- 1). Raise the hood of the machinery or vehicle and inspect the leak. If the leak is severe or if you know the gaskets have been installed for a long time, you'll want to replace them. If the leak is minor, you may be able to snug down the bolts to stop the leak. The reason this is acceptable if the cork gasket is not terribly old is because cork shrinks as it ages. If the shrinkage is minor, tightening will be possible.
- 2). Tighten the bolts that hold the gasket and cover in place. They should feel pretty loose when you start. You might wind up tightening them several rotations ultimately, but tighten each bolt only one-half rotation at a time before moving to the other bolts in a criss-cross pattern to draw the cover down evenly. You should apply only light pressure to tighten the bolts. Over-tightening the bolts will deform the gasket and cause it to bulge out the sides of the cover. If this happens, you'll have to replace the gasket.
- 3). Start the vehicle and let it idle. Keep an eye on the cover to make sure the leak has stopped. If it has not stopped, it will be necessary to replace the gasket. Do not attempt to tighten the bolts a second time. The gasket has likely shrunk too much to seal properly; or the hardened and glazed cork material will not seal.
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