Valve Cover Gasket Changing

[Karl_W911]

I'll be changing the valve cover gaskets on my '74 tomorrow. Are there any specific things I should look out for or be aware of before I get to work on it?

I figure its a simple job of just warming up oil, lifting the car up, draining the oil, remove the valve covers and old gaskets, install new gaskets, seal the engine back up with new nuts and washers and such, and add oil? The filter is new enough so I hadn't intended on changing it out.

Also, what are the torque specs for the valve covers, top and bottom?

Thanks again!

[allaircooled]

I haven't been around much in the past few months. I'm guessing you got it running good now?

[juanbenae]

hope the old gaskets come off w/o sticking to this side, that side, and all sides... I was told some moons ago to spray the new gaskets with wd-40 prior to install to keep them from sticking next time. always worked, never a leak.

if you feel that they are sticky and likely to delaminate when you are going to remove the valve cover you want the gasket to sick to it. scraping old gasket from a VC on the bench is waaay better than scraping it from a cam tower with the motor in the car. ive coaxed what seemed like a sticky gasket with a razor blade from the cam tower as I carefully removed the VC. the intake side does not see much heat and they usually come off in one piece, the lower covers can be cooked on.

if they do stick and you need to scrap gasket off the VC taking a fine knife sharpening stone and with oil run it over the mating surfaces that's always a nice thing to do after you've chiseled off the old gasket..

t

[Karl_W911]

Originally Posted by allaircooled

I haven't been around much in the past few months. I'm guessing you got it running good now?

Oh yes! A shop got it running good over the summer, and the oil leak developed not too long afterwards. I had to do some work on the shift rod and coupler when the clamp slipped off the rod and left me stranded on the side of a freeway but I got that all sorted out fine a couple weeks ago!

My next goals with the car is fixing the leak, the stuck defrost, doing the brakes, and fixing the driver side window before warm weather arrives!

Originally Posted by car 311

hope the old gaskets come off w/o sticking to this side, that side, and all sides... I was told some moons ago to spray the new gaskets with wd-40 prior to install to keep them from sticking next time. always worked, never a leak.

if you feel that they are sticky and likely to delaminate when you are going to remove the valve cover you want the gasket to sick to it. scraping old gasket from a VC on the bench is waaay better than scraping it from a cam tower with the motor in the car. ive coaxed what seemed like a sticky gasket with a razor blade from the cam tower as I carefully removed the VC. the intake side does not see much heat and they usually come off in one piece, the lower covers can be cooked on.

if they do stick and you need to scrap gasket off the VC taking a fine knife sharpening stone and with oil run it over the mating surfaces that's always a nice thing to do after you've chiseled off the old gasket..

t

Noted, thanks!

[juanbenae]

what's that white stuff on the driveway? that looks slippery! carefoo from seal level CA...

[Karl_W911]

Originally Posted by car 311

what's that white stuff on the driveway? that looks slippery! carefoo from seal level CA...

Unfortunately there's more of it on the ground, so now it's in the garage until it and the salt are washed away. I was happy to get two sublime days of driving it around without snow or salt on the roads when that pic was taken a couple weeks ago.

[Franks89-911]

Beautiful car btw.

I think the torque for the little VC nuts is 5-10 foot/pounds. I have heard you don't want them too tight. But someone out there has the specs for sure. Unless you have a tiny torque wrench it's probably not worth it to measure. "Snug" is good enough.

Not as easy as it might seem. Tight spaces down below. Make sure you tighten in a star pattern evenly. Go slow. Make sure your lowers are absolutely flush against the gasket all the time as you tighten, otherwise you will hear an awful sound when you tighten a non flush cover as it scrapes the bolt. (Ask me how I know). Take this opportunity to clean them with some kind of degreaser before reinstall if caked with oil.

[Karl_W911]

Right, mustn't forget the star pattern! I'll make sure that I go slow and everything is flush when I remove and install the gaskets and covers.

I was also told that it would be a good opportunity to check valve clearances while I'm there, so I'll be doing that for the first time too! I'll have to get myself a feeler gauge.

[HarryD]

Get the Porsche Style Feeler gauge holder (Pelican Part number PEL-TOL-P213)

If you have a micrometer set it to 0.004 inches and practice slipping your 0.004 in feeler gauge in and out of the slot to get a feel for what it feels like. There will be a slight drag.

[75 911s]

On page 59 of Wayne Dempsey's book 101 Projects for your Porsche 911 he says

"replace the valve covers and tighten them to about 8 N-m (5.9 ft-lbs) and always use new valve cover gaskets and mounting hardware."

[Drisump]

Originally Posted by Karl_W911

I'll be changing the valve cover gaskets on my '74 tomorrow. Are there any specific things I should look out for or be aware of before I get to work on it?

I figure its a simple job of just warming up oil, lifting the car up, draining the oil, remove the valve covers and old gaskets, install new gaskets, seal the engine back up with new nuts and washers and such, and add oil? The filter is new enough so I hadn't intended on changing it out.

Also, what are the torque specs for the valve covers, top and bottom?

Thanks again!

I don't see reference to valve adjustment. Normally every 15k miles the covers come off and valves are adjusted, personally I would baseline since you're in there anyway. Do you have turbo lower covers? The VC's the car came with are notorious for leaks and consequently many cars have had their lowers changed for the turbo type cover. Cheers

[CCM911]

When re-installing the valve covers, use a 1/4" drive ratchet and snug down the nuts from the center, going outward in a star pattern. When they are all snug, start again in the center and turn them about a 1/4 to a 1/2 turn more until you feel them "bottom" out.

I have been using this method for years, and have never had one leak.

[HarryD]

Originally Posted by CCM911

When re-installing the valve covers, use a 1/4" drive ratchet and snug down the nuts from the center, going outward in a star pattern. When they are all snug, start again in the center and turn them about a 1/4 to a 1/2 turn more until you feel them "bottom" out.

I have been using this method for years, and have never had one leak.

Exactly what I do!

[bkreigsr]

I took my covers to a local machine shop to have them run down on their emery belt sander. - took him 30 secs. ea, - no charge . *
Also, in my old age, I don't trust my sense of gorilla feel anymore, so I bought a high quality 1/4" torque wrench. It does not have a ratchet feature, but you won't miss it with the smallish nuts.

Bill K

*(Not to worry, I still slipped him enough for a case of Corona)