Possible to fix crack in valve cover?

[juntjoo]

Any handy people out there know a way to fix a small crack around the base of a bolt hole on a valve cover?

 

[BLOHS7844]

Not sure you level of experience but i'm 95% sure its from over tightening the bolt. They are suppose to be torqued to something like 2 ft/lb, which to me is finger tightening plus just a tad bit more. If it's not leaking, then for now you should be ok but look into getting a new one

 

[spyderdrifter]

You could always find someone who can weld aluminium and give that a shot. Don't over tighten your bolts though.

 

[99gst_racer]

Welding it is the only sure fix. Depending how much your local welder charges, you may want to shop around for a replacement instead.

 

[miloolim]

Jb weld will seal it up for now. Might even fix the crack if its not to bad. Just looks like crap.

 

[juntjoo]

Not sure you level of experience but i'm 95% sure its from over tightening the bolt. They are suppose to be torqued to something like 2 ft/lb, which to me is finger tightening plus just a tad bit more. If it's not leaking, then for now you should be ok but look into getting a new one

Yeah, it's definitely from over tightening. I think it was supposed to be inches and I went by lbs or something like that. Yes, the unforgettable newb years are still among me. I have learned A LOT and half of it has been stuff like this.

 

[juntjoo]

I hear a lot of welding answers. Awesome, because welding is necessary with a lot of intake and exhaust mods and I want to learn. I'll start googling it but if any one has any tips or sites to learn welding off hand please chime in. what is this cover made of? Aluminum? I believe I have jb weld somewhere in my tool kit. That's just epoxy right? Even tho it's not solder, could I still apply some mini torch heat?

 

[Detective Coating]

They are cast aluminum. You can use heat on the jb weld to speed up the curing time but it wont make it any stronger or flow out better. Usually you're just better off getting a new one. I have over 20 cracked ones here from people over tightening them so don't feel like you're the only one.

 

[juntjoo]

Yeah, I believe it was like 25-35in lbs and going by feel I must have been thinking foot lbs. It's a small crack and it's just spitting oil up on the spark plug wires. The jb weld should do the trick.

 

[spyderdrifter]

I cracked I think 3 on my first turbo DSM. Hate to admit it took that many before I realized I was the problem. Don't feel bad though, we all go through retarded crap. Hell, I'm great with electronic stuff, but after I hooked up my head light LED mod for the first time 4years ago, I kept blowing fuses. Took me a month to notice I ran the wires too close to the hood hinge and they got pinched. Now I wire them a much better and reliable way. Learn through mistakes.

 

[LxiMax]

I had a small crack in the drivers corner by the timing belt. A little JB Weld did the trick. Don't use the JB Quick, get the kind that needs to cure for 24 hours.

 

[estoyaqui30]

They are very fragile as far as tightening torque. They are only cast aluminum, however they are a dime a dozen used. Might be best, even easiest to get one off of tuners classifieds. In fact, I think you could easily over tighten it with nut driver.

 

[juntjoo]

I know. after doing this for a few months now I now plan on making costly mistakes, I just cross my fingers that they're not too costly and I just read up as much as possible on whatever i'm doing if it's new. Learning isn't free right? I could have gone to school(time + money) for this stuff, but this way I can work on my own schedule and not waste my creative genius on some junk car I can't even sleep with at night.

 

[Absolut_VIII]

I would do the jb weld as well if the cover is leaking. Its a quick fix for the time being. Then if your worried about cosmetics, search around and find a used one to replace it. But for a VC, there shouldn't be any problem with using a little JB weld. Just make sure you give it time to cure.

 

[tex78102]

So I just did the same. I finishd painting the cover for my NT laser. And I was gleefully putting it on to see how it looked, and all the sudden.....TINK!!!.......... I over tightened it too. I'm surely in the noob stages as well. I haven't even gotten my hands on a turbo yet but everyone learns from trial and error..... As my laser has taught me well. Lol

 

[DSM1G90]

Too bad that the 4G63 head cover wasn't like the 4G37 cover where it's not a "pinch" cover and only uses two bolts to hold it down and far away from the gasket and called a "snug" cover. "Pinch" type covers (with the bolts on the outside edges) are alway more prone for leakage if you don't get the torque settings all the same.

 

[weep87]

You can weld a valve cover but it needs to be EXTREMELY clean. The pot metal is a pita to weld. if you can sanblast it first that would be your best bet...