Quote Originally Posted by AJeepZJ View Post
So for people like me who have not used RTV in the cover... About how long are we waiting to seal it... Eould you recommend applying the RTV and then hand torqueing the bolts... Etc
They spell it out pretty well on the back of the RTV package... but it basically goes like this (and FYI, im not a fan of RTV for sealing... but when used 'properly' i havent seen any issues):

1) Both surfaces must be clean/dry
2) Apply RTV to cover, 1/8-1/4" bead size, and around all bolt holes
3) Put cover on within 5 minutes (the sooner the better so it starts bonding with BOTH surfaces)
4) HAND tighten bolts JUST enough to see the RTV squeezing out around the perimeter
5) Wait at least an hour, then turn bolts another 1/4-1/2 rotation

For step 5 I usually wait a few hours, or overnight if possible, and then torque the bolts to spec (which usually is close to 1/2 rotation).