Stupid Valve Cover

[BoostedinSoFla]

I'm in the process of changing my vc gasket and this stupid vc won't come off. I removed all bolts and tried to pry it from the head with a good size flathead screwdriver and the damn thing wont budge. I really dont want to mess up my head or vc. What the hell do I do? I've changed my vc gasket quite a few times on my old GS and I never had this problem.

 

[zero97tsi]

does advanced auto parts keep them in stock or do you have to special order them from there...

We keep them in stock





At least my store does...

 

[kenamond]

Before you do anything else, put a rag in each of the three oil return passages (top right, bottom middle, top left). And then don't forget to pull them out before putting the VC back on.

You also could've taken the opportunity to replace the lifters while you had the VC off to get rid of the lifter tick you almost certainly have with that discolored head. But shipping the revised models will be about 2 weeks and cost you about $130. Otherwise, you get to buy another VC gasket kit when the ticking finally drives you mad and do all of this again.

I recommend using black RTV and using it sparingly on the head. Black matches things better than blue, and if you don't overdo it, it won't squeeze out the side enough to notice. Follow the Haynes manual as to where the RTV goes.

Make sure you clean the RTV off the head before reinstalling. And make sure the sparkplug rings and main gasket are seated properly into the groove in the VC before putting it on.

Finally, DON'T OVERTORQUE THE BOLTS!!!! Many of us have learned that you do it by feel in small progressions. Get everything finger tight then turn them all a bit more over and over and over again until you compress the gasket. Then you'll feel the bolts tighten up and that's where you stop. I probably did 10-15 rounds before all of the bolts tightened up...but I broke a VC, so I was being overly cautious.

 

[BoostedinSoFla]

Before you do anything else, put a rag in each of the three oil return passages (top right, bottom middle, top left). And then don't forget to pull them out before putting the VC back on.

You also could've taken the opportunity to replace the lifters while you had the VC off to get rid of the lifter tick you almost certainly have with that discolored head. But shipping the revised models will be about 2 weeks and cost you about $130. Otherwise, you get to buy another VC gasket kit when the ticking finally drives you mad and do all of this again.

I recommend using black RTV and using it sparingly on the head. Black matches things better than blue, and if you don't overdo it, it won't squeeze out the side enough to notice. Follow the Haynes manual as to where the RTV goes.

Make sure you clean the RTV off the head before reinstalling. And make sure the sparkplug rings and main gasket are seated properly into the groove in the VC before putting it on.

Finally, DON'T OVERTORQUE THE BOLTS!!!! Many of us have learned that you do it by feel in small progressions. Get everything finger tight then turn them all a bit more over and over and over again until you compress the gasket. Then you'll feel the bolts tighten up and that's where you stop. I probably did 10-15 rounds before all of the bolts tightened up...but I broke a VC, so I was being overly cautious.

Thanks for all the advice man, I actually read your writeup on installing the revised lifters and it is something I wanna do in the future but not at the moment. However when I got the car running and since I've driven it I haven't heard any noises from the head though so I really dont know if I have it even though most DSMs do.

Why can't I just use clear RTV? Same shit right and since I already have it I dont think I wanna buy the black stuff if there is no difference. Oil passages were not plugged with rags but the hood is closed though, hopefully nothing gets down there.

Yeah, I've read too many horror stories about cracked vc's and since I'll be powdercoating mine I'll definitely be carefull when reinstalling it.

 

[DSMunknown]

I recommend using black RTV and using it sparingly on the head. Black matches things better than blue, and if you don't overdo it, it won't squeeze out the side enough to notice. Follow the Haynes manual as to where the RTV goes.

I only recommend you use Permatex Ultra Black RTV silicone sealant. I would never recommend using the regular Black RTV.

Finally, DON'T OVERTORQUE THE BOLTS!!!! Many of us have learned that you do it by feel in small progressions. Get everything finger tight then turn them all a bit more over and over and over again until you compress the gasket. Then you'll feel the bolts tighten up and that's where you stop. I probably did 10-15 rounds before all of the bolts tightened up...but I broke a VC, so I was being overly cautious.

BTW, the OEM torque specs for the VC are 2.3-to-2.5 ft.lbs.

 

[Defiant]

Don't torque the screws at all. Just snug them. Best to use a nutdriver instead of a socket and ratchet. The inside corners are the places the crack usually happens.

The RTV goes only on the half-moon (cam bore) plugs, and very sparingly. Used on the face of the gasket, it acts as a lubricant and lets the gasket wander and leak.

Yes, the discoloration on that aluminum looks like long oil changes, cheap oil, or very hot running.

 

[dikdiamond]

The RTV goes only on the half-moon (cam bore) plugs, and very sparingly. Used on the face of the gasket, it acts as a lubricant and lets the gasket wander and leak.

By face do you mean the top,rounded part that fits into the valve cover? I put a small amount of RTV on the head then put the valve cover on,and a little squished out like an Oreo. Not much at all. So should none be used on the gasket except the half-moon?

 

[kenamond]

By face do you mean the top,rounded part that fits into the valve cover? I put a small amount of RTV on the head then put the valve cover on,and a little squished out like an Oreo. Not much at all. So should none be used on the gasket except the half-moon?

Where the 3 plugs meet the head you need a dab. And you need it all the way around the half-moon plug.

And many torque wrenches don't go acurately down to the torque spec for the VC (mine only went down to 5ft-lb before I quit trusting it). I agree with Defiant; once you feel them tighten up, stop. But if you try torquing one bolt all the way down, you'll put a bind on the thin aluminum VC. Go around all the bolts and tighten each a bit until they start snugging up. Revisit the other bolts once they start feeling snug, as tightening other bolts compresses the gasket and essentially loosens other bolts up.

 

[Defiant]

Yeah, sorry- use the RTV on the PLUG, but not on the gasket that goes all the way around the rim of the valve cover.