hylomar

[ffgb]

I am going to use hylomar with my HG but needed to know which one is better, the tube or spray?  I want to get the tube and use a small brush to apply to the block deck, head, and HG.  The spray seems nice to spray on the HG, but seems to difficult to spray onto the block deck and head because of the water passages, pistons, valves, etc...?  Any experiences with either?

[sdwarf36]

This may seem like crazy out of the box thinking-but maybe just spray BOTH sides of the gasket? 

[R.O.R-2.0]

thats what i do, spray both sides of the gasket. you dont need to spray the head or deck..

silver floral paint works decent to seal up head gaskets too..

[ffgb]

Thank you!  Now I just need to find somewhere in Southern California that sells hylomar in the spray can...I can find it in the tube, the spray can is difficult to locate!!!

[trav1856]

or find someone who will ship it to you, it just has to be marked ORM-D. USPS still handle 'em they just have to be marked properly:

ORM-D (Other Regulated Material) material is a limited quantity of a hazardous material that presents a limited hazard during transportation due to its form, quantity, and packaging. In almost all instances, the proper shipping name for an ORM-D material is consumer commodity. Not all hazardous material permitted to be shipped as a limited quantity can qualify as an ORM-D material. ORM-D materials having the proper shipping name of “consumer commodity” are mailable subject to USPS quantity and packaging standards.

[sdwarf36]

Permatex- copper spray gasket-part #8697-availible everywhere. The silver paint trick is old school-but also works.

[BigVWman]

I thought the copper spray gasket is known to have bad reactions between aluminum and steel? Causing leaks down the road. Hylomar has always worked well.

[bajacalal]

I love hylomar, it's like nothing else out there. I put it on O ring connections and corroded old water necks things like that which tend to never seal well.

Incidentally, I have bought Hylomar off amazon.com along with a whole lot of other automotive items. You wouldn't expect so but amazon.com has a lot of automotive stuff, they are one of my primary sources for things.

[R.O.R-2.0]

I thought the copper spray gasket is known to have bad reactions between aluminum and steel? Causing leaks down the road. Hylomar has always worked well.

copper and aluminum do indeed have a reaction. when they come in contact, there is accelerated corrosion from both.. idk how bad it would be on a head gasket tho, there needs to be air present for corrosion to happen.

personally, i would only use copper head gasket sealer on a cast iron engine..

[maxfax]

I prefer the tube..   For no other reason than it cuts down on waste..   No mater how well you think you cleaned out the spray nozzle and such, after they sit a bit they never seem to work right again..  If you can find the smaller cans that you can use the whole thing right away you might be fine..  Even if you spray te head, deck, and both sides of the gasket there is still a lot left in the can..

Last time I was on a search I could only find the large spray cans, and IIRC they ran about $40 shipped.. Haven't seen it in a store on the east coast for eons...

Copper stuff with aluminum heads is not good (ask a Mopar tech about Neon engines!)  The other thing about hylomar vs the copper spray is that they hylomar remains pliable, copper stuff does not.. It will allow some give during expansion and contraction and still remain sealed...

[R.O.R-2.0]

I prefer the tube..   For no other reason than it cuts down on waste..   No mater how well you think you cleaned out the spray nozzle and such, after they sit a bit they never seem to work right again..  If you can find the smaller cans that you can use the whole thing right away you might be fine..  Even if you spray te head, deck, and both sides of the gasket there is still a lot left in the can..

Last time I was on a search I could only find the large spray cans, and IIRC they ran about $40 shipped.. Haven't seen it in a store on the east coast for eons...

Copper stuff with aluminum heads is not good (ask a Mopar tech about Neon engines!)  The other thing about hylomar vs the copper spray is that they hylomar remains pliable, copper stuff does not.. It will allow some give during expansion and contraction and still remain sealed...

all those neons had head sealing issues huh? like, it would corrode the head  so that it wouldnt seal, right?

[maxfax]

all those neons had head sealing issues huh? like, it would corrode the head  so that it wouldnt seal, right?

The early ones were horrid..  It was a combination between corrosion, and just plain ole not sealing...  They used a MLS gasket with some variety of spray sealent that looked pretty coppery.. Typically there was no leaks in or out of the combustion chamber, usually started with external oil leaks followed by coolant...

[R.O.R-2.0]

copper and aluminum do indeed have a reaction. when they come in contact, there is accelerated corrosion from both.. idk how bad it would be on a head gasket tho, there needs to be air present for corrosion to happen.

Actually, air does nothing.  It has to be in the presence of electrolyte. 

your telling me that oxygen has absolutely nothing to do with corrosion?

[bajacalal]

Not necessarily, as corrosion doesn't always refer to oxidation., other chemical reactions can occur which damage metal that don't involve oxidation. And, there is plenty of oxygen in water coolant, not just that which is bonded to hydrogen but in the form of dissolved gas.