Sandblasting the valve cover? [Merged 11-8] sand glass bead beads media baffle grit

[69BluDevil]

I have a valve cover that I painted but I screwed it up royally, like 4 times. (most of the times, it was my damn cat's fault...GRR) And, as I have learned, stripping the paint off of the valve cover is a pain. So, can I just sandblast it? Or is the metal too soft or something? Just want to make sure so I don't blast it into little bits. Ha.

 

[extremedsm91]

I just did one this weekend. I used glass beads. Worked awsome. You should be fine with sand. I bead blasted mine and just clear coated it and it looks great. Later...

 

[igopoopy]

i would bead blast it

 

[trbotaln]

sand blasting it will be fine. no problems. Just make sure your clean it off well before you put it back on.

 

[Defiant]

Use heavy duct tape over the oil filler hole and the surface the cap seals on, put a rubber plug over the vent tube and a pipe plug in the PCV hole. Seal the bottom so you can't get sand to the inside, and I'd run golf tees into the bolt holes to plug them as well. Seal off the spark plug apertures, and have at it. If you do get any sand inside, wash it, wash it, wash it, wash it, and wash it a few more times. Flush the daylights out of it with solvent. It won't hurt the cover at all, but one grain in the sump can raise hell with your oil pump.

 

[Juggalo]

I have always seen it as not worth the risk.


You can do it but you have other methods available. Such as aircraft remover/paint stripper, wire wheel or scuff-sand-paint. It all depends on what you are looking for as the finish.

If you plan on polishing Id use paint stripper.

 

[PaleDSM]

I agree with Defiant. Do everything in your power to keep media out of the baffle under the cover.

 

[DSMu4ia]

Do not glass bead a valve cover.

Underneath the baffles is "oil sludge/residue" that the media sticks too. It's basically impossible to get media "unstuck" from this stuff, but once you put that valve cover on your car, the heat + vibration will throw that media into your engine. Will it hurt it? I don't know, but I wouldn't go purposely throwing sand into my engine either.

You can use aircraft stripper to clean it, EZ OFF Oven Clearner, or taking it to a machine shop and having it hot tanked.

 

[oddrob]

I have to agree with the *not* glass beading a valve cover. I've tried it and no matter how you clean it, if you pull the baffles, there will be medium under it.

 

[Tallen]

Do not glass bead a valve cover.

Underneath the baffles is "oil sludge/residue" that the media sticks too. It's basically impossible to get media "unstuck" from this stuff, but once you put that valve cover on your car, the heat + vibration will throw that media into your engine. Will it hurt it? I don't know, but I wouldn't go purposely throwing sand into my engine either.

You can use aircraft stripper to clean it, EZ OFF Oven Clearner, or taking it to a machine shop and having it hot tanked.

DO NOT MEDIA BLAST IT...stupid stupid.

 

[95Eclipsers]

we took the valve cover off my buddys celica, he had trd engraved and then we sand blasted it, in our friends home made sand blaster,(didnt really do the job) so he took it to work(potiac dealership and garage) then he sand blasted it again, then put it in the pressure cleaner and it was fine, hes drove it about 5k miles and no problems, dotn worry about it as long as you clean it extremely well! it also gave it a great look!

 

[tsunari]

So I've heard a few people talk about it but no one ever really explains the best way to do it . . . How does one clean underneath the baffle in the valve cover?

Best I can think of is to drill out / remove the baffle, but then the problem is how does one
re-attach it to the underside of the valve cover?

Anyone have some first hand experience with this?

 

[Splitpi]

I was thinking of soaking it in a tub of concentrated simple green.

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

Good old elbow greas and hard work will do wonders. If you want me to, I can email you the results from before and after.... Yes, you clean it first, top and under. I use the automotive Simple green, and a toothbrush, and my dremel, and sponges to clean it. I have gotten these pristine. You can use water to flush it out and dry it immediately afterwards though... It is a time consuming process, but its worth it by far... Well, let me know...

And you cant reattach it, unles you weld it on. Those are small rivet like pins that will break with any force, and you cant (from my experience) put them back on... If that were the case I would have a lot more valve covers in my collection... but its aluminum, so unless you weld aluminum, go ahead and try it....

 

[steve]

Without pulling the baffle off it's hard to tell how well it's cleaned. The people who have removed them, have TIG welded them back on after, since you can't use and bolt or screw that might fall out.
I just send them to be cold tanked and washed. It strips the paint and should be removing any sludge under the baffles. I don't media blast rocker covers even after they are "clean". You simply can't get all of the media out.

Steve

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

Yeah, dont get me wrong, you can clean under the baffle, but yeah, you have to tank them or something. I have done it to mine, but with the Evapo Rust and carbon eater... it does wonders, just pour enough in a small tray, and there you go... I dont see why people spend alot of money to buy, clean, and paint your covers.... Doing it by hand and tools it does more than enough, cause when it gets put on and the old gum, if you clean or flush the engine, most of it will be gone... with the heat and the cleaner.... I have done this as well, and it works...

 

[tsunari]

Without pulling the baffle off it's hard to tell how well it's cleaned. The people who have removed them, have TIG welded them back on after, since you can't use and bolt or screw that might fall out.
I just send them to be cold tanked and washed. It strips the paint and should be removing any sludge under the baffles. I don't media blast rocker covers even after they are "clean". You simply can't get all of the media out.

Steve

Exactly my case and point . . . I have a JDM valve cover that has been powder coated gloss black and am under the suspicion that it may have been media blasted- dont know for sure, but am looking for a way to get it cleaned out without trashing the powdercoat.

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

Yeah, there is a link somewhere that shows the dangers of media blasting, and they dont down powder coating, just the blasting part, and there is about a big handful of shi* there. Let me find it and I will get back to you in an email alright Tsunari...

 

[tsunari]

Yeah, there is a link somewhere that shows the dangers of media blasting, and they dont down powder coating, just the blasting part, and there is about a big handful of shi* there. Let me find it and I will get back to you in an email alright Tsunari...

awesome- thx. I'd really like to save this VC if I could . . .

 

[toybreaker]

Most machine shops have a jet wash machine. I think a couple of beers to the right guy will get it done.

They use the jet wash to clean aluminum heads and such that can't go in the (caustic) hot tank.

Some high end repair shops have the dish washer style cleaning machine. We have one at the shop I play at, and it's magic. Put the piece in, turn it on, and peridically rotate the part around, and viola', it comes out clean. The temperature and time will determine if the paint stays on. Less time/temp means more paint...more time temp means you're going to have to refinish the piece. Works incredibally well for valve covers.

If you start at a lower temp, and work your way towards hotter, and stop when it's clean, you can clean powdercoated parts...but do so at your own risk...and please don't get mad at me if it turns out poorly. Different types of powdercoat have different melting temps, and surface preparation can make or break the bond quality. I've cleaned ~20 dsm valve covers in the washer, (at a lower temperature than normal), and almost all turned out nicely, but one or two poorly prepped/poorly applied coatings dissapeared in the wash proccess.

+ eleventy kerbillion on not media blasting the valve cover. The media will get under the baffle and stick to the goo/spurve/oil residue, and won't wash out well enough to reuse the part. It will release the media into the motor over time, (during engine operation), with disasterous results.

I've seen a couple of oil pumps totally destroyed by glass bead media from a valve cover...

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

You see why we say no media blasting ^^^^

He is right about that...

 

[tsunari]

Yeah, I can definitely see the reasoning for not media blasting em . . .

Guess I'm just a bit paranoid about not having the insides of this thing completely clean before putting it on

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

Simple Green Max is the best emulsifier for oil, the best one I have used so far, other than EvapoRust and Carbon Eater... Seafoam would work to, but I havent tried it, and its too expensive to want to...

 

[GVR4592]

I did this a few months ago just to see how much sand stayed in the baffles. I sandlbasted it, then hot tanked it, then put it in the jet washer. It was in the hot tank about 15 minutes and in the jet washer for about 2 hours. A ton of sand came out during the process, but not all of it. This is probably a worst case example, this engine had 200k miles and I don't think the owner ever changed the oil, there was a ton of sludge in the baffles.

 

[tsunari]

^^^^^ That is EXACTLY what I'm talking about!

After seeing that . . . I am definitely drilling the baffels out . . . guess I'll get someone to weld em back in afterwords.