Valve Covers

[bowlsby]

I continually have diffuculty getting my valve covers to be oil tight and they are a real pain to remove and reinstall.

Does anyone know if there are any bolt-on style valve covers available and any better gaskets that the cork ones?

Seems to me I've seen some bug motors that have finned aluminum covers that bolt to the valve train studs. Are these available for 2.0L 914/4 motors? Would pelican have them or do they need to be gotten elsewhere? Does the mounting affect the valve train adjustment tolerances?

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Scott Bell]

I use a little generic weatherseal adhesive and "glue " the seal to the valve cover before installing them. most leaks are cause by a misaligned gasket. so far, it has worked for me. make sure your pushrod tubes are sealed well next time you do a valve adjust. theyre not that big of a deal to change and will save those drips on your floor.

[Jim Osborn]

I have the finned alum. covers on my car. They work great accept for the fact that when I started my motor for the first time the rocker arm stud broke causing fits in the motor so until I can get another adapter bolt I'm still running one stock cover on one side. Hope you have better luck. I believe they came from CB Performance http://www.cbperformance.com

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THE NIGHT TIME IS THE RIGHT TIME

***AGENT 009, JAMES BONDO***

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

Well, you *might* also consider giving Pelican a call. They don't have them listed in their catalog (that I found, at least), but I would think they can get them. Call up and ask! 888/280-7799

It couldn't hurt, and it just might help support this BBS and website!

--DD

[scriabin]

I installed the finned aluminum covers based on the claims of better cooling, modest noise reduction from the vavle train, and tighter fit due to the bolts factor over the flip tension bar.

Well, there's some compromise, and I'll explain. I'm about to remove my engine to do a little work that is more easily accomplished with it out, and one of those duties is sealing those damn covers. I even bought thicker, neoprene gaskets designed for these covers but have never managed to get them seated properly because:
1) those head covers stand out taller away from the engine than the flat stock ones and the suspension support of the chassis makes it really tight working in there and getting them in around the sheet metal.
2) mis-align those gaskets once--which is so very easy to do, as they are slightly overlarge (definitely 'glue' them to the covers first), and you can not even see how it is seating around the lip of the cover from your position underneath while you are making the installation--and you'll be lucky to ever get a good seal.

It usually takes me twenty minutes a try just to get them back on (and I have replaced them, oh 17 or 18 times so far, still trying), with the result that they are leaking again when I'm done.
And the collars that screw on to the end stud of each rocker assembly can actually grip and turn the stud out a little as you are removing the cover bolt--and you won't even know it, as you can barely see the fact even looking for it, which you won't be the first time it happens--and the clearence created will allow the pushrod to unseat, get jammed up against the engine case at the inner side when you run the engine, and end up bent. As everyone around here quotes "ask me how I know".

So if you can keep all these factors in mind when you're installing these things, and you have great lighting, and perfect new gaskets, and all your head's studs locktighted in there, and all the luck that I never seem to have, then you'll be fine and they'll look great. Best of luck.

[Dave at Pelican Parts]

And it might help to only torque them to the stock spec for the rocker shaft nuts. Something really small like 10 or 11 ft-lbs. Check Haynes, they have the right numbers.

Probably tough to get a torque wrench on the valve cover nuts, though.

--DD

[wjdunn3]

I tried those bolt covers from CB Performance and had a lot of the same problems that SCRIABIN described. The main problem being that the pieces that attached to the valve train studs did not seem to fit right. Thay stayed on for about 5 months before I chucked them into the corner. now I use the stock covers and cork gaskets. I use a hi temp (Locktight Super Black I think) RTV and secure/seal the gaskets into the cover and let dry overnight. Then I clean the cyl surface well. I put a thin coat of the case sealer on the gasket and cyl head surface then install. No leaks!

[John Rogers]

The posts about using the sealer are right. A couple of other things, make sure the gasket seating surface on the cover is flat and true, make sure the clamp wire fits very tight as they can get deformed and finally, you might have to vent the covers if there is a pressure buildup in the cover area. We have had gaskets blow right off the engine during auto-xs due to the pressure buildup.

[bowlsby]

Thanks everyone for the advice. It sounds like the best system is the stock covers and sealant. Thanks again

[oredith]

Hi all,

no help with this post, but something to think about. I installed the Kerry Hunter headers last week, and did a valve adjustment after that.. WOW.. i finished in just over half an hour.. so much more space without the HE's.. no more frustration.

Jeff