Valve cover

[MoreBoost]

Well my valve cover is leaking, and i just ordered the gasket, iv never done it before but it seems pretty easy, remove DI then bolts pull the cover off replace gasket rebolt and then done, now when i pull the cover off should i do anything else? any maintenance?

[saabkid37]

the gasket is a royal pain in the *** to replace. ive had success filling the channel with vaseline to hol dthe gasket in.

[Aaron Gilbert]

Change the upper chain guide while you are at it. I changed my valve cover gasket about eight months ago, never having done it before. I found it just as simple as you describe, and didn't have any problems with the new gasket staying put inside the valve cover as I installed it. I still have no leaks, which is more than I can say for the gasket it replaced, so I consider it a sucess and nice $200 savings or so. I believe there is a specific sequence and procedure for tightening the bolts, but I can't recall if I used that or not. Out of habit, I always tighten opposite bolts in sequence, for example lower right then top left then upper right and lower left, etc. And the torque is not very high. I did use a torque wrench. Good luck!

[MoreBoost]

alright thanks, whats the upper chain guide and how much is it???

[Aaron Gilbert]

The upper chain guide is a small piece of rubber that sits on the underside of the valve cover. They get hard with age, which can cause an increase in the amount of chain noise. It's about $7, and #6 in this diagram:

http://www.eeuroparts.com/searchresu...1121&cat=1014#

[MoreBoost]

thanks, is there anything i should do to the valves?

[michaLcoughliN]

always tighten gaskets from center out

people like the X pattern , school teaches you to spiral out.

[mulik51]

Do you have haynes? They show to put a little gasket sealant on the corners and the plugs. Not hard to change it, however, a little torque wrench I say is really helpful. Just take it of, clean everything out, clean the grooves where the gasket goes into in the valve cover.(I use stuff like brake cleaner or carb cleaner). Then clean the surface on the head. Then apply a smear of the gasket sealant to where haynes tell you to, put the gasket into the the valve cover and then put the cover onto the head. The just tighten all the bolts till they are hand tight. Tighten the bolts using a torque wrench so that there is no warpage(so that there is no side which tightened and the other side is not) I usually somewhat tighten the center bolts on the inside, then go for the corners. Then do an x pattern.

Real easy to do.

Good Luck.

Klim

[abusot]

With the valve cover off, I would check to make sure the headbolts haven't loosened, which is very common in these cars. Loose head bolts can lead to a blown head gasket, which is not a fun job.

[MoreBoost]

how should i go about tightening the head bolts? What i mean is what is the proper torque? and from what i have read and from people i have talked to say that the head bolts are one time use, u cant re tighten them or they will break

Imran

[mulik51]

Well, just get a bigger torque wrench then the one you use for the valve cover and just set it to the torque specified in haynes and go around the bolts tightening them. You start in the middle of the head, alternating forward and backward and going toward the sides...

Klim

[mulik51]

I do have both torque wrenches so if you want come over, ill heklp you with it. I did valve cover like tons of times and the head once, so I am pretty good with that side of the engine...

Klim