So, we've cleaned and installed new valve cover gaskets with valve cover gasket cement between the gaskets and the covers and the darn left side still leaks. More than I'd like. Someone said that it might help to replace the covers, as they may have warped over time. Worth following up on? Would new steel covers be peachy? Or something fancier, like machined aluminum?
Stock, or stock-like replacement covers, with NEW bails to hold them on. The bails also lose tension with age. You won't believe the difference until you try a new set.
Some of the aluminum covers will give you trouble.
i agree with what jan stated, however don't just "throw parts at it"...(sorry jan) i would check it out first...did you examine the sealing surface on both the covers and the heads? did the heads have any nicks or scratches?(minor scratches don't matter but a big gouge does)....are the bails(the "clip" that holds them on) tight. meaning to they just pop on easy or do you have to put some force on them, or even have to pry them into place with a lever?...they need to be fairly stiff going on...you can check the actual covers themselves by placing them on a flat surface(glass is best but a formica countertop will work)look for bent flanges....you can also swap the covers "side to side" and see if the leak goes with the cover or if the other cover leaks on that side too...if the other cover leaks on that side, then you either have a bad sealing surface on the head or a loose bail...the bails *can* be bent a bit to give them more pressure....
PS. if they are chrome bails and covers, forget everything i just typed, throw them in the trash and buy some new oem covers and bails...
------------------- Chris Perdue
*All opinions are those of the author of this post* "Sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug"
We checked carefully for visible nicks, scratches or gouges in covers and on heads and found none. Will check cover flatness and look at bail tension. Thanks for the hints!
are bolt ons any good? my local v-dub shop has these awsome pair of finned empi bolt ons for $55 and i reallly want them, but will they provide a good seal?
Many people find that the bolt ons leak sumpthin fierce. The factory's bail wire (that big spring thing that holds the cover on) allows for thermal expansion that no bolt on cover could ever hope to compensate for.
The consistency of the gaskets also makes a difference. I've been using nice soft ones I got back in CA that have quite a bit of cork in them. They are nice and pliable. I install them dry and go 3-4 valve adjusts before the gasket begins to deform. Then I put a fresh on on. Used to buy these in packs of 10 in San Jose and I'm down to my last 4. ;-(
Not long ago I tried a pair from a gasket-set. Those were noticably stiffer and both of them leaked. So I went back to the soft ones.
I live in San Jose. Do you remember where you got them?? In exchange for your information, I can pick you up a batch! (plus shipping, handling, drooling fees, of course)
I would not go that route becauses it is unneccessary. Clip-ons work fine if the rim is in good shape and you use the proper seals. Cork works well. I've had the worst luck with the rubber seals.
I've been thinking of coffee.... No wait, cork valve cover gaskets. What do we know about cork gaskets... In an engine, cork gaskets are exposed to heat, and oil. In this environment cork gaskets get hard and brittle. How do we store cork gaskets... In the hot dry garage (California). What happens to the cork gaskets... They get hard and brittle.
What else do we do with cork... Wine bottles. Is wine cork hard and brittle? No, wine cork is soft and plyable. But wine corks are stored in a bottle with liquid on one side and humid air (wine cellar) on the other.
Perhaps we should store our hard dry wine corks... Uh-hmmm cork valve cover gaskets in a sealed plastic bag with a little moisture. If it wern't driving rain outside right now, I'd go do just that.
Once again, NEIN! Cork gazkits are not pure kork, zey are a combinazion of kork und rubberspritzen. Qwality compozition gazkits allow for ze more comprezzion und make ze better zealing.
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