valve covers

[nghtrain88]

does anyone know the torque specs for the intake valve covers? they were hardly tightened at all when I took them off so would just snugging them up be okay?

[Zwicked]

I'm not exactly sure of the torque spec, but if the plenum is off take the time to remove all 4 covers and install new gaskets in the upper ones, and seal the bottom ones with sensor safe RTV.Just snug them up to like 5 pounds or so

The lower covers leak because the factory sealant has now dried and shrunk, consequently the bolts are loose, so the cover becomes loose and leaks oil.

[nghtrain88]

aren't the lower covers exhaust valve covers? they can leak oil too? i already did the upper two, would you strongly recommend doing the lower two as well?

btw i found torque specs.. only about 2ft-lbs max for the upper two covers.. more for the lower two

[Zwicked]

Ohhh yeah. The bottom ones are the worst as they only use a sealant on them, no gasket at all and it runs down the side of the block and often on the turbo.

Mine leaked a lot and when I removed them the sealant was so hard and shrunken that the bolts were finger tight.

I can believe that torque spec for the top ones as they have a rubber o-ring type seal. The bottom probably doesn't need a lot more as you don't want to squeeze all the sealant out.

[nghtrain88]

i've been told it is a 5-6 hour job to do the exhaust valve covers with the engine in b/c you have to remove the EGR pipes n stuff.. fact or fiction?

[nghtrain88]

anyone done these before? if the plenum is off already, how long is it to get to the covers, remove them, re-seal, and put back on?

[Zwicked]

If you've never had the plenum off this car and never done it before, it's probably more like 12 to 16 hours to take enough time to do it right as you may find lots of other little surprises along the way like bad hoses etc. While it's off, do yourself a huge favor and do at minimum the water hose bypass, and I'd recommend the EGR bypass (if emission tests aren't an issue for you), even though it's a bit tough with transmission in.The EGR tubes under the front of the plenum have to be unbolted to get the plenum off. The DS bolts are a ton of fun!If you already have the plenum off, the covers alone are about a 2 hour job.