Cracked valve cover [Merged 4-8] crack

[psychlow]

Any shop capable of welding aluminum. Hell, a muffler shop might do it for you for a few bucks.

 

[4Restore]

Clean the area really good with soap and water then clean with acetone. Vee out the crack on both sides, clean again with acetone and JB Weld it. Let it set 24 hours (important) Worked for me and has held for two years now. When re-installing tighten evenly, even if you have to go "around" three or four times before final torquing.

 

[tighty]

Alright, I JB welded it since its too late here to have anyone weld the fecker, and after looking at it again, its probably too small for them to weld anyways, and it some tight spaces. I'll post pics of the JB job later so you guys can tell me how crappily I did =). For now though, I was just wondering if its ok to put JB weld on the internal side of it. Whats the risk of having it in there? I would rather not risk my whole motor at all, but if its not gonna fall off and get ground up by anything I won't care.

 

[Defiant]

So yesterday I loosened the bolts around that and retightened them to 5 ft lbs per the haynes or chiltons manual (one of them, forgot which one I looked at)

First, where do you imagine you ever saw a "5 ft lbs" torque value for those bolts? My Chilton's shows 3 ft lbs, and that's really too much. You're just snugging down the rubber.

For now though, I was just wondering if its ok to put JB weld on the internal side of it.

Not recommended. It's likely to flake off and get run through the oil pump.

 

[noz]

Alright, I JB welded it since its too late here to have anyone weld the fecker, and after looking at it again, its probably too small for them to weld anyways, and it some tight spaces. I'll post pics of the JB job later so you guys can tell me how crappily I did =). For now though, I was just wondering if its ok to put JB weld on the internal side of it. Whats the risk of having it in there? I would rather not risk my whole motor at all, but if its not gonna fall off and get ground up by anything I won't care.

just the outside is fine. I cracked my valve cover a couple months ago, bigger crack than yours and its hold fine. No oil leak at all now

 

[luv2rallye]

First, where do you imagine you ever saw a "5 ft lbs" torque value for those bolts? My Chilton's shows 3 ft lbs, and that's really too much. You're just snugging down the rubber.

And my '99 Mitsu Eclipse manual says 2.2 ft lbs! Better get an inch lb torque wrench

BTW - Haynes and Chiltons manuals are NOTORIOUS for having incorrect torque specs!

 

[DSMJim]

Check ebay. Should be able to get a Valve cover for 30-40 bux

 

[tighty]

Yeah I looked on eBay and I will probably get a powder coated one from there, but I can't wait a week for it to come as I need my car running to get to school and work. As for the damn manul it does not suprise me that it was wrong. I have both Haynes and Chiltons manuals and just looked at one, I also have the shop manual on CD somewheres, I should have looked at that....bah. I always go by the torque specs as best I can. While we're on the subject, I just did some work on my brakes and in the shop manual I could only find torque specs for the rear caliper guide/lock pins, which said...I think it was around 25 ft lbs. Now in the Chilton's manual it says the fronts are supposed to be 65? Is this correct...

Who wants to start a thread with a list of correct torque specs...I'd rather go here then look at those stupid manuals everytime.

 

[luv2rallye]

99 Mitsu manual says 54 ft lbs for lock/guide pins on both front and rear.

Since there are 1000's of torque specs (especially considering all the different models/engines/trannys, etc), I doubt seriously that anyone is going to start any torque thread. And even if they did they would have to have the factory specs (which most people don't) since Chiltons and Haynes cannot be trusted (there is enormus hard evidence of incorrect specs in these). Are you voluntering?

 

[tighty]

Maybe...for 2G's =).

 

[destrux]

And the correct answer is..... (drumroll please..)....

---Front brakes (90-94)---
Lock/Guide pins (the sliding pins with the grease on them): 46-62 ft-lbs
Caliper bracket to steering knuckle bolts: 58-72 ft-lbs

---Rear Brakes (90-94)---
Lock/Guide pins (the sliding pins with the grease on them): 16-23 ft-lbs
Caliper bracket to backing plate bolts: 36-43 ft-lbs

Those came straight out of the 1g factory mitsu service manual.

 

[tighty]

1g's rule!....buttt, I have a 2g =).

 

[SRiz]

i tried using my torque wrech to bolt down my valve cover and i cracked it im getting a new one soon and i need some way of measureing it w/o cracking it.... it could have been an exsiting crack i opened up but i used 30inch lbs and seemed fine but it cracked should i just do the same or is hand tightening good enough??!

 

[97GS-TSpyder]

hand tight with a 1.4 inch drive, and a lil more

 

[sjgYFZ200]

My eyes want to bleed from reading that....USE PERIODS!!


Just hand tighten the new one. How did you crack the old one if you were torquing it to spec?

 

[SRiz]

i dunno im thinking it had a small crack and when i went to torque it down it went farther than it should have. ill prolly just do 2 ft lbs next time...

 

[HighPsi92GST]

i just hand tighten them with a 1/4 inch rachet and as soon as they feel tight, i turn them just a little and stop. never had a leak and never cracked one. and iv put ALOT of valve covers on.

if it was already cracked, then it was bound to crack more eventually.

 

[97GS-TSpyder]

thats stil 24 inch lbs....just use your hand man....feel for it...i never use a torque wrench. If i can fix a jet engine without one, i can damn sure work on my car without one(minus importnat things liek heads nad stuff)

 

[SRiz]

ight imma put away the torque wrech for this one guys.... no leaks = ur right and im wrong but thanx prolly wont break another cover with all this advice!!!

 

[SRiz]

as u can see in this picture i show my discontempt for these two bolts they always crack the valve cover ive read a buch of post with this area cracked

 

[HighPsi92GST]

i have bought 2 cars in the past that had those spots patched because of cracks. must be the most common spot

 

[speedy13]

hahahaha,.I'm not being a dick man,it just reminds me of old times,'ive broken 2 in my life,one on a customer car,and the second on my wifes car.Now i'm much wiser and know better.look,what you wanna do is grab your standard 3/8 extention and use whatever socket size it is, 10mm or 12 i don't remember and tighten the bolts by hand,then grab the socket wrench and give the bolts from 1-1/2 turns.turn your car on,make sure it's not leaking.If it's not leaking go back and check it in afew days,the bolts might need 1 turn after everything has expanded and gone back to it's natural position.If it leaks, you just might wanna tighten the bolts 1 more turn.but in essence like highpsi says you have to feel it out,it doesn't have to be THAT taight.

 

[Attack Eagle]

the other place I see them cracked a lot is the stupid plug cover bolts.

For sopme reason either they over tighten em or b, they forget that oil is a liquid and liquids are not compressible and crack`em that way.

 

[Devicex]

as u can see in this picture i show my discontempt for these two bolts they always crack the valve cover ive read a buch of post with this area cracked

I just cracked one of those, torqued to spec.....

 

[Nayr747]

How can they crack if you torque them to spec? Are you using the wrench right? And wouldn't using a torque wrench always be better than by hand because it's more accurate? What do you guys do if you crack a powder coated cover? $80 down the drain?