Valve Cover bolts.

Maple191

Member
Mar 21, 2012
317
0
16
Toronto
Hey guys the other day I replaced my rear main seal and pilot bearing. I did this on a hoist so I took the tranny out. Whiile the tranny was out I looked up at the top of the engine to find my valve covers PISSING oil all over the EGR block on the back of the head. So I was thinking to my self that I need new valve cover gaskets untill I saw from the top, that all of my valve cover bolts had back them selves off. The worst of it was at cylinder 6 I could see 4 full threads. So my question is what do you guys do to keeep them down. Do you use blue locktight or do you just keep tighting them down all the time?
 

Dan_Gyoba

Turbo Swapper
Aug 9, 2007
1,836
0
0
Alberta
www.gyoba.com
Well, 6mm by 1mm thread pitch, 25mm in length. Cap bolts will probably have a 10mm head on them, or a 6mm allen key socket. If the rubber grommets are okay, then a simple washer is probably good enough. Don't over-torque them, it'll leak worse than if it's torqued down appropriately, and you might crack your valve covers.
 

Asterix

Lurker of Power
Mar 31, 2005
463
32
28
Vienna, VA
I've had socket-head screws in there for ages (stainless). Get a ball-nose driver with a screwdriver handle and it's just not possible to overtighten them just with hand torque. My driver is probably 8" long. Plus, you can easily tighten 9 of them any time. Good grommets are important, too.