Valve Cover Red Goop?

[z boy mn]

I've been cleaning up a valve cover I got on ebay and after beadblasting and polishing I looked at the red/tan hard goop that seals up the shield for the breather at the top of the valve cover. A lot of it was crumbly, so I scraped it all off and cleaned everything up because I didn't want it flaking off and getting sucked into the engine. Then, I reinstalled the shield.

I'm getting ready to install the valve cover and thinking maybe I should replace that red/tan goop with something? It appears it just seals the shield, so my first thought was I don't need it...it's not likely oil is going to go around the corner and out the breather, right?

(I just have a filter on the breather anyway.)

But...I'm still new at this and thought I'd throw it out to the experts. Do I need to put something in to seal the shield? And, what should I use (my first guess was RTV, but it doesn't seem tough enough)?

Thanks in advance!

Edited April 16, 2014 by z boy mn

[Kurbycar32]

Black RTV will survive in that environment. Whether or not its required: ill defer to the elders

Gasket Makers : Permatex® Ultra Black® Maximum Oil Resistance RTV Silicone Gasket Maker

Totally impervious to oil and good to temps up to 500 degrees. Your valve cover gets warm but nowhere near that temp

[z boy mn]

Hello Kurby, I do have some of the gasket maker and could use that. It's good to know it won't come off under the pressure/heat. Depending on the response here, I might try it out without sealing the shield for now and just see if oil comes out the top.

[ZCurves]

The shield is there to block splatter from the Cam, you would be OK using Permatex® Ultra Black.

[Zed Head]

The Nissan "goop" might be for anti-rattle, or -buzz.

[Jeff G 78]

I have found large chunks of the original stuff in my oil pan. Luckily, it went down the front cover into the pan and just sat there. I found no marks on the debris, so I wasn't too worried about finding it. I did make sure there was no loose sealer in the valve cover baffle before I put the cover back on.

[z boy mn]

Thanks for your input, everyone...I just put the shield in and used a little Permatex on the lowest corner and edge. If it rattles, I'll add more. I feel a lot better knowing the Permatex will hold up.

Jeff, glad to hear the chunks didn't cause any damage on the way down! When I was chipping the goop off it seemed very brittle, so my guess is it would break up pretty easily if it went down another way, but I'm glad it's not in there anymore.

Thanks again!