JB Weld on my VC

[micha118833]

So today my new plugs came in and I took the black plastic cover off my valve cover and started cleaning out the crud and oil. then i noticed that someone has JB Welded my valve cover. boy is it ugly, the two right hand bolts closest to the timing belt cover you can't even see them. Just part of one. and to make it even worse, it leaks oil there. Now I'm wondering if it isn't the cause of the oil leak i have by the timing belt as mine doesn't have the bottom portion of the cover on it. Is there a better way to repair this or do i just need to replace it?

 

[born2tune]

If you ask a perfectionist they would say replace it. VC's are pretty cheap compared to a payment for a repair to a cracked VC.

if you ask back woods joe blow he would suggest to re-JB weld it. or tell you to weld it yourself because how easy everything is to him.

 

[micha118833]

a friend of mine said that they were built weak and that was common. are the ones that fit from Hyundai built any stronger?

 

[born2tune]

a friend of mine said that they were built weak and that was common. are the ones that fit from Hyundai built any stronger?

not true, this problem comes from people over torquing the VC bolts. they should only be torqued at 2.2ftlbs.

otherwise they will last you a lifetime, its the VC gasket that will dry-rot and eventually cause a leak.

 

[Joethefallen23]

not true, this problem comes from people over torquing the VC bolts. they should only be torqued at 2.2ftlbs.

otherwise they will last you a lifetime, its the VC gasket that will dry-rot and eventually cause a leak.

I've seen first hand the amount of valve covers trashed from over torquing when I went to visit Josh and Paul over at JNZtuning. I even brought him what I though was a good core...haha. They all crack in the same spot.

 

[micha118833]

well i guess I will add a VC and a torque wrench to my list to buy then. Thanx

 

[talon2gbuyer]

i usually only do the vc bolts to about hand tightness. 2.2ft/lbs is barely anything which will give you an idea of how easy they are to break. JB weld is good for some things, but I wouldn't trust it on something like a valve cover..

 

[micha118833]

I'm thinking it's also the cause of the oil leak behind my timing belt. I haven't looked at it yet, it's been raining and I got wet enough doing the plugs. but the oil runs down in the timing belt area so i bet it's the same problem. So i have a little oil in the plug area, nothing major (looks like you missed the oil hole and it ran down) and then the other that i spoke of. maybe one fix will get them both

 

[talon2gbuyer]

Yea, reseal the vc with "the right stuff" and that should get it. Use like a 1/8 size bead around all the bolt holes, etc and let it sit overnight. Should be ok.

 

[H@xtGSX]

"The Right Stuff" it is... That is what is keeping my cracked VC from leaking right now. I hate to admit it, but I am the one that cracked it too. It was in perfect shape before I got of it. I didn't think I was tightening it down hard at all either. 2.2 lbs is just barely enough to put any resistance on a socket wrench. One crank too far and it snapped. It didn't take much at all...

 

[micha118833]

what is "the right stuff" because I was thinking to buy the gasket kit and also another vc. i'm not sure how much trouble it would be to scrape all the jb off the one i have. But i do want to make sure there aren't any leaks when I'm finished. I've never heard of the right stuff before

 

[talon2gbuyer]

The right stuff is a gasket maker/sealant that is made by permatex. It comes from any local parts store, looks like a small funky whipped cream can with a nozzle on the top of it, should be dark gray in color (the can) and the sealant itself is also dark gray. You can find it at any pep boys/autozone for like $15.

As for taking off the old, there should still be a gasket in there. The VC has its own rubber gasket that gets coupled with the sealer so that it can bond to the head. If you had a pick (like $6 at pep boys) you can dig in the grooves for it and fish it out that way (but be careful not to nick up the vc too badly) and then just spray out the grooves with some alcohol or any other quick-drying solvent and re-seat the new gasket in it, then put the sealer on after that. **remember to bead the holes of the VC bolts, or you will start getting pinhole leaks from them.

 

[talon2gbuyer]

Here is a pic of what the can looks like. Hope this helps!

 

[micha118833]

thanx for the pic, now i know what I'm looking for. is this something that is going to show or can it be done on the inside of the vc? sorry if that's a dumb question but i haven't seen the crack I just know it's there from the oil and the jb weld

 

[1g-awd-talon]

damn 2.2lbs Aint anything I'm make them one wrench twist right.I hate find dumb shit people covered up

 

[born2tune]

damn 2.2lbs Aint anything I'm make them one wrench twist right.I hate find dumb shit people covered up

I can tell you are from west Virginia but can u rephrase whatever that was that you said? Thanks.

 

[Calan]

damn 2.2lbs Aint anything I'm make them one wrench twist right.I hate find dumb shit people covered up

Uhhh... what?

 

[DSM1G90]

That has always been the 'weakest link' for any cover that has bolts on the edges - being called a 'pinch seal'.

Every bolt has to be torqued down precisely (and carefully, with using the bolt sequence and torquing method as if one is doing a head - in numerous steps) so the pinch is uniform across the entire holding area to prevent leaking.

Mitsu had it really right with the 4G37 that uses the different form of sealing and just uses two bolts that are far away from the edges. One could just use thumb screws to hold that head cover down and the cover will not leak.

 

[Jon91TSi]

well i guess I will add a VC and a torque wrench to my list to buy then. Thanx

You'll need a micro torque wrench for this, if you really feel the need to use one. Also, for God sakes, why aren't you running a lower timing belt cover???????

 

[1slow03cobra]

Here is a pic of what the can looks like. Hope this helps!

love this stuff

 

[1995gstdsm]

damn 2.2lbs Aint anything I'm make them one wrench twist right.I hate find dumb shit people covered up

Haha, thats awesome

 

[Jesse2012]

Yea, reseal the vc with "the right stuff" and that should get it. Use like a 1/8 size bead around all the bolt holes, etc and let it sit overnight. Should be ok.

I've always just used a tiny bit around the 90 degree angles where the cams go and under the half moon piece, you shouldn't need any around the bolt holes

 

[talon2gbuyer]

Yea, and then when you have a phantom oil leak and you wonder where from, remember me . Just saying, better safe then sorry.

 

[micha118833]

You'll need a micro torque wrench for this, if you really feel the need to use one. Also, for God sakes, why aren't you running a lower timing belt cover???????

I bought the car the way it is. Iall I have done to it is oil change, new plugs, and removed the cat. I did wonder why there wasn't a bottom cover though

 

[Idaho AWD]

damn 2.2lbs Aint anything I'm make them one wrench twist right.I hate find dumb shit people covered up

This is great! I cracked my first valve cover from over torquing it. I have a spare hyundai valve cover I would sell ya