Latex rubber compatibility with Engine Oil?

[Brian Diehl]

I'm trying to fix an oil leak in the injector wiring harness rockercover pass through.  The seals around the connector are working great, but I have some oil seapage through the actual wiring connector.  I'd like to use part of a Latex Rubber household glove to seal up the connector so oil no longer can weep through the pass through connector. 

My question is:  will this glove deteriorate in the hot engine oil?

[luvrbus]

Brian, if you are talking about the thin latex gloves, the white color will dissolve over time but the blue color gloves are oil compatible and I don't know about the blue gloves with the heat and the oil combined   have a good day

[Brian Diehl]

The gloves I have are the yellow household cleaning style gloves.  I think they are comparable to the blue ones you describe.

[Ednj]

I would stick with Nitrile, usually blue in color.
Here is a Chemical Resistance guide for gloves.

[Brian Diehl]

I would stick with Nitrile, usually blue in color.
Here is a Chemical Resistance guide for gloves.

Excellent picture!  Thanks for the information.  Looks like I should skip these gloves and find something else to accomplish a little oil proofing.

[boogiethecat]

If you can get all the oil off first (carb cleaner spray, or even starting fluid) then use silicone gasket  making material to seal everything you'll probably be happy.

My favorite silicone goo these days is "ultra grey oxygen sensor safe" by permatex.  The stuff is wicked strong and outperforms just about every other silicone I've used (and I've used a LOT in my lifetime).  I've sealed everything from my hot tub pipes to my welding hoses as they pass thru a stainless wall.  The stuff seals well and doesn't give up easily under heat or pressure.  Once it's cured it also doesn't mind oil...

Gotta be much more satisfying that a bunch of glove fingers hanging on your wiring....

[TomC]

The Permatex form a gasket is the best.  But even the GE stuff in the big tubes at Home Depot, so long as it is the best quality, is remarkably good (as compared to when it first came out).  Now there is almost no smell and it cures in 24 hours with skin over in a few minutes.  I've used many a tube on the bus including using it as a padding between hoses and metal.  I bet if it weren't for silicone and nylon pull ties my bus would fall apart.  Good Luck, TomC

[Brian Diehl]

Permatex ... never even thought of that.  Good idea guys.  Thanks!

[boogiethecat]

For what it's worth, here's my lifetime experience with silicone adhesives, and what you should / should not use if you have a choice


Any silicone other than made by GE, with exception of the "ultra grey" permatex:  no good, don't go there.

Any GE type II silicone- don't use anywhere except bathroom caulking.  It's not strong and it's got mold inhibitor in it.

Any GE silicone other than clear- not as good as clear.   Colorant reduces strength in all silicones I've played with.

The best "home depot" style you can get is either GE clear type 1, or clear aquarium silicone.  Both perform well.

Better than any of the above, GE RTV109 avaliable from industrial suppliers

Much better than any of the above, the permatex Ultra Grey oxygen safe stuff mentioned in the earlier post.

The BEST of the BEST, GE RTV167 although when you see how much it costs, it might gag you ($around $30 per tube, and thats the toothpaste size!!)
But for the most part, it's worth it although the Ultra grey isn't far behind in performance, and costs MUCH less.

.............

Most of the silicone adhesives are acetic-acid based cure systems.  That's what the stink is all about, and that's what kills oxygen sensors and corrodes electronics.  For instance don't use it to seal your rear view cameras or they will corrode over time.

The permatex Ultra Grey, and RTV167 are both cure systems based on methanol, thus no corrosion, no stink, and no messing with sensors or electronics.

For me, it's either Ultra Grey or RTV167, or I don't use silicone at all.  These two WAY outperform ALL of the others, hands down.  Well, I do use permatex orange hi-temp silicone for valve cover gaskets and transmission housings... it doesn't stick so agressively so when it's time to remove it's not a big hassle.  But that's the only place I'd use it...

Cheers
Gary