Can you use RTV silicone to patch a hole in a timing belt cover?
Using RTV silicone can temporarily cover a small hole in an engine cover to keep out dirt and rocks, provided it can withstand the engine's heat. However, on a brand-new motor with low mileage, applying a quick patch carries the risk of material melting or failing, which leaves the critical belt vulnerable to damaging debris.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Applying RTV silicone over the hole
- 2Using marine epoxy putty
- 3Covering the hole with duct tape
- 4Using a piece of plastic with epoxy
- 5Plastic welding the cover
- 6Temporarily covering the opening with a makeshift cover so rodents and debris do not fall in
- 7Applying bleach to shock the well to prevent contamination from kicked-up debris
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“i have this hole in my timing belt cover if i put RTV silicone would i be okay or would i need to replace the whole cover ?”source ↗
“this is a new motor with less than 30k miles i dont want to ruin the engine”source ↗
“would it be able to withstand the heat coming from the engine because i don’t want it to melt off”source ↗
“okay i see now because i don’t want dirt and rocks to get into my belt it’s brand new”source ↗
“yeah for sure that’s the last thing i need and the hole isn’t to big so i just wanted to see if i can put something on there to cover the hole to keep out dirt and etc”source ↗
“After 10 years in this house, I finally did it. None of the wiring looks damaged but this cap seems about impossible to remove.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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