sequence nipping the bolts with the socket wrench using the end of one finger and thumb and then went round again using the end of my finger tips so I didn't over tighten. I was aiming for 10 - 12 pounds of pressure and didn't have a low pressure torque wrench.

I put everything else back together left the car for 3 hours for the gasket seal cure.