bruce7

DIY - Changing the Lower Valve Cover Gaskets

When I recently did the SAI port clean out procedure (https://rennlist.com/forums/993-foru...clean-out.html), I noticed that my lower valve covers were leaking oil, so I made plans to change the gaskets as soon as I could. They were leaking so much that it was beginning to puddle on top of the heat exchangers and I could smell burning oil when I got out after a drive.

To do the job, I wanted to get a new torque wrench that I have had on my wish list for some time to complement the others I own. I have a pair of Hazet torque wrenches which I really love. The large one, a 1/2 inch drive Hazet 5122-1 CT has a range of 40 to 200 Nm. The medium one, a 3/8 inch drive Hazet 5110-1 CT has a range of 10 to 60 Nm. I wanted a 1/4 inch drive Hazet 5108-2 CT to cover the lower range of 2.5 to 25 Nm with the shorter length and narrower head for tight locations.

So, I put in my order and 8 weeks almost to the day it arrived from Germany. This waiting time is typical as there is almost no stocking done anymore in the US. This situation is also true for Stahlwille tools.

Looking at the chart of torque specs on the car you can see that these 3 wrenches provide good overlap and choice. (http://www.pcarworkshop.com/index.ph...Specifications)

In this DIY, I removed the heat exchangers to change the valve cover gaskets, but with the Hazet 5108-2 CT it can be done with them installed with a short bit socket due the the short length of the wrench and the narrow ratchet head. (I needed to remove the heat exchangers in order to clean them. Since I had recently done this to do the SAI port clean out it was familiar and straight forward.)

I purchased all 3 of my Hazet torque wrenches through Maryland Metrics and recommend them (http://mdmetric.com).

Before getting into how to change the valve cover gaskets, I want to address what I found to be the hardest part of the whole task - cleaning the "cosmoline" from the valve covers. I initially spent way too much time on something I think should be a 15-30 minute task.

I tried various cleaners - Simple Green, WD-40, Gunk Engine Cleaner, Super Degreaser, Citrus Degreaser, Kerosene and Mineral Spirits. In the end what seemed to work best was Simple Green along with a toothbrush and Q-tips. I started in the shade but as the sun moved around and shown on the part and heated it , the process seemed to quicken. I also found that taking the sprayer out and just pouring the liquid on the cover to soak helped.

Without doing further research to see if there is a better chemical or process for the home mechanic to remove the "cosmoline", I think I would do the following next time. I would put the valve cover in a tub, heat the Simple Green by microwave or on a stove, and pour the heated liquid over the part to soak while scrubbing it with a toothbrush and Q-tips.

I reason I quoted cosmoline above is because I'm not sure what it really is. Cosmoline is supposed to melt at 113-125 degrees F (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmoline), so how could it still be on the engine? I think Porsche must have a modified version that is different from that used by gun manufacturers and others. Various articles and videos say that Kerosene or Mineral Spirits will remove cosmoline but neither would touch what was on the valve covers.

If you are at all concerned with appearance and want to remove the cosmoline, I would suggest researching the cleanup task before starting this project to save some time.

Words and pictures follow in the pdf.

Enjoy!

-bruce

bruce7

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SkiDan

Bruce,

Many thanks for the time and effort you have put into your DIYs. I have found them invaluable.

CorrdoBrit

Perfect timing. Have everything I need to tackle this except the low profile jack which I'll pick up this week. Thanks for the tips.

kjr914

A number of people here have used Xenit, a Citrus Degreaser from Stoner Solutions (yep, thats the name...)
http://www.stonersolutions.com/index.htm
...errr, you live in CA, so I seem to remember you can't import Xenit anymore.

If you want more info on the battle against Cosmoline, see some of Andreas' posts (AOW162435). There's a few others with that sickness as well...car's with undersides you could eat off.

CorrdoBrit, the costco usually has a pretty good steel Arcan 2.5 or 3ton jack with a very low profile. I don't' see it on the website now, however...

bruce7

Great info there, thanks a lot. I still need to clean the cosmoline off the engine
and transmission and left side wheel wells. Next Saturday I take a 3600 mile
driving vacation from L.A. to Missouri to visit my parents. Maybe I should drop
ship some of that stuff there and bring it back.

-bruce

Dplus

"...errr, you live in CA, so I seem to remember you can't import Xenit anymore."

I live in Ca. and was able to have it shipped here earlier this year.

I went through two and half cans cleaning my motor, trans and front and rear suspension.

Have fun,

D.

bruce7

Great! Just ordered a couple of cans to try it out. -bruce

Linnm

consider "billet" aluminum valve covers--seal very well, look great

swesna

I am thinking the same thing somewhat.

I have my valve covers off and gave them a quick cleaning. I am thinking of getting them media blasted and then powder coated.

But I am wondering how much it would cost to media blast and powder coat...it maybe a little more money to buy the billet covers.

What do you all think?

Thanks in advance,
Steve

techman1

Cosmoline, hard to clean!
Bruce and all. Currently started down the path of clean, and will post a cleanup thread later.

In short, time is your best tool! I used the Turtle Wax Bug & Tar Remover, in a spray bottle. Put one coat on, and waited overnight. Next morning put a second coat, and by noon some sections wiped clean! A big wait is the key, I tried to rush it, but no go.

Neal

kreeshp

Thank you for the DIY. The link to the Picasa photo album referred to in the pdf is not working: "Sorry, that page was not found."

hkspwrsche

Seems like the bolts must be replaced? Has anyone just reused the bolts?

bruce7

I just checked the link to make sure it works and had no problem. On my system
if you mouse over the link you can then click on it and the photo album page loads.

-bruce

kreeshp

I just figured out why it wasn't working for me.

The link to the photo album was getting truncated after the ? symbol. I had to cut and paste the latter part of the link (after the ?) to the first part of the link to get it to load properly.

Simply clicking on the link in the pdf didn't work for me in both Firefox and Explorer.