Seeing all the broken tensioner stories got me wondering about my self-installed tensioner. When I put it in, I torqued the bolts holding it on to 7, but I used one of those light-use double-bar wrenches with the arrow meter in the middle, you know?

Anyway, I'm worried that if the bolts aren't tight enough, they will work themselves out, and I'd be in for an expensive horror show.

Does it pay for me to remove the valve cover, replace the gasket, and re-check the tensioner bolts, or am I being paranoid?

Thoughts?

 

If you were going to remove the cover and put it right back, I don't see why it would be necessary to replace the gasket, but others will probably say it is. As far as torque, I would step up and get a digital wrench when they go on sale at Sears (or borrow one). Of course you know how easy it will be to break the tap ( through painful experience, if you're like me), so don't go over 7. This is as good a reason as any to get an expensive wrench.

 

Andy ; Never heard of those bolts working loose even when the slipper goes and rips the boss apart,even when they are still in the broken off chunk of the head.

Hi mullet , baby walking yet ?

 

Hehe...

Andy: I think Tom is right: if you did it properly, forgettaboutit! Don't worry!

Of course, I'm sure you'll be removing your valve cover to check this weekend, as I would too!

-Z.

 

I was carefull when I did it. I wont worry about it. I KNOW it was tight, and if 7 is the max, I should be fine.

I have a small leak from the valve cover gasket, and I THINK I might have put the spark plug o-rings on upside down...so, at some point, I'll remove the valve cover and re-seal. At that time, I'll check the tensioner to make sure all is tight.

Hopefully all the salt is washed off the roads...I wanna wash my car!

 

Paranoid. If it's running, it's fine. Those bolts shouldn't work themselves out at all.

Dal.

 

See,
I told ya nutin a worry bout.

Geo,
The baby walks without shoes. She just stands there when the shoes are on with this puzzled look on her face. I think she will be doing her finest frankenstein imitation by her birthday (2/16).

BTW, did you play with air cooled motors too? I have a few questions about a gamble I may take.

 

A warning against getting them to tight:

I used a torque wrench that went to 90 lbs and when I set it at 7 lbs I stripped the threads inboth holes. I had to install heli-coils. I did check after a few hundred miles to make sure that the heli-coils were working OK (and they were).

Now there will always be a question in the back of my mind if this will ever rear its ugly head and cause bad things to happen to my car.