loose valve covers lol

[selfinfliction]

so this dumby that i bought the car from, i guess never got curious why the car was burning oil and didn't smoke at all. i am in the process of tearing it down getting everythign to the machine shop, when i noticed the plug wire in the back wasn't seated properly. pulled it out and viola a puddle of oil even jed clampett would be happy to see.

it was in the 5-6 plug area, i guess every two plugs there is a brace or something running though there that stopped it. anyways, the valvecovers were fingertight at best

 

[CyFi6]

i blame toyota for putting phillips head screws for the valve covers. I changed mine to bolts when i changed the gasket so i could actually get some torque on them

 

[selfinfliction]

i blame toyota for putting phillips head screws for the valve covers. I changed mine to bolts when i changed the gasket so i could actually get some torque on them

oh those were stock? lol i thought the guy was an idiot and changed them over to screws... valve covers must've been designed on friday afternoon or something :sarcasm:

 

[TurboStreetCar]

heh, yea i changed to hex bolts as well. Just dont over tighten them or youll screw up the rubber gaskets.

 

[cuel]

I changed to hex bolts as well, and add a drop of lock-tite to the tip of the threads so the bolts won't vibrate loose again.

 

[CRE]

It's commonly accepted that the Phillips were used to prevent over tightening. When you guys replace yours use a torque wrench and remember... it's 22 INCH pounds.

 

[RiyadYar]

majority of those problems are the valve covers but on my supra i dont think it was the valve covers. i think the oil was coming in from those big hex bolts holding the sparkplug gasket down. i took those out and put some gasket sealer on the threads. i also replaced the valve cover gasket, plenum gasket, and changed the phillip scews to hex bolts.

 

[CRE]

That's a good point. I too sealed mine when I realized that those opened into the head and that the central gasket (aka valve cover #3, or something like that) was what sealed those opening when the bolts were put in. I don't recall any evidence of mine leaking, but a little extra effort isn't a bad idea.

 

[cuel]

Hmmm.... I believe the big hex bolts in the center of the head go to the coolant passages. I have a head disassembled at the shop, I'll have to look to be sure.

 

[CRE]

Let us know. It's been quite a while since I've had those out. If they are coolant then all the more reason to check and make sure they're sealing.

 

[CyFi6]

http://www.toyota-supra.info/forums/mkiii-supra/7527-got-oil-top-your-spark-plugs.html

 

[Poodles]

the other 14MM plugs that are actually down in the wells go to coolant passages, the top ones for oil...

 

[TurboWarrior]

I run without a center gasket so i can see leaks and debris. They dry up and are useless in no time anyway just remove it.

 

[KMinAF]

re-tightening the valve cover bolts is part of my lof routine, I even went so far as to drill a small hole in the coil cover so that I could reach the VC screw beneath it without having to remove the cover. Now if I could just fix the PS leak....

 

[cuel]

Ahh, I stand corrected. Thanks for the link, very informative.

 

[carloz678]

Let us know. It's been quite a while since I've had those out. If they are coolant then all the more reason to check and make sure they're sealing.

The hex head plugs hold down the sparkplug valley cover. Under that you see the same type plug in the actual head. I've just removed that cover because it looked like it was burnt, but found that the cover had a thin plastic like cover that must have acted as a seal or gasget. Anyway mine is toast. Do I need to use a sealant or just reinstall the bare metal cover?

 

[KicknAsphlt]

It's commonly accepted that the Phillips were used to prevent over tightening. When you guys replace yours use a torque wrench and remember... it's 22 INCH pounds.

I just cinched mine down gently....never had a problem. That was on my old supra though...still have to do it on this one. Oh, and nice avatar...my mom has 3 pugs.

 

[RiyadYar]

i wouldnt take out the center gasket, dosent it make the sparkplug wires stay secure

 

[TurboWarrior]

They are perfectly secure without it. The only thing you are losing is those plastic guides that organized the wires. I drove all summer like this no problems.

 

[jetjock]

As pointed out the # 3 cylinder cover provides a seal for the plugs. If you don't use it some O rings can be installed. As for them degrading mine is original and in near perfect condition. Not that my valve covers have ever leaked much but when they do I fix them rather than taking stuff off.