3-bond vs. Permatex

[tejas1]

I've got an oil leak where my valve cover of my motorcycle engine bolts onto the head. The local bike shop says they use 3-bond 1104 gasket sealer but all I can find is Permatex.

I understand that they are both silicone gasket sealers that do not harden and are meant for high temperature engine applications.

I've never used either before and was wondering if anyone has used the Permatex brand. Also do you need special gasket remover to clean the old gasket, I've been reading that brake cleaner or paint thinner can be used to remove the old material.

Are there any tricks to using either of these products?

 

[franzh]

When in doubt, always contact the manufacturer. Their websites and other literature usually has customer help links to answer questions such as these. Personally, I have found Permatex has a sealing solution for almost any situation, motorcycles and aircraft.
Franz

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[tejas1]

Thanks Franz,

I ended up using the Permatex Ultra Bond over the weekend. Everything seemed to go fine and I'll have to wait till I run the engine to see if the repair was successful.

 

[evelrod]

Franz and I are usually on the same page with our ideas but, in this case I must differ a bit. I use a great many Permatex items, most with success if used within their design limits. Ultra Bond may indeed do the job for you in this instance---Ultra Blue worked fine on the cam cover of a turbo T-Bird for years. Thermo Bond 1104 is just another step in sealers---a step up, IMO. I use it on the joint between my gearbox and engine of a racing Mini Cooper (a VERY difficult seal) sans gaskets. It is the only sealer that I have found to seal some difficult gasket-less joints that are subject to hot oil or fuel. It has it's down side but even that is not toooooo bad---cost is about three times what Permatex is and you must use great care in not using excess amounts on the sealed surfaces.
I used the old "YamaBond" on bikes years ago and TB 1104 is, apparently the same stuff. Obviously, I'm sold on it.

Rod

 

[tejas1]

Hi Rod,

I was calling around and could not find the TB 1104 or I sure would have used it. I don't think that the valve cover sees a lot of pressure as there is a breather hose attached.

This actually leads to another question, for which I should probably start another thread, but here goes.

I have a breather from the engine crank housing. It's routed through the frame of my bike and them out to the air box via another nipple on the frame. I'd like to move the hose off the frame nipple to allow access to the carb (adj. of the fuel/air mixture screw) while the bike is running.

Is there any reason that I should be concerned about unplugging the breather from the frame temporarily while I make the adjustment.

 

[evelrod]

If it is indeed just a breather I see no reason it should create any problems by temporarily removing it to make a carb adjustment---BUT---you should probably ask this question in the Motorcycle Engineering forum as I am not all that competent dealing with some of these newer bikes.

Rod

PS: I get TB-1104 from Mincomp in Costa Mesa, CA. $17 a tube. MINCOMP@attglobal.net

 

[swall]

Perhaps a slight oil mist mess while the hose is off?