Leaking valve cover fixed on Kohler 22hp 7000 series in a Cub Cadet RZTS 

You are right there are many types of black RTV set times. There isn’t much torque on these.

Service manual says 80 inch pounds, always use a torque wrench on these, some people think the tighter you can get them the better, this is when you'll have oil leaks. I have the same motor and make sure your cooling fins are clean , remove old grass and dirt from the fins, you'll have a cooler running motor and a leak free valve cover. While your in there you can always check clearance on valves which is 4 thousands of an inch at TDC ( top dead center ) Great video by the way.@@weaversstonehousefarm

It’s pretty easy to fix. When they leak they will smoke alot when first started after sitting. the head/valve cover holds a little oil when it’s off. It’s quicker to clean up if you use a wire wheel or wire cup brush in a drill.

@@weaversstonehousefarm Thanks will make note✔️💯💪🏽

What’s a little extra RTV between friends 😃It lasted two years until the heat ruined it the one side again this spring.

Frogfoot1 thanks for the ideas. We use black RTV on everything so it doesn’t leak and we don’t have to deal with it again. #weaversstonehousefarm

@@weaversstonehousefarm So far I haven't had a leak with my new composite valve covers. When I need to remove it to check my clearances I just remove them, inspect my o-ring, and replace the covers and torque them down again.

Never use a sanding barrel on an aluminum sealing surface. Wire brush on a drill works ok. I just didn’t feel like it for this video

@@frogfoot198 to us it’s a 10+ yr old lawn mower, we have no reason to check valve lash. The valve cover will never come off again unless it’s broke.

I have metal stamped valve cover do you have a part number to switch over to composite ones thanks

Glad to hear it. An aftermarket gasket for these would sell very well.

Black is what the factory uses as it is within the operating temp range. This mower is at least 15-18 yrs old at this point.

Color can vary with different brands. Read the label for 500 degrees or more. If the leakage is worse on the right cylinder, the problem is almost always that cylinder air cooling is blocked, caused by air passages and cylinder fins being clogged with grass and dirt and a bit of oil for binder. It can start fire. Voice of experience.

Sorry, I’ll have to look at this mower later and let you know as it is at my relatives house.

You can do it that way also. I don’t like to let it sheen up too much. You could assemble, wait awhile then hand tighten like you suggested or just tighten it and be done. There is no pressure on it. The biggest thing is waiting for the cure time per the rtv maker’s instructions

Manual says for proper adhesion, apply RTV then immediately install and hand tighten then torque to 120 in lbs.

Go look or ask for one at any local parts store with good old counter guys. They will laugh. Worked in many garages over the years dealer for GMC/Pontiac/olds, 3 independent shops, and all of my own equipment/trucks and never had a problem using a steel scraper or steel wire wheel on a steel valve cover. It seals with Black RTV. So any scraping is sealed/covered/filled with that. I should have taken a steel wire wheel to it on the drill as that would have been quicker.

8” inch I had one that didn’t stay sealed over the winter and I just redid it at a 1/4 turn-ish past hand tight.

@@weaversstonehousefarm In this other video from Kohler, the guy does say "80 inch lbs." they also install an aftermarket heat shield. I wonder if the temp gets too high for ultra black with the header coming out right underneath. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ES5LIGXV-OE.html

@@typhoon320i the manufacturer instructions on the bottle for Permatex ultra Black call out for assembling and hand tightening until the rtv squishes out. Wait 1 hour. Then tighten to what ever spec the mfger of that parts calls out. Did I wait 1 hour? No. Did I wait 24 hours till putting back into service? Don’t recall. If I recall correctly black RTV is close to like a 500°F temperature but that varies per mfger so check their bottle and RTV is what is on it from the factory.

@@weaversstonehousefarm I have a tube of Ultra black laying around after I used it on a differential, so I'll see if it does the trick. The other valve cover is not leaking, so maybe temp is not a factor.

@@typhoon320i TEMP IS THE MAIN FACTOR! The other cover not leaking is a main indicator to what is happening. The high temp in the right cylinder exhaust is caused by junk building up in the cylinder fins and stopping the cooling air flow. I almost destroyed my mower because the junk caught fire down in the fins on the right side. Even after that, I took out a half quart of dirt, grass and oil in the right side alone with the air nozzle. That side got so hot that a new composite cover started to melt. This was on the right cover which will typically get worse than the left when it is a junk in the fins problem. At the end of every year take the air shroud off and clean the fins. If you are mowing a lot junk with lots of chaff and dust in the air, clean them sooner. I plan on making a primary air filter in the hood although my lawn isn't as dusty as when I built it. If you need a shower after mowing, then the fins need cleaning. I lucked out but almost burnt up the mower learning that lesson. I plan on going back to the steel cover with high temp sealant plus a regular gasket. I found 6 gaskets on Ebay for about $7.00. There is supposed to be a new reinforced steel cover out there but I can't find it. Another idea is that 4 pluggable holes in the top of the air shroud would give access to the fins for a wand air nozzle without taking the shroud off.

Maybe it's more of the equipment that the engine is on is junk. I have two of the Kohler 7000 engines and they have been great. A 2014 & a 2017 nether has had any problems. Clean air filters & change oil & filter once a year. Pull cover every 100 hours clean fins. Older one going on 600 hours and newer one going on 275. Seems parts are easy to get and a lot less expensive according to internet then suckies. And Briggs may not be around when you need them.

My valve cover gaskets failed under warranty. The chumps I had to take it to had it for 3 weeks. After I finally got it back, oil came spraying out. Took it back and they had it for one day. They're leaking again. Going to do it myself this time.

@@danimald.2407 Kohler has a composite valve cover that has a big "O" ring and crush sleves so you don't over tighten the "O" ring. Get your motor model number and look up the "black plastic looking valve covers'. Buy off ebay or amazon, save money. Make sure it will fit your model number. My valve covers are (glued from factory) on so tight I haven't found a way to get them off yet. Adjust valves when you get chance too.

The fix for these is the addition of the heat shields under the valve covers to protect the RTV from the heat. We can discuss torque, drying, and level of clean till the cows come home. None of that matters when the heat from the exhaust pipes just cooks the RTV dry. You can fab up a set from thin sheetmetal and bolt them to one of the bolts under the head. Buy the aftermarket aluminum or plastic retrofit valve covers and they come with the Heat shields. The seal job in this video lasted about two years w/o the heat shields = good enough, it’s a lawn mower. We changed it over to the Kohler retrofit valve covers now. We have a video out on that and the retrofit valve covers were reasonably priced.

@weaversstonehousefarm Kohler definitely need to go back to drawing board.