Aftermarket Valve Cover?

[Tanro]

Do any of the fabricators like JMF or Jay Racing make valve covers? I am tired of these rice paper thing brittle POS valve covers I keep getting.

I have broke 3 in a year and bought 2 that already had cracks just big enough to leak oil.

 

[Elek_ron_ix]

I have never heard or seen any aftermarket Valve covers. I have seen some pretty well fabricated ones tho. Like thermal coating and painted with added inlets. You just have to buy a brand new one or get lucky finding a half way descent one. Have to be careful for sure, have broke one myseld and hoping I have learned my lesson. JB weld is your friend if you have no other choice.

 

[InvaderGSX]

You just have to make sure you do not tighten them down like a mad man. Use a quarter inch socket wrench. Hand tighten. The car is too old now where nobody is going to make them. Not worth it the investment.

 

[hhuricane]

Most of the cracking is caused by over tightening. 3 ft/lbs is all you need. That's barely snug. I've had the same one on my car for 20 years and haven't broken it yet.

 

[Tanro]

Yeah but they crack so damn easy and are brittle. I was shocked the first time I put one on. I was used to tightening VCs on saturns to around 17ftlbs. And they didnt matter if you overtightened them.

These things suck. And can you order a new OEM one from mitsu?

 

[ramsack]

Different type of fastening system for a Saturn valve cover, and probably different material. Use a 1/4" inch-lb torque wrench and go over them until they are all to spec. It will take a while, but it will be right, and if it leaks, you either have a cracked cover or the gasket is bad to begin with. You can get new valve covers, and if it was me and I had the cash I would, just to not keep killing the small used parts supply that exists.

 

[Tanro]

I dont even on a torque wrench that small and would not buy one just for a crappy valve cover. I would have someone fab me a cover out of alum first.

 

[ramsack]

There are other things that a torque wrench like that are useful for. And no matter what kind of valve cover you have made the gasket is made to be squashed a certain amount. Any less or any more torque holding it down will just make the gasket leak and fail faster.

 

[jjrock5]

Get a Hyundai vc, problem solved.

 

[Tanro]

Get a Hyundai vc, problem solved.

I thought the hyundai one was even worse with leaking.

 

[ramsack]

It's the same thing coated black.

 

[iron bird]

i just got a Hyundai cover looks better and comes with bolts so you cant over tighten it

 

[wkmitsu]

Spend an extra two minutes or less to find and adjust your torque wrench. 3 ft-lb. You'll never have to worry about it again.

 

[jjrock5]

I thought the hyundai one was even worse with leaking.

No, get a Hyundai gasket, longer bolts and you're good to go. Lift the Hyundai vs. the Mitsu one, Hyundai is way heavier. You can just feel that it's stronger.

 

[92AWDHX40]

I learned not to tightent the bolts too tight, since then im very careful problem solved.

 

[jjrock5]

Those bastards last you. Or you can just stop playing The Hulk and use your wrist to tighten vc bolts to ANY valve civer.

 

[Tanro]

I am not torquing them really hard at all these damn valve covers are made from rice paper and good intentions.

Seriously 3 covers broken without even trying to torque it. I know how to adjust a torque wrench, but my torque wrench doesnt measure inch lbs, and I am not buying one that does as literally nothing else I would ever use a torque wrench on would require measurement that small and it feels like the vc is not even on there if I dont snug the bolts at least a little bit.

 

[Detective Coating]

There was a custom one made a while back but it required a custom gasket and longer spark plug wires to accept the covers holes. It was very cool and all aluminum instead of cast aluminum. The Hyundai ones are much stronger but just make sure to get the bolts and gasket. About 1 of every 5 valve covers I get in is cracked but you can't tell until it's sandblasted unfortunately.

 

[99gst_racer]

Tanro - Describe your process of installing the VC in detail. I know these VC's aren't very strong, but you've got to be doing something wrong if you're ruining that many. I've only had one crack on me in 8 years, and it was 100% my error.

As a few have already mentioned, the Hyundai VC is a bit beefier and better supported and will resust cracking better than our stock valve cover.

Someone on the Link forums made a trick biullit aluminum valve cover a while back. I cant remember who or when it was, but if I can find a picture, I'll post it up. It isn't something that is mass produced or even available to purchase at all, but it might help you in making one of your own if you're that determined.

 

[Tanro]

I just put on the gasket and put a small bit of RTV in the "problem" areas.

Then I hand tighten the bolts with a socket in a criss cross pattern starting with the bottom left corner. Once the things are hand tight with just the socket + extension I torque them with a ratchet in a criss pattern doing 1 full turn plus 1/4th turn until I am satisfied with how tight they are.

As I have said in a few other posts I try and flip 4g63 cars when I can find them for a good deal. 1 valve cover was busted on my car the first time I changed a valve cover gasket. It seems like I break them alot. And for some reason people neglect the shit out of there valve cover gaskets. I have had to put one on every car I have flipped.

 

[ramsack]

Then maybe it was just simply the people before you making them as tight as they can I know when I get valve covers on a new car to me when I hand tighten (nut driver) or loosen the spark plug well bolts they will crack. I blame previous owners.

 

[nuclearr]

I have had a dozen valve covers and I have not cracked a one. Have bought a few cracked from the yard. I had 5 good ones in my attic at one time, now I am down to one sold them to people who cracked theirs. Or cars that I bought had cracked ones.

 

[InvaderGSX]

I just put on the gasket and put a small bit of RTV in the "problem" areas.

Then I hand tighten the bolts with a socket in a criss cross pattern starting with the bottom left corner. Once the things are hand tight with just the socket + extension I torque them with a ratchet in a criss pattern doing 1 full turn plus 1/4th turn until I am satisfied with how tight they are.

As I have said in a few other posts I try and flip 4g63 cars when I can find them for a good deal. 1 valve cover was busted on my car the first time I changed a valve cover gasket. It seems like I break them alot. And for some reason people neglect the shit out of there valve cover gaskets. I have had to put one on every car I have flipped.

If you want an aftermarket one because you break them because you flip cars then you wouldn't pay the money to buy an aftermarket one. An aftermarket one if someone was to make one would sell for a minimum of $125 to $150, so it's not logical as obviously you are looking to spend a minimal amount of money on the car if you are buying and reselling cars. I've sold a lot of 2G DSM's and I cracked one once. The very 1st one I worked on because I didn't know, but after cracking one I just use a quarter inch socket and slowly hand tighten them. I do not tight them all the way down until they are all in.

 

[Tanro]

No I want one for my car that I can torque the shit out it and not worry about breaking it.

 

[steve]

No I want one for my car that I can torque the shit out it and not worry about breaking it.

No such beast is available.

In the almost 20 years I've owned my DSM I've never cracked the rocker cover by torquing them as spelled out in the FSM. The only time they leak is when the gasket is hard and dried out and it doesn't matter how much you torque them when the gasket is shot it still leaks.