Valve cover, 94 Grand Am?

What about a wrecking yard? I certainly would not be paying for a brand new one if at all possible.

Ian

Steve

Maybe you should start taking your car to a shop and letting someone who knows what they're doing work on it. Between the valve cover and the caliper you seem to be doing more damage to the car than age or wear.

And maybe I'm just fixing the damage that those supposed to know what they are doing have done? Those that know what they are doing suggested today that they replace the steering knuckle, to fix a stripped thread. That's around $400 for parts and labor. I prefer to spend my $400 on something else. I noticed the crack in the valve cover while replacing the intake manifold gasket on that car a few months ago. Back then those that know what they are doing offered to do that repair for me. For the modest sum of around $700. I opted to spend $44.99 for a set of gaskets and doing it myself. Successfully, it seems. I've been asking qualified questions here so far, and I have received competent answers. So I keep coming back, whenever I have a problem. If you don't have a competent answer to offer in this case, maybe you should go get ready to watch the World Series? ;)

I did call a couple yesterday -- neither had it. So I thought I might be able to find a discount one online, but it appears it's not that easy -- at least not for parts that are not in great demand.

I did check this one out, thanks. The closest seller that had one is 226 miles away. Sent them an e-mail asking if they ship.

So first you strip the thread, then use an oversize self-tapper instead of a heli-coil and even go so far as to bottom it out. At this point a heli-coil may not even be an option. If you want it right, replace the spindle. That $400 you want to save may be no savings at all if the brakes fail.

Instead of doing it right months ago you just slapped gaskets on it. Not so succesfully it seems since it's leaking. Try a body shop. They could weld the crack and hammer-and-dolley it back to shape. For a price of course. Or JB Weld the crack, straighten the edge as best you can, then JB Weld the gasket surface. Once it's hardened up you can file it down to a flat sealing surface for the gasket.

I'll pass on the baseball, thanks.

The "self-tapper", as you call it, was recommended by those that I asked to sell me HeliCoils -- NAPA. It's a bolt designed and sold for what I used it. Why do you say a HeliCoil might no longer be an option? And how will the brakes fail, with that bolt in place? If you can get me scared enough, I'll bring the car over to Shawnee and pay you the $400 to replace the caliper mounting bracket. That is, if I can get it to go that far from Chicago, with all the damage I've done to it ;)

I was referring to the intake gasket replacement as successful. That one is no longer leaking.

I prefer not to pay that price -- the valve cover is not made of anything that's weldable and hammerable.

This might work. Still, I think I should be able to find a usable cover for about the price of a couple of tubes of JB Weld.

LOL Shep, you're gonna laugh.

Valve Cover, Right, p/n 24504670 - $54.82US Valve Cover, Left, p/n 89017415 - $51.46US

Steve

My local Pontiac dealer quoted it at $79.99. But they didn't have it in stock. I would have paid the price and saved you the BS.

I'm not quite sure what you are saying. I said what I wanted to say up front: I asked if anyone could recommend an online auto-parts seller where I could get a valve cover for a car I own. If you don't know of any such site, and if you don't want to read the BS, you can simply ignore the thread. But you find it entertaining, as you already admitted, so I don't know what you are complaining about ;)

Is your valve cover the black plastic one, or is it the aluminum one? If it's the plastic valve cover, your replacement will end up being an aluminum one...they don't make the plastic ones anymore...in fact, there was a bulletin about upgrading to the aluminum valve cover years ago. Because of cracking. If you have the aluminum v/c, they can be welded. You should see the repairs that can be done to aluminum wheels that have had big chunks ripped out of them...

Ian

Black plastic one.

Well, that explains it ;) Thanks for the clarification. I (or the previous owner) must have missed that TSB.

I think you made the right choice. For parts like this, why pay some outrageous price for a new part? I love the wrecking yard, I can go there and grab an electronic part for my car that I would pay

Ian