Sealant

[solitaire]

Hi,

When removing things like rear lights/rear view mirrors and what not I have disturbed the factory weather proofing.

What do you guys do to seal this up again? Just a selleys no more gaps sort of thing or is there something better?

cheers

dave

[RS13]

You're after butyl mastic if you want similar to the factory sticky gunk, something like Bostik 5615. Or if you're a cheapass like me, I used clear silicone sealant around the taillights in my daily over a year ago, still seals well with no leaks but will be a mission to remove next time. Some people say that the silicone tends to retain moisture and isn't the most ideal for long term use for metal applications but that doesn't bother me in a cheap car.

[Alex B]

You probably want something with a bit more flex than no more gaps. I have used this: http://www.selleys.co.nz/trade/building ... e-sealant/ but it's pretty over kill and good luck ever getting the lights out again. A clear silicone should do the job fine.

[KinLoud]

Aha - maybe try a trick I learnt
This works with automotive sealant (I use loctite grey max?)
- put a thin film of oil on one surface and the sealant on the other surface
Put the surfaces together and let it set (don't over tighten - if fact surfaces not quite touching keeps a thin layer of sealant all the way around.
You can take the pieces apart and sealant only sticks to one surface so you assemble disassemble whenever you want. It's a good reusable seal... But I wouldn't do this for a sump.
Try it with clear sealant and maybe oil or cooking oil to see if it works for you

[solitaire]

Thanks lads, some great ideas there, i'll have a crack.

[solitaire]

Thanks for all your ideas, i ended up going with some black gasket stuff, seems to have worked well, will let you know how it goes.