MDamen

I'm replacing my timing chain cover gaskets. Most of the studs come out with the nut and retainer. This turns out to be a good thing to allow the cover to come off with the limited clearance. The few studs that did not come out were in the worst place (behind the A/C support) and I had to use the double nut method to get them out. As I am getting ready to put them back in, should I being doing something to help them come out correctly next time? Such as red loctite on the nuts and blue on the studs, or nothing on the studs?

In the chain cover gasket kit I also got gaskets for the tensioner caps and o-rings for the bridges. I have four o-rings that I can't figure out where they go. The PET was not a help. Any ideas from those who have doen this before?

deekay911

I personally wouldn't make a compromise when putting them back in based on a need for potential future ease of removal with the bumper in situ. Ideally the timing covers should be removed either with the egine out or the rear bumper removed and the engine lowered so this wouldn't be an issue. It would be bad if they fell out just because you wanted to ensure easy removal next time

berni29

Hi There

Surely you can only get the left hand cover off with the engine in situ? You can do some of the right hand side. Well that was all I could do anyways. If the studs are out then put them back wiith some locktite.

Berni

Mike J

When I do chain covers, I find this often happens.

I use the double nut method and get the stud freed of the nuts. After cleaning everything in sight (all surfaces, threads on the studs, threads on the engine, the slots the main gasket sits in, I put all the studs back into the engine using Blue Locktite. I then replace all the nuts with new, lubricate the donuts and rubber gaskets with lubricant, and put it back together, carefully using 7 fl-lbs for torque. Have not had any leaks yet on about 4 cars - cross my fingers.

And 2 of the 4 were done with the engine in the car. I put the car on the lift, use a support on the engine, strip the front of the engine with it lower, assemble, and then put it all back together.

Cheers,

Mike

MDamen

Just what I was looking for. Thanks Mike. I will be following your process.

FWIW the engine is already out of the car.

OK, now that I have thought about it a bit more, those are self locking nuts on the studs. If the stud came out, then the self locking nut is doing a good job. If the nut came off the stud, it may not have been holding tight.

Mike J

Yup, exactly. And the stud is supposed to be locktite'd to the engine block, but its gone through a lot of heat cycles. You can also use red locktite if you really want it to be fixed. I used an old nut and some washers to tighten the stud to the block, torqued to about 15 ft-lbs. I then held the stud with a set of grips with the stud being protected by a piece of rubber, and unscrewed the nut. I let the studs set overnight before putting the covers in place. I found the nuts on the covers feel more accurately torqued than the entire stud going through the rubber donut and into the block, IMHO.

cheers,

Mike

Slow Guy

When I dropped my engine for the LW F/W & clutch I also did the TC gaskets. 4 or 5 of the studs came out with the nuts. Was concerned with the first but after that realized it wasn't a big deal. Did much like Mike did w/ clean & blue Loctite but only used needle nose vice grips to put the stud back in. Didn't have any problems with any of them and the covers have been clean & dry for almost a year now.

My sample of 1....

Falcondrivr

if the engine is out, why not just remove the ac support? If I remember, it's 2 or 3 bolts?

Mike J

When I do a engine out of the car, I put it on my stand (yes, I have the proper one), strip the exhaust, engine mount, tin, fan pulley, and A/C mount, work in comfort, and put it all back on again.... engine in much of the same, except I cannot rotate the engine!

Oh, make it clean, clean, clean, especially where the gaskets contact....damn oil likes to go through even microscopic gaps (I guess we pay it to do that).

Cheers,

Mike

IXLR8

No need to, Mike. As long as the sealing surfaces are smooth and the rubber seals are of quality, they'll remain bone-dry for a long time.

Bill,

I wouldn't expect them to leak. Long gone are the days of cork and paper gaskets, and some of us remember how oil pans and valve covers of cars of past would leak oil.

I remember the rubber seal on the valve cover of my old Toyota Corolla (US cars were still using cork); it would be bone dry till the rubber seal hardened after about 10 years.

I wonder where these ideas come from that one needs billet valve covers for them not to leak. Marketing?

As they say, the internet is the largest source of unconfirmed information.

Slow Guy

Alex, I think you're confusing the timing chain gaskets with the valve cover gaskets. can't say I've ever heard of Billet TC covers.

IXLR8

I haven't.

They both use the same sealing method...a rubber seal. The point being made is a new seal will "seal" things up, no matter what cover we are talking about, be it a timing chain or valve cover.

MDamen

OK. I'm doing the valve covers next. What's the best approach to them to stay dry? Stock valve covers. New gaskets.

IXLR8

Yup, new rubber seals will do the trick. My covers are still bone-dry and I'm coming up on two years since I replaced the seals.

2 rubber seals are required for the lower valve covers and 6 rubber seals are required for the upper valve covers.

If the fasteners are all rusty and you want to freshen up the look, you'll need 22 of them for the lower valve covers and 16 for the upper valve covers.

If you want to freshen up the look of the aluminum inserts in your valve covers, I posted a how-to on my Valve Cover Seals page.

As for billet covers, one supplier claims that the stock covers leak from around the aluminium inserts. How can they...they're not even where there is any oil.

IXLR8

The Valve Covers DIY on P Car Workshop might help clarify things.

Generally good info although I just found a bit of inaccurate info on that page.