should i or should'nt i

the cover plate gasket around the water jacket is leaking on my 1980 140hp IL6. my question is, should i try to take the bolts out and risk breaking the heads off or should i try to seal up the leak with some sealant? the motor has never been in saltwater. what sealant should i use? will the selant stand the heat/presure? thanks.

Re: should i or should'nt i

I don't know of a sealant that will resist the outward pressure of that type of repair. Where is the leak exactly?

Re: should i or should'nt i

Moses, If the leak is around the spark plugs, seal it with some silicone. If it is the exhaust cover, you need to remove and replace the gaskets. To get the bolts out without breaking them, I recommend you remove the powerhead and lay it on the bench for easy access to the bolts. Now heat the bolt head with a propane torch, remove the torch and put an impact driver on the bolt, and tap gently. You can also use penetrating oil in conjunction, being careful not to start a fire.<br /><br />I found that as the bolt cooled, it would "suck in" the penetrating oil, helping to loosen it. Since the motor has been in freshwater, you should not have much trouble with the outer cover bolts.

Re: should i or should'nt i

You have about a 1% chance of not breaking at least one bolt off, unfortunately they always break off, I thought I got lucky trying it once and on the last bolt I twisted it off, how pissed-off was I, anyway ... if you have the right tools to drill out and make new thread then do it ....

Re: should i or should'nt i

I just tore down a 1985 90hp inline 6 (Saltwater) and didn't break any of the bolts. Only thing that didn't want to come off was one of the Philips bolts on the bearing (I think) between piston 2 and 3 and between piston 4 and 5. Stripped only one head per. So can't get them off of the crank. But every other bolt came out without any problems. Guess I was lucky or didn't have enough strength in the shoulders to break them ;-)<br /><br />Craig

Re: should i or should'nt i

Originally posted by moseslake:<br /> the cover plate gasket around the water jacket is leaking on my 1980 140hp IL6. my question is, should i try to take the bolts out and risk breaking the heads off or should i try to seal up the leak with some sealant? the motor has never been in saltwater. what sealant should i use? will the selant stand the heat/presure? thanks.

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If the leak is around the spark plugs, you might get it with black RTV, make sure everyhting is dry. There's only 8-10 psi on that cover, sealing it externally is possible.<br /><br />=W

Re: should i or should'nt i

thanks guys for the info. i think i'll try the sealant first. i would dread having to take the power head off because of one bolt. the leak is coming from around the 1st plug area. is there any prep to be done first, cleaning with solvent(carb cleaner or brake cleaner) or sanding the area. thanks and wish me luck.