Engine assembley sealant
 

What do people use for the sump, rear seal and valve cover when assembling the engine. Mazda obviously reccomendations their own expensive shit MX5 Parts & Accessories - MX-5 Gaskets and Seals - Silicone Sealant for Engine, Genuine Mazda and Rods guide specifies any silicone sealant.

In the past I have used loctite 515 to seal my valve cover on the reccomendation of a freind and it sealed nicely but when I pulled the sump I found little strings of it caught in the pickup strainer so I'm thinking it probably isn't up to the job. Here is the spec sheet.

http://www.loctite.sg/sea/content_data/93791_515EN.pdf

What's worked for you?

Ultra Grey all the way.

Never had a problem.

I use ultra Black, has better oil resistance over Grey.

"Use Ultra Black you'll never go back"

IIRC Ultra Black hardens more than Gray, which may not be good in places where you need some "give" - though I don't know offhand which would need some flexibility. Gotta consider too how easy it is to disassemble. Gray seems to be easier than the factory stuff ferinstance, and I've never had it leak.

I've used ultra grey, black, and recently used "The right stuff" which is also made by permatex specifically for import motors. I love the later because you can get it in a compressed can. You just squeeze the trigger and it comes out easy. I always hated cramping my hands squeezing shit out of the tubes. All of the above though have worked great.

i have used gray and black i prefer black above all else i learned to wait a few hours before i put the oil in the motor or the motor in the car to make sure what ever i used had time to cure properly. pulling your motor is easy but pulling it 4 times in a week sucks balls. fwiw ultra black also comes in a can if you can find it near you like that its so much easier to use.

Permatex have no distributors in the UK :vash: looks like I'll have to use the exprensive Mazda shit :(

I have also been reccomended hylomar universal blue sealant by a few people but it's not an RTV it's Polyester urethane based and it's "non setting". The loctite 515 is also non setting and I found little strings of it in the oil strainer which look like the little bead formed on the inside of the flange that has become detatched.

So do I go Mazda, non setting hylomar or no-brand RTV sealant?

What the cost diff btw Mazda stuff and buying permatex online and having it shipped from the US?

I agree, that shit was win x15.

Another, less popular option. Move to the US to buy our 1337 permatex!

Found a company that sells permatex here in the UK but its CRAZY expensive. Cheaper to buy and ship it hands down. But the Mazda stuff will probably be cheaper still.

I'll have a look at the specs on the generic RTV at my autoshop and see how it compares.

I am going to stay clear of hylomar for now as it seems to be a bit of a Marmite thing. Some of my friends love it and some hate it more than Hitler, I can't be bothered having people shout at me :facepalm:

Man how I wish I could. All the cool shit is over there and what's more its cheaper than the uncool shit here :vash:

At some point I'll be on your side of the pond but I would have to convert my licence or work for a european carrier operating under EASA in the US.

Toyota Gasket Maker. I think it was $20 for a tube, but its lasted me a 3SGTE, sbrian2's 1.8L and misc projects with much left over.

I like Threebond 1207B or Ultra grey, but never Red-

so long as its oil resistant, and good for 300 degrees or so you should be fine.

A mechanic told me that works well but is difficult to disassemble.

Tiny tiny bit of high temp rtv, i mean very thin, on both metal surfaces, then use all brand new gaskets. Spend the 40 bucks and get a brand new gasket set off egay.

I didn't have too much trouble removing some of the parts that where sealed with it, but I haven't pulled an the oil pan yet.

That stuff is great... and for reference it's officially called Toyota FIPG (Form In Place Gasket). We use Right Stuff at work and it's also quite good. The "Cheese Whiz" cans look great but the stuff hardens in the spout then won't work. We threw away several of them and went back to the caulk gun style tubes.

i use ultra black for engine gaskets, and ultra grey when sealing metal/metal like transmission cases. never had a leak (yet) *crosses fingers*.