The Proper Use of RTV to Make Your Own Gasket: A Comprehensive Guide

This video will show you the proper way to use RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) to make your own gasket and seal something such as a rear differential, oil pan, or thermostat gasket. When working with high temperatures, it's essential to use high-temperature RTV, which is a silicone gasket maker that is compatible with the liquids you'll be using it around.

When choosing an RTV, make sure it's compatible with the materials and fluids you'll be using it in. In this video, we're working with a rear differential cover that is specifically designed for use with rear gear oil. The first step is to take the cap off the top of the RTV tube. Now, cut the RTV to the desired thickness. It's recommended to start with a thinner layer and add more as needed, but be careful not to go back and re-do the application if it doesn't turn out right.

Once you've cut the RTV to the desired thickness, screw the cap back on. The next step is to create a continuous bead going around the inside of the bolt holes. Start the bead at the top of the differential because that's where the weakest spot will be. Be careful not to apply too much RTV, as it can seep into the differential and cause problems. Too little RTV, on the other hand, won't provide a good seal.

Compressing the RTV will help it spread out evenly and create a thick enough layer without leaking into the differential. A quarter of an inch thickness is recommended in the middle of the surface. Take your time when applying the RTV, as it can be tricky to get just right. If you don't have a gasket, you'll need to apply the RTV this way. Letting it sit for about 15 minutes will allow it to become slightly tacky and easier to work with.

After letting the RTV sit, clean off the mating surface with a paper towel dipped in brake cleaner. This will ensure a smooth and even surface for the gasket to adhere to. Now it's time to put the rear differential cover back on with the RTV. The key is to get the two bolts in top and bottom without moving them around too much. Push both bolts through the top and bottom of the differential, trying not to smear the RTV.

Hand tighten the bolts first, then move on to tightening them in a star pattern. You can either torque them down to about 5 foot pounds or wait until you see a little bit of the red RTV coming out before leaving it tightened slightly. This will allow you to feel when the gasket is properly seated and tightened.

The recommended torque spec for this application is between 25 to 35 foot pounds. Let the RTV cure for an hour, then tighten down again to the specified torque. Once everything is torqued down to spec, you'll have a properly sealed rear differential cover with a new gasket made from RTV.

As the RTV cures, it will allow you to add gear oil into the differential within about an hour. It will fully cure in 24 hours, making it ready for driving again. If this video was helpful, be sure to like and subscribe. As a subscriber, you'll receive updates when I upload new videos, including other how-to guides that can help you save money by doing things yourself.

In conclusion, using RTV to make your own gasket is a simple and effective way to seal a variety of applications, from rear differentials to oil pans and thermostat gaskets. By following the steps outlined in this video, you'll be able to create a properly sealed gasket that will last for years to come. Just remember to use high-temperature RTV when working with high temperatures, and always follow the recommended torque spec to ensure a proper seal.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis video is going to show you the proper way to use RTV to make your own gasket and to seal something such as a rear differential your oil pan a thermostat gasket if you're going to use it in a area that has high temperatures get high temperature RTV it's a silicone gasket maker make sure that it's compatible with the liquids that you're going to be using it around so this is a rear differential cover this is compatible with rear gear oil so just take the cap puncture at the top of the RTV like so now you're going to cut this to the desired thickness so I'm gonna try this thickness first you could always cut it thicker but you can't go back just screw that on now we want to try to make a continuous bead going around the inside of these bolt holes so you're going to want to start the bead at the top of the differential because that's going to be the weakest spot of the bead and that's right here be careful cuz you could use too much of this RTV and then it'll get in the differential you could also use too little and then you won't make a good seal so you want just the right amount as seen in this video when I compress this it'll spread out just enough so that's a thick enough layer but it won't leak into the differential and that's about a quarter of an inch thickness right in the middle of the surface take your time it goes for one continuous bead it's not the end of the world if you can't get a continuous it'll smooth itself like so you only need to do this if you don't have a gasket and now you're gonna just let it sit for about 15 minutes let it get a little bit tacky and then we're gonna put it on the differential and just hand tighten it so that the gasket gets compressed and any air bubbles get pushed out and it makes a nice seal with your other mating surface so I'm gonna go show you that now so now I have a paper towel with brake clean on it and I'm just gonna go around and clean off the mating surface good nice and clean nice and smooth now I'm gonna put the rear differential cover back on with the RTV so the key thing here is gonna be get these two bolts in top and bottom without moving it around too much so I'm gonna push the bolt through the top and I'm gonna push the bolt through the bottom and I'm gonna do my best to align this without smearing good top and bottom bolts are in I'm gonna hand tighten the bottom one first and tighten the top one not all the way but just enough so that you start feeling a little bit of resistance and now we're going to go in a star pattern I'm gonna start from the bottom go top bottom top side side side side now you could either torque them to about 5 foot pounds each in that star pattern or just tighten them down until you see a little bit of the red RTV coming out and then leave it don't tighten it all the way so you can see the RTV is starting to come out and I'm literally just lightly turning it using only the head of this so there's no torque and I'm just making sure this is just tightened lightly by hand so once the RTV starts to come out like that you've done your job it's like that around the whole thing so you're just gonna let it sit for an hour and then you're gonna torque it down to specs and the torque specs for this are 25 to 35 foot pounds so let's wait an hour and then we'll go torque them down now we're going to talk it down 25 foot-pounds star pattern good they're all torqued down this is the proper service procedure for use of our TV to make a gasket the RTV cures enough to add the gear oil in about an hour and it fully cures in 24 hours if this video was helpful click like and subscribe the likes help me out and if you subscribe you get feet update when I upload a new video and I'll have a few more videos here if you click on them they'll lead you to other how-to videos that are very helpful save you moneythis video is going to show you the proper way to use RTV to make your own gasket and to seal something such as a rear differential your oil pan a thermostat gasket if you're going to use it in a area that has high temperatures get high temperature RTV it's a silicone gasket maker make sure that it's compatible with the liquids that you're going to be using it around so this is a rear differential cover this is compatible with rear gear oil so just take the cap puncture at the top of the RTV like so now you're going to cut this to the desired thickness so I'm gonna try this thickness first you could always cut it thicker but you can't go back just screw that on now we want to try to make a continuous bead going around the inside of these bolt holes so you're going to want to start the bead at the top of the differential because that's going to be the weakest spot of the bead and that's right here be careful cuz you could use too much of this RTV and then it'll get in the differential you could also use too little and then you won't make a good seal so you want just the right amount as seen in this video when I compress this it'll spread out just enough so that's a thick enough layer but it won't leak into the differential and that's about a quarter of an inch thickness right in the middle of the surface take your time it goes for one continuous bead it's not the end of the world if you can't get a continuous it'll smooth itself like so you only need to do this if you don't have a gasket and now you're gonna just let it sit for about 15 minutes let it get a little bit tacky and then we're gonna put it on the differential and just hand tighten it so that the gasket gets compressed and any air bubbles get pushed out and it makes a nice seal with your other mating surface so I'm gonna go show you that now so now I have a paper towel with brake clean on it and I'm just gonna go around and clean off the mating surface good nice and clean nice and smooth now I'm gonna put the rear differential cover back on with the RTV so the key thing here is gonna be get these two bolts in top and bottom without moving it around too much so I'm gonna push the bolt through the top and I'm gonna push the bolt through the bottom and I'm gonna do my best to align this without smearing good top and bottom bolts are in I'm gonna hand tighten the bottom one first and tighten the top one not all the way but just enough so that you start feeling a little bit of resistance and now we're going to go in a star pattern I'm gonna start from the bottom go top bottom top side side side side now you could either torque them to about 5 foot pounds each in that star pattern or just tighten them down until you see a little bit of the red RTV coming out and then leave it don't tighten it all the way so you can see the RTV is starting to come out and I'm literally just lightly turning it using only the head of this so there's no torque and I'm just making sure this is just tightened lightly by hand so once the RTV starts to come out like that you've done your job it's like that around the whole thing so you're just gonna let it sit for an hour and then you're gonna torque it down to specs and the torque specs for this are 25 to 35 foot pounds so let's wait an hour and then we'll go torque them down now we're going to talk it down 25 foot-pounds star pattern good they're all torqued down this is the proper service procedure for use of our TV to make a gasket the RTV cures enough to add the gear oil in about an hour and it fully cures in 24 hours if this video was helpful click like and subscribe the likes help me out and if you subscribe you get feet update when I upload a new video and I'll have a few more videos here if you click on them they'll lead you to other how-to videos that are very helpful save you money\n"