My nuts are leaking!.. (no not those ones)

Dana_Drury · 12-23-2002, 11:15 PM

Well here was I thinking that I had gotten my car in order but...

I had the valves adjusted, and now have noticed that four of the lower nuts on driver (or passenger for the US) of my valve cover are actually leaking. The gasket is tight as a drum, the oil is actually seeping through the nut.

I have tried loosening them up, and that hasn't helped, actually the oil leaks through quicker, and I have tried tightening them, but I don't want to over tighten them because they are meant to be 8 NM, unfortunately my Torque wrench starts are 25 NM! (and I don't have a smaller torque wrench of access to one).

I have tried the tightening them via the 1/4 wrench, 4 finger method... but I don't actually have any perception on what 8NM should feel like. Should I tighten them further?

The nuts are the ones that come with the green gaskets (with the plastic centre).

The other side is perfectly fine.

Its a bugger because they leak onto the exchangers and smoke up when I am stop or shut off the car.

(I have 4 other leaks to chase up as well, all in areas where I replaced seals.... hmmm)

Adam · Adam's Garage

Hmm.

Sounds like your mech might have used the exact same Nyloks again (the nuts with the nylon sealing centres) or didn't use new crushable aluminium washers.

If they're both new, then there's no leaks, especially if you're using alloy/930 valve covers and they're in good straight order. I recently fitted HeetSheets and they came with new washers/Nyloks etc and to this day... no leaks!

As for the other leaking nuts... that's a personal problem, see the Padre

Dana_Drury · 12-24-2002, 05:00 AM

Nope brand new everything, I watched him tighten them up. You can see that they are brand new as well and the washers are new too!

The other three aren't leaking a drop, only this one. The covers are Turbo valve covers.

Rick Lee · Rick Lee's Garage

Invest in a cheap 3/8" drive torque wrench from Harbor Freight and torque those puppies correctly. When they wrote 5.9 ft/lbs., they really meant it. Those gaskets pinch very easily if overtorqued and that willmost certainly cause a leak.

makaio · 12-24-2002, 05:58 AM

During Bruce Anderson/Jerry Wood's tune up class, they suggest dressing the surface of the valve covers with 220 wet-dry sand paper laying on a sheet of glass. To help cure these leaks. Another thing Jerry said was to torque the covers to 15tf lbs. When he first stated that amount of torque I thought he miss quoted, but I asked hime after the class, and he said he always torqued them to 15 ft lbs.

I figure he knows what he's talking about, since he's built many performance 911 and other POrsche motors.

boyt911sc · boyt911sc's Garage

Dana,
I have similar problem after I installed the exhaust valve covers. All new parts and never leaked before ( 8 years). Now I get this smoke after the car sits more than several days.

Two exhaust valve cover studs collect nd drip oil on the heat exchanger (pass. side). I will replace these nuts/washers and see what happens.

Any recommendation for additional valve cover sealant?

Dana_Drury · 12-24-2002, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by boyt911sc

Two exhaust valve cover studs collect nd drip oil on the heat exchanger (pass. side). I will replace these nuts/washers and see what happens.

Any recommendation for additional valve cover sealant?

My exact problem in reverse.. I don't see why only 3 of the lower nuts are leaking, and not the other two? Its the first one (from back of the car to front) and the last two right at the front.

Tim L · 12-26-2002, 07:34 AM

I don't think the nuts and washers do any sealing. It's a problem with the gasket or the sealing surfaces of the valve cover to cam tower. I would remove the cover and check the surfaces, it could be there is some old gasket material stuck on the surfaces. Clean it up and use a new gasket and don't over torque the nuts and it shouldn't leak.

Tim

Superman · 12-26-2002, 08:36 AM

Tha's correct. The Nyloc nuts do nothing to seal. Sealing nuts have the plastic at the BASE of the nut. No, if those nuts are leaking, then the problem is not the nut. The problem is the oil leaking past the gasket in order to get TO the stud. If oil gets to the stud, then it will leak out the nut. find someone with a big, tabletop belt sander. Use that to make sure the sealing surface on the cover is flat and straight.