2G Taking off the valve cover...

[ctnsupra1]

I'm thinking of pulling my valve cover to paint it but I"ve never done it before. Is there anything I need to know before I do? Is there a gasket I need to replace or a do I need to be careful and re-gasket seal the CAS? Also, how tight do you tighten the bolts down? I don't want to break any of them but I don't want the VC to fly off either. Thanks.

Conor Nixon
'95 GSX

 

[K Dan]

You'll need gaskets for the valve cover, spark plug holes, cam shaft seal and maybe an oil cap gasket just for the hell of it. sand the valve cover and just use some 500 degree paint. Tourque bolts to around 3 lbs. Might wanna use lock tite, when i did when the bolts kept gettin loose for like three weeks.

 

[andol469]

The torque specs for the valve cover bolts are 2.5 ft-lbs. Be careful, you REALLY don't want to overtighten those bolts. It's very easy to crack the valve cover, I should know, I cracked mine about a month ago . Also, you'll want to use some RTV with the gaskets to make sure you don't leak oil anywhere. The entire valve cover replacement VFAQ can be found on DSMtalk.com, I think there's a link to it on the front page. Good luck

 

[AWDtsimang]

also see Vfaq.com for the valve cover Vfaq

 

[headrec*]

Yeah you need to replace the gasket for sure. It's really easy. I did it the other day and I was worried. All you do is take off the cover (undo all the bolts) sand down the cover and paint it with new color. Next just seal up the new gasket with some rtv and when you tighten the bolts down i was told to hold the top of the socket with your thumb and get about as tight as you can using ONLY your pinky to tighten it at the bottom of the socket.

 

[91TSi FWD]

Originally posted by andol469
It's very easy to crack the valve cover, I should know, I cracked mine about a month ago .

, me too. Just used some Yamabond, and that sealed it up good

 

[andol469]

Originally posted by 91TSi FWD


, me too. Just used some Yamabond, and that sealed it up good

You're lucky, I used like a whole tube (well 2) of JB Weld and I still couldn't seal all the cracks on mine Yeah, I probably over-tightened every bolt. Serves me right for not bothering to find a torque wrench that read as low as 2.5 ft-lbs.

 

[David Sanderson]

I'm thinking of pulling my valve cover to paint it but I"ve never done it before. Is there anything I need to know before I do? Is there a gasket I need to replace or a do I need to be careful and re-gasket seal the CAS? Also, how tight do you tighten the bolts down? I don't want to break any of them but I don't want the VC to fly off either. Thanks.

Conor Nixon
'95 GSX

My brother didn't listen when I told him not to tighten it to much and stripped the wholes ended up needing a new head so definitely don't over tighten it other than that the new seals are easy to get and not too expensive I am pretty sure you can also for a bit extra order reusable seals

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Just be sure to wipe down the VC with some strong degreaser/wax remover before painting. This way the paint properly adheres. And mask up the under side and the threads for the cap. You don't want any paint flakes to be floating around on your oil.

 

[steve]

16 year old thread guys. Good advice but a little late.

 

[curt-s]

like a time machine

..and just because you strip the holes doesnt mean you need a new head. theyre torqued so lightly that even a half-assed helicoil job ought to get it done.

 

[BLACK'98DSM]

Wow, holy crap. I only replied because someone else did, and I thought it was recent.