Kittamaru Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Hm... how difficult is a valve cover gasket change? Like, timewise for someone who's never done it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Depends on which side. As you can see under the hood one is covered by the intake manifold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Er, aighty then... uh... how do you get it out of the can? I thought it was a gaseous substance. Last time I'd been camping was like, 7 years ago, so I don't remember very well, sorry I'd assume put in half a quart? Not propane, he's talking about liquid fuel used in older coleman stoves and lamps. Used to use white gas in ours, but that was a long time ago and I was too young to know what that was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 Depends on which side. As you can see under the hood one is covered by the intake manifold. Uhm, well, I think I'd want to do both sides, and while I'm at it might as well do the exhaust manifold studs, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zonianbrat Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 Uhm, well, I think I'd want to do both sides, and while I'm at it might as well do the exhaust manifold studs, right? You could be opening up a can of worms by doing the studs. They tend to be seized and break off. I have a buddy who was changing his out his exhaust manifolds for new headers. Easy enough right? Well 3 studs broke off. First two came out with the easy out then we broke the easy out inside the stud. What a PITA. If your worried about flushing then just change the oil and be done with it until you have more cash and time to do the gaskets and studs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9sar Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 what he said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted August 20, 2009 Share Posted August 20, 2009 I know my valve cover gasket leaks a little, and right now it's plugged with gunk Have you tried tightening them a little?? It's not unusual for them to loosen up a little over time... Torque is something like 8-10 ft/lbs (not much) B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted August 20, 2009 Author Share Posted August 20, 2009 I might have to try that - it just seeps a little at high RPM, so that might be it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westslope Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 Have you tried tightening them a little?? It's not unusual for them to loosen up a little over time... Torque is something like 8-10 ft/lbs (not much) B I asked an experienced friend who rebuilds antique TR5s, old corvettes, etc. for a hobby about getting a torque wrench for tightening the valve covers. He suggested that it wouldn't be too useful as the Philips head would tend to slip and not seat as firmly as a bolt head. He suggested carefully tightening snug by hand. He also explained how the valve gaskets will tend to compress over time, hence the interest in occasionally tightening them up. Thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Precise1 Posted August 26, 2009 Share Posted August 26, 2009 The gasket compressing/degrading/hardening, heat/cold cycles combined with valve train vibration and minimal torque... I just know they do 'loosen up' and to check the fasteners occasionally. It's that way on every car I have ever worked on other than air cooled VWs (they use a bail to hold on the valve cover)... B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Channel595 Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 i dont belive in using any additives at all ive seen most of them do more damage then any benefit, besides lucas oil or higher end brand stuff. as for the coleman oil or a engine oil solution to break up deposits... i have seen that clog the oil pick up screen and then your screwed, and have to remove the oil pan. just do regular oil changes and you will be fine use good oil too and you wont have any problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kittamaru Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 I understand that channel, but I wasn't able to afford to do the oil change (even though I do em myself) - hell, I was eating one meal a day, two where I could, in order to make ends meet. Heh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zibi Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 I talked with the guys at napa for quite a while about using seafoam as I'm really not much for putting additives in either. They were obviously advocates - they use it in not only all their company trucks, but their personal vehicles and the one guys dirtbike. I asked them about seafoam causing more damage than good on higher mileage engines, and how he described it to me is that on higher mileage engines the problem is that the inside of the engine can get nicks over time which are subsequently packed with carbon build up. Since seafoam is such an excellent carbon cleaner, it'll clean the carbon out of all these nicks causing the seals to no longer create a perfect seal and therefore leaks to be created. Between talking to these guys and doing a lot of reading I definitely did my research (on this particular product) and very few people I have found have had problems, and they always seemed to be on high mileage engines. It's been a week since I seafoamed my engine, and while I didn't see amazing results, there is a slight but noticeable improvement in throttle response and a smoother idle. The other thing I never asked about and will next time is there little recipe...does anyone find it odd that my 3.3L V6, or even say a 6l V8 is recommended to use the same amount of seafoam as little 1.8l 4 banger honda? My "smoke show" was very unimpressive compared to all the youtube videos of the ricers doing it. But aside from that, it just doesn't logically make sense that the cleaner would be as effective if it is being spread over a larger area, you'd think that realistically their "recipe" would go by displacement, not a one size fits all type deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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