ya mean the valve cover gasket is supposed to be SOFT? - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

vstech · #1 06-10-2007, 01:07 AM

I just pulled off my VC (the thing was gushing oil out the front due to a crack in the thing...) and decided to do the valve lash while I had it off. pulled off the gasket, and I can hold one end, and the thing will not even bend, it's like it is made of phenolic or something! the thing is super hard. no wonder it cracked. the valves weren't too bad, the exhaust's were all a touch tight, but not bad. oh, and it is baby simple to adjust the valves, if you pull the injectors first... easier to turn the motor over too! (I have to tighten the PC rings, due to some leakage. I hope tightening them will clear up the leak, but won't know until after I reassemble the VC...) wish me luck!

toomany MBZ · #2 06-10-2007, 04:39 AM

I didn't pull injectors, without 'em little compression, a helper helps (hence the name, right?) anyway, the most difficult thing was getting the cover with new gasket back on, and all the linkage hooked up properly again. Take pics first!

May need a special, or home made tool for PC's.

Douglas.Sherida · #3 06-10-2007, 07:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toomany MBZ

...Take pics first!...

Look at the man's sig. With that much "reference material" around his yard he doesn't need pictures.

redbaronph123 · #4 06-10-2007, 09:02 AM

i'm still having trouble with my small oil leak. After having my valves adjusted, we deemed the valve cover gasket going south, coz it could stand up on its own when you put one end on your palm. Bought a new one.. replaced it on the valve cover. Put everythign back in place, tight and sealed.. or so i thought. Now i still have a leak on the front part of the valve cover.

What next? I cant over tighten the valve cover nuts, coz i might strip them. The VC gasket is there snug and no crimping when we replaced it. Nothing out of the ordinary, like a cracked cover or anything. But after having my engine cleaned after replacing the gasket after the valve adjustment, it still showed oil on the front part. I hate it..my engine is getting dirty with oil... i miss the "dry" times..

cavaliers16 · #5 06-10-2007, 09:17 AM

Redbaron- Those gaskets are very sensitive to force- you have to use the correct torque specifications on the valve cover or else the thing will leak. Too loose and you will have a problem. Too tight and you could warp the valve cover.

The correct torque spec. is 11-12 ft.-lbs.

redbaronph123 · #6 06-10-2007, 09:59 AM

thanks for the figures. we'll recheck them. Hopefully teh valve cover is not warped.

vstech · #7 06-10-2007, 06:31 PM

also, the gasket is easy to fall out of place when you are putting the VC back on. I would pull the VC back off, and VERIFY twice that the gasket is seated all the way around the VC. they are known to slip off at the little crookneck in the back, and around the injectors.
I did not need to look at any of the parts cars to reconnect the linkage, it went back just like I thought it would. I popped off the little clip for the accelerator pedal, popped off the shut off link, and the cruise link, and the bowden cable... left all the stuff on the VC and had no issues!
oh, slight tip for everybody... do not test drive the car before tightening the valve cover nuts....... guess why... I ought to take a picture of the HUGE BLACK SPOT in my drive way, and the nice black line down the street..... DUH!
on the plus side, there is now 3 quarts of fresh rotella in my baby...
I decided to go ahead and Diesel Purge since I had everything pulled apart and everything... got ahead of myself... oh well. no harm done.
I think my environment can handle 3 quarts of oil... I hope.
since I made such a mess, I cleaned it up and decided to tackle the slight warming trend of the car, since I will have so much more power with the DP'd injectors, and the freshly adjusted valves. I pulled the block drain, pulled the heater line, hooked up a garden hose, flushed out all the coolant, drained the rad, flushed it, pulled the thermostat, made up a temp gasket and put the empty housing back in. flushed more, drained plugged up the rad, and the block filled with dishwashing detergent solution, and drove around for a while. it's now sitting to cool. in the morning or tomorrow evening, I will drain and flush that, install a new thermostat, and fill with a citric acid solution and drive that around for a few hours... this baby's gonna be spotless inside!

TheDon · #8 06-10-2007, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cavaliers16

The correct torque spec. is 11-12 ft.-lbs.

IIRC its Newton meters... since its metric.. but 11-lbs is probably the US equivelent

toomany MBZ · #9 06-10-2007, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Douglas.Sherida

Look at the man's sig. With that much "reference material" around his yard he doesn't need pictures.

Yeah, just giving him a hard time!

vstech · #10 06-10-2007, 10:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toomany MBZ

May need a special, or home made tool for PC's.

I took a cheapO 7/8" socket and ground off the sides so the middle fit into the PC slot. worked like a champ! I may get a 7/8" nut and weld it into the middle and ground off the nut to fit into the middle so it won't slip as much.

toomany MBZ · #11 06-11-2007, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vstech

I took a cheapO 7/8" socket and ground off the sides so the middle fit into the PC slot. worked like a champ! I may get a 7/8" nut and weld it into the middle and ground off the nut to fit into the middle so it won't slip as much.

Good goin'! I reading the Haynes manual for torque on the VC, (or cam cover, if you prefer) 14 Nm, or 10 ft lbs.