powder coated valve covers

[Liam O]

Hi,

I powder coated my valve covers about a year ago, prior to this they did not leak.
Since they were reinstalled the nyloc nuts have had a tendency to slacken.

Its not extensive but annoying when they did not leak before. Ive purchased the rubber gaskets from pelican as Im fed up buying gaskets I can't reuse.(Know I have to be careful when tightening these.)

Could it be that the powder coat is under the nuts and washers, do I have to buff this off at the holes in the valve covers.

Surely the covers wouldn't warp at the temperature used for powder coating, I think I need to check this to make sure, when the covers are off across the corners.

Appreciate any thoughts on this.

[timchar]

Are you using new nylon nuts every time ? Are you tightening down in a "star" pattern? Tim

[RichardNew]

You might try locking nuts. They work better than the Nylocks.

More than you really need to know about nuts and bolts.



Richard Newton

[T77911S]

the reuseable gaskets are awesome.

here is the deal though.
clean all the studs with a die and carb clean.
clean the surface of the covers and the cam tower.
no left over gasket maker or dirt.
the nuts only need to be about 2-3 lbs. I don't use a torque wrench, just very lightly snugged.
if the gasket starts to squeeze ou t they are too tight.
trust me, if you think they are tight enough, they are too tight.

check for leaks elsewhere.
check the cam line that goes to the cam tower.
mine leaked and it looked lik ethe valve cover was leaking.

I hope they did not powder coat the surface of the cover that the gasket goes on.

[Liam O]

Originally Posted by timchar

Are you using new nylon nuts every time ? Are you tightening down in a "star" pattern? Tim

Yes,
Tim although the washers and nylons Ive been using are stainless steel.

[Liam O]

Originally Posted by T77911S

the reuseable gaskets are awesome.

here is the deal though.
clean all the studs with a die and carb clean.
clean the surface of the covers and the cam tower.
no left over gasket maker or dirt.
the nuts only need to be about 2-3 lbs. I don't use a torque wrench, just very lightly snugged.
if the gasket starts to squeeze ou t they are too tight.
trust me, if you think they are tight enough, they are too tight.

check for leaks elsewhere.
check the cam line that goes to the cam tower.
mine leaked and it looked lik ethe valve cover was leaking.

I hope they did not powder coat the surface of the cover that the gasket goes on.

No the surface that mates on the gasket is clean, Ive also just checked them for flat and they are ok.
It is only slight and the line that goes to the cam tower was replaced in my tenure but I will check again.
Actually regretting getting these coated probably doesn't help with heat dissipation either.

As you can see I have cleaned the areas where the washers rest on one cover, I remember the powdercoater guy saying these would need cleaned at the time.
just wanted to know if anyone else had experienced this.

[Liam O]

That looks a really nice car Richard, may try the locknuts if it fails again.

[theiceman]

you should NOT be using stainless steel washers. The washers for this application are a very soft aluminum ., they are sealing washers.

[Liam O]

Originally Posted by theiceman

you should NOT be using stainless steel washers. The washers for this application are a very soft aluminum ., they are sealing washers.

Ok thanks, sounds like that could be my problem.

[gtc]

The washers dont do any sealing. It's all in the gaskets. So clean the two faces well, especially around the studs.

[T77911S]

check where the cam line connects to the tower.
there is an adapter with a washer then there are 2 washers on the cam line.
mine leaked there. you could not tell from the top.
the oil ran down and made it look like the valve cover was leaking.
after several attempts to fix the "valve cover" leak and looking for leaks up top, i did more searching and found it was leaking at the washers.

i have had my valve covers off quite a few times and have not replaced the aluminum washers, but then i also don't put any force on them.

i think the washers do help seal it up with other gaskets.
the reusable ones seal so good they don't matter as much

[Liam O]

Ok,

Thanks for the input, Im pretty sure its only the covers that are leaking but I'll check again.
As I said its very slight but its a clean engine and I want to keep it that way.

[al lkosmal]

Originally Posted by gtc

the washers dont do any sealing. It's all in the gaskets. So clean the two faces well, especially around the studs.

+1........

[Liam O]

Well I reinstalled the valve covers with the silicone gaskets and the instructions state tighten between 4-5lbs.
I went for 4.5lbs and left them overnight without firing up the car and in the morning there was a slight sweat.
Then I retightened to 5lbs ad the gaskets are functioning great, no leaks even after a couple of hundred miles.
Happy I detest oi leaks.

[timchar]

That's great, nice to rid yourself of leaks. Tim