Stubborn, but Happy

215,000 miles now on 2001 MT, solar sunroof allroad—original turbos. Time to address annoying minor leaks and persistent P1522/17930 fault code (camshaft adjustment, bank 2). Runs great (when it runs), especially after having finally replaced heinous viscous fan with electrical fan kit.

My question is: Use RTV sealant on valve and related gaskets or no sealant at all?
I've had limited success using RTV, and recently ran across an online suggestion not to use any at all.

Thanks in advance to all you other 'stubborn, but happy' allroad owners for your collective expertise/opinions!

squidix9

I always use O2 safe sealant in the corners where the gasket bends up and over the cam. Depending on the condition of the surface I may also run a tiny head over the cam too if it's rough.

Stubborn, but Happy

Thanks, Squidix, that’s an issue I was completely unaware of—had to Google it to see what you meant.

I’ve done the valve gaskets a couple of times on this car, and have always ended up with a minor leak somewhere, regardless how meticulous I was with the sealant. So when I heard of someone suggesting no sealant, I wondered if I was making a mistake by using it.

Thanks for the tip!