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Valve Cover Gasket - Where to buy?

All,

When I did the WP, hoses, belts...all that stuff on my 97 a few months back, I got all my parts from Rock Auto. The valve cover gasket I used was a "Fel Pro VS50364R".

The box clearly stated to install the gasket dry, which I did, with the exception of putting dots of sealer at the six bearing cap corners. I torqued all of the bolts to spec, whatever the factory service book called for. 7-10 ftlbs maybe?

Fast-forward 700 miles or so. I have leaks from both side of the valve cover, but no leaks, ironically, at the front or back where the sealer was placed. I cleaned everything meticulously, and when I took the VC off to do all the work, it had not been leaking and was, as best I could tell, the factory gasket.

Needless to say I'm a little miffed. Anyone else had this happen? Do I need to get a dealer gasket to chase the drips away? Or maybe I should send a letter to Fel-Pro and complain.

Chris (....does not like oil leaks.....)

Reply to
Hal
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44-78 inch pounds - just over 1/2 that guess.
Reply to
Me

Hal, Did you follow the proper sequence / pattern for tightening the bolts? That's critical in this situation along with the actual torque spec.

Chris

99BBB
Reply to
Chris D'Agnolo

I guess I've been lucky. Reused the same factory valve cover gasket and front cover gaskets several times. The secret has been to put a very thin layer of the almost universal liquid silicone rubber "gasket maker" down after cleaning the mating surfaces.

Reply to
Chuck

Chris,

I agree that it sounds like the gasket is leaking. With my prior experience with oil leaks, at the dealer, I would suggest using a spray sealant similar to this:

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is the exact product that we used at the dealer and have neverhad a problem with leaking gaskets. While torque specs and tighteningsequence are important, quality of gasket and use of a spray sealerwill provide a better result. I Will post torque specs and sequence later today.....

I know you said it was leaking out of the sides of the gasket but a VERY common place for it to leak is from the Cam Angle Sensor (cas) while the valve cover is off it's pretty simple to replace this common problem.......

Justin Morrow

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snipped-for-privacy@undisputedAutosport.com (703)509-2584

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UndisputedAutosport

Reply to
Christopher Muto

Bicycle mechanics/suppliers should have low range torque wrenches for bolts on derailleurs etc. Local auto shops and hire places don't seem to have them in stock here. I happened to buy one by mistake, as the seller advertised it making almost the same error you have above - "55lbf" - I thought I was buying a 20-120 foot pound wrench.

The FSM instruction (Nb) is here:

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Reply to
Me

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