Taking care of the Valve Covers and there leaking issue's?

[legolyle]

lol XD I think it depends on the item tbh, example, I recently purchased a pressure plate for 135, after turning in the core, which lists for 95 or so on champion, plus shipping which is not TOO bad of a markup I suppose- (I needed it right away ).

Coolant ran me 25-30 when I bought some last week actually, so YOUR getting screwed my friend XD j/k


but a lot of the stuff is more expensive locally, motor mounts locally: 95ish each. Champion: 51.

Im not sure where the toyota dealer gets off with its pricing :dunno: ....but needless to say, I rarely buy anything from them that costs more than 20 bucks.

 

[Dan_Gyoba]

Re Valve cover bolt torque: It'd be nice if they just warped. Instead what'll happen if you overtorque those nice bolts is that the mounting ears will snap, and you'll have to replace the whole cover. Hasn't happened to me, but that's what will happen.

I've got cap screw bolts in there holding mine down with decent washers. They're a couple years old, so of course they leak now.

 

[mkiii222]

The ears snap when you don't use the factory rubber washers. They are made that way from the factory to allow for vibration.

I learned the hard way and had to buy 2 new sets of valve covers. After picking up the rubber washers from my local dealer I have yet to have another ear snap off.

 

[suprarx7nut]

Re Valve cover bolt torque: It'd be nice if they just warped. Instead what'll happen if you overtorque those nice bolts is that the mounting ears will snap, and you'll have to replace the whole cover. Hasn't happened to me, but that's what will happen.

I've got cap screw bolts in there holding mine down with decent washers. They're a couple years old, so of course they leak now.

Huh? You could certainly snap the ears, but you'd be tightening it way, way too tight at that point. Probably combined with not using the rubber grommets.

You can definitely warp the covers over time if a few bolts are too tight.

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk

 

[te72]

Be careful not to tighten them too tight. They came as screw from Toyota because it shouldn't have much torque at all. The screws are designed to NOT allow you to tighten it much. The bolts look and function much better, you just need to show restraint. It's tempting to clamp em down hard, but that wont help any. You'll just warp the cover.

This is true of a LOT of things on an older car... things get brittle with time unfortunately. I've learned that if I have to put any force into it, it's probably tight enough already. Could always use a torque wrench (the 'stick' type, not clickers) to be certain, but that can be time consuming.

Only takes a broken bolt once or twice to teach you the combination of your strength, using a tool too large, and the frailty of metal.

How much is Toyota Coolant?! It just went up to 30-35 in my area. I'd hate to think what they try to charge you guys, lol. $100, haha.

Man, if that's the case, I may have to order a couple containers sometime soon, just for stock. Only one Toyota dealer in my area though, and I refuse to support them due to some crooked ass owners. Fortunately, one of the City Auto (Carquest) locations in the area carries Toyota coolant.

 

[terrenceLP]

I've dealt with this issue and here is what I can offer -

Get New Valve Cover gaskets
Get New Rubber with the metal back Washers
Get New Screws, yes the stock ones!

Clean and visually inspect on a flat surface for any noticeable warpage
Oil Your new gaskets so they are wet, not dripping but wet
place in valve cover and place on head
Screw in this order - outer Middle, inner middle, outer firewall, inner front, inner firewall, outer front - only until they are snug, making contact
No here is the tricky part... These are Contact Gaskets, AS LONG AS THEY ARE SEALED AND IN CONTACT WITH THE HEAD - NO LEAK

The Screws are used so as no to over torque yes I see people replacing the screws for something they can crank down on, no good.

As for the 3rd gasket, remove it, take all three plugs out, 14mm hex, put a bead of Black HT Silicone like a ring, let it dry then put back in place to torque specs. NO LEAK

 

[IJ.]

Accurate Tq is the key so a munchkin Tq Wrench will solve the Cam Cover leaks.

As has been posted the 14mm Allan Key plugs + RTV into a clean hole stops any/all leaks there.
(wash top of the hole with paint thinner)