Cylinder head bolt sealer

[littlebookworm]

Getting ready to put engine, Mercruiser 5.0, 1983, back together. No one seems to carry Perfect Seal or Permatex #3. Marine supplier recommended I speak to someone at auto parts store. That person recommended Permatex High Performance Thread Sealer. Yes or NO? My experience has been with auto engines where this would be used. With marine, I'm not sure. Need advice. Aside, interestingly, Sierra overhaul gasket set did not contain valve boss seals. I had to buy them at the auto place. And the cost of the gasket set was the same as a valve grind gasket set which didn't have the manifold gaskets, among others! Go figure.

 

[Fishermark]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

A head bolt is the same in a marine engine or a car engine. Use whatever sealer works. I use Permatex #2 - I'm sure the High Performance Thread Sealer will work great.

 

[Don S]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

Check around, most auto parts stores carry the Permatex 3, you will need it for other gaskets as well. I know NAPA carries it.

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

Thanks guys. There's a NAPA parts store about 8 miles away. I'll shoot over there today. Isn't it weird about the gasket set? All I really needed was a valve grind set and the enhaust manifold set. That totalled out to about $40 more than an overhaul set. And both the valve grind and overhaul sets did not include the 8 valve boss seals! Auto engines are so much easier.

 

[Don S]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

interestingly, Sierra overhaul gasket set did not contain valve boss seals.

Another aftermarket ALMOST a gasket kit.

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

Thanks Don. Picked up NAPA version of sealer. Still getting only 110-120 compression on cylinder #6. Head checked out OK; lapped all the valves after cleaning up the little bit of carbon that was on them. If I adjust the valve lash properly, the valve doesn't seat and I get zero compression. The lifter plunger seems to be stuck. I'll pull the lifter tomorrow and take it apartand clean it. If it's bad, I've got 16 replacements from the engine that's in the boat now. I want to make sure everything works properly before I put the engine into the boat. I don't want to have to pull it a second time.

 

[rodbolt]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

DO NOT, REPEAT DO NOT place a used lifter on a used cam. lifter/cam lobe failure is almost a given. go to napa, buy a lifter, coat it with moly lube and continue.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

Nor should you place that lifter in a different lifter bore on the same engine.

 

[littlebookworm]

Re: Cylinder head bolt sealer

OK. Will do. I'll disassemble the lifters tomorrow, clean and re-oil them, and see if that changes the situation. I was only going to put the used lifters in to test the cam/compression, but I won't. I don't want to screw things up. Thinking about the testing I had done, compression and leak-down, the slight blowby I found along with a frozed intake lifter would explain the lower compression in that cylinder. I'm just hoping the cam hasn't been worn down from it. We'll see. Worst case scenario is a replacement cam, bearnings, and set of lifters. Easy enough to do with engine in the garage. Just another PITA. Hy.