![Valve Cover Gasket [Early Bus/All Waterboxer], image 1 of 7](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0625/5548/8394/files/GW-113-101-481F-FKM_main_ca330d10-100e-4fce-9e25-e464ef9cd60f.jpg?width=1200)
About this product
Valve cover gasket. Crafted from superior GoWesty Durogreen.
Fits: 1968-71 Bus and 1983-91 Water-cooled Vanagon. Sold in singles or pairs.
The valve cover gaskets on your waterboxer-powered Vanagon are made of the exact same 1930s-technology cork material that was used on every VW Bug engine since 1948. It is a wildly outdated choice for the application. Not only is the cork very rigid to begin with, but it only gets harder and more brittle as time goes on. It shrinks. It swells. It does everything but seal! The result is a never-ending drip drip drip from your valve covers.
Introducing a 21st-century solution to this age-old problem: The GoWesty DuroGreen re-usable valve cover gasket made of Viton. But we didn't simply change the material and call it macaroni. Far from it! Instead of just a flat-sealing surface like the original design, we incorporated two thin V-shaped beads on both sides for even better sealing. We also added locating/tell-tale "fences" all around, inside and out. These fences keep the gasket in place during installation, and the outer fence prevents "sucking in" (a common problem with the original flat design) and doubles as a visual indication that the gasket is in place all the way around—eliminating the guesswork! Check out the video tab!
Installation Tips
1) This outer lip on our GoWesty DuroGreen Viton valve cover gasket serves two purposes: It indicates that the gasket is in place all the way around after the valve cover is snapped on and it also serves to hold the gasket in place while installing the valve cover, especially when doing the job in-car. However, it does not have to be continuous and can be snipped or cut to clear anything that it interferes with that would keep it from lying flat or keeping the gasket in place while the cover is placed over it. The photos below show an example of a particularly heavy mold line on an AMC cylinder head. Simply snipping the lip on the gasket would allow it to lay flat and in place while installing the valve cover. For Type 1, Single-Port engines, the top of the gasket will need to be snipped. See the diagram below on where to snip the lip.
2) The gasket is made a little shorter than the length around the surface on the head on which it sits. This is by design because even a slightly too-long gasket is next to impossible to install. Before putting the gasket in place, stretch it manually a few times until it is exactly the right fit on the cylinder head sealing surface. You will see next time you remove the valve cover, the gasket will have taken the exact shape of your cylinder head and never lose its pliability.
3) These gaskets are to be put on DRY. No glue or sealant is recommended.
Description supplied by Piston Twistin LLC through its current Shopify listing. Product, performance, and health claims are the seller’s and have not been independently verified by StorkScout.