1938 John Deere unstyled A oil leak

[myersb75]

Hi guys.I m new to this site and I recently purchased a 1938 JD model A. Tractor runs well but has a bit of an oil leak guessing around the valve cover. My questions are: How much oil will be lost if I remove the valve cover? Any idea on the part number for the valve cover gasket? I grew up around the older A s, and B s but was too young to remember my pap working on them. This tractor has become my son s tractor and we want to take it to shows.

 

[Pete in MD]

The valve cover gasket is p/n A1575R.

YT parts has them for $16.
YT parts

 

[myersb75]

Awesome thanks! Any tips or trick when installing them? RTV etc? Also, how much oil will be lost in the process?

 

[Pete in MD]

Very little oil will be lost if the drain-back hole in the head is open.
Soak the new gasket in fresh oil overnight. No RTV.

 

[HFP]

I'm not going to post a link, because I they are mostly available on competitors sites. However, silicone valve cover gaskets
are available for these A's. I like them because they seal well and can be reused over and over if you need to make adjustments,
swap parts, or whatever. They aren't much more than the regular cork/rubber gaskets. I apply a very light coat of RTV just to
help hold it to the valve cover when I put everything together. Then I grease/oil the side that goes to the head. Comes apart
easy and haven't had issues with leaks. As others have said, you should lose minimal oil fixing this gasket.