RTV sealant on my camshaft plugs?

Hey everyone! I was wondering if it is a good idea to put RTV sealant on my camshaft plugs?
I thought the leak was coming from the valve cover gaskets at the rear of the engine but after removing the covers and camshaft plugs I realize the leak was coming from the plugs. Would it be wise to apply a thin coat of sealant? Thanks

 

I thought Pugs were two cycle.... I knew Dobermans were four-cycle, but Pugs?

 

LOL! If I did have a Pug in my motor, would y'all put sealant on it?

 

Yes...don't be shy with it. Like yourself, I thought the valve cover was leaking but is was the camshaft plugs. Don't forget to do the half moon plugs as well.

 

This was posted by another member to give you an idea...

 

That is a very scary amount of rtv, I'd be afraid of getting it into the engine with that much extra.

 

Good example of how much to put eventually in this diy:

https://youtu.be/N5fAXAuGozI?t=1612

 

yeah, don't do that.

 

Yeah you have to use RTV on the plugs. I just did this on my 2000 rav4. Had to re-do the valve cover gasket because I didn’t realize this was a thing when I first did the gasket.

 

Follow the Service manual instructions above and whatever Tim advises in his video can be trusted.

A dab will do. Smear around the circles, a small bit in the channels of the half's and in all corners.

With rubber gaskets it's almost unneeded. Follow where the factory put it.

 

I think there's some confusion here. Yes you should apply FIPG on the bearing cap but not actually on the cam plug itself. Some guys think they need to apply some for extra insurance but the cam plug has a rubberized surface. If the head surface and bearing cap surface are clean and the the cap is torqued properly, it won't leak.

The reason why adding some FIPG to the cam plug is a bad idea is think about the scenario if you ever have to repeat this job. Getting in there at the backs of the head to dig out old sealant would be a major Mother Hubbard. My advice is don't follow the herd over the cliff on this one. If you noticed the page out of the FSM @jammer provided, it calls for FIPG on those two spots on the bearing caps but doesn't call for it on the cam plugs themselves. Follow the FSM instructions and my advice and don't apply FIPG to the cam plugs

 

This guy @Timmah! has his head screwed on straight. He's got a sweet youtube channel filled with sweet mall crawling videos.


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Oh, and lots of legit mechanical/repair videos.

 

But that's what is leaking according to his post. We know rubber doesn't last forever, it gets hard. I RTVed mine rather than buy new ones but as long as the part is offered new that's certainly an option.

 

Well yeah, if you're going to reuse the cam plugs and you know they were leaking, your only choice is to use some FIPG or RTV to keep it from leaking. But, this is not something I would recommend somebody do. Those cam plugs are not expensive. Why would you do all that labor and cheap out by not replacing the cam plugs? It's the same thing when people ask if they can reuse the plenum gaskets. Sure, you can, but do you really want to risk a potential vacuum leak to save a few bucks? Your time is important too. Why risk wasting time having to go back in to fix something all because you were being cheap trying to save a few bucks?

A similar story is a guy on a Toyota Facebook page related it was his 4th time swapping out his steering rack. He got one from an auto parts store with a lifetime warranty. You would think after spending the time to swap it out a second time and then it failed for a third time, he would figure out his time is worth more than the expense of just buying a quality OEM steering rack and being done with it. But no, he swapped it out a 3rd time and a 4th time. Maybe it made sense to him but it made no sense to me.

Do the job right and replace the parts that need replacing. Bailing wire and duct tape have their place in trail repairs but they shouldn't be employed at home or a shop if you want to do things right. My two and a half cents. Hope your repair lasts. Cleaning out that old RTV on the backs of the heads isn't going to be fun.

 

We just disagree on spending money. I think 20 bucks is 20 bucks. Jesus Christ, I can clean a smear of RTV off with my finger.

 

If you can get your finger into the space of the back of the head between that back strap and the head, you've got some pretty slim long fingers. Anyway, this has now gotten to the point of me wasting my time. I gave my advice and the OP and others can take it or leave it.

 

Well, ok Tim.

OP, buy some new ones. Yours are worn out.