rotary aviation gasket kit ( font cover gasket dilema )
 

For my recent rebuild i used a rotary aviation gasket kit and i want to say that the installation of the inner water seals went really smooth ( used hylomar ) ...i have a question regarding the front cover gasket
with their kit they supply a new front cover-front plate oil passage gasket ( the one normally surrounded by a Teflon 0-ring
they have a gasket that no longer requires a teflon surrounding and
unless i am reading their instructions wrong .. they are suggesting that i no longer use a front cover gasket , and simply use rtv to as a gasket m does this have to do with the clearance of the gasket .. it wont seal with the added width of the front cover gasket?

any input from pple who have rebuilt using this would be much appreciated .

thx

When it comes to the front cover, we don't take any chances at our shop----we use a metal front cover gasket on every build. The double o-ring isn't required with this gasket.

Edit: we also coat both sides of the gasket with a thin layer of silicone.

IIRC, in Bruce's video he doesn't use a front cover gasket. He just seals it like the oil pan. I doubt it was done for any clearance reasons. I've seen it done both with and without the gasket.

The front gasket is more than just a gasket; it also acts as a spacer of sorts. If you use just RTV on the front cover without the gasket there is a good chance when you torque it down the front cover will compress the Teflon ring forcing the rubber o-ring into the oil passageway.

I've used RA's gasket kit before and don't recall the front cover gasket being any different then the stock one.

Hope this helps,
Dan

I just use rtv on my builds.