Valve cover look bad

[Snibble]

My valve cover on my car had chipping paint chips. So I scraped off the rest of the paint, and washed it. Then I bought some engine paint and proceeded to paint. This looked good for a week.. then it started to blister. I am thinking of taking off the valve cover and taking it to some place to have a pro color it. I am afraid of removing it that I risk causing damage to the engine if I don't screw on the valve cover back on to the right spec. Anyone been in my situation before?

[sixto]

What exactly is your concern? It's not difficult to refit a valve cover. I use a socket with a screwdriver handle. No warped valve covers, squashed gaskets or leaks yet. I don't know the torque spec and I doubt my torque wrench can be set that low.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

[Snibble]

Originally posted by sixto
What exactly is your concern? It's not difficult to refit a valve cover. I use a socket with a screwdriver handle. No warped valve covers, squashed gaskets or leaks yet. I don't know the torque spec and I doubt my torque wrench can be set that low.

Sixto
95 S420
87 300SDL

how hard did you have to tighten it? Was it just to the point where it stopped screwing in?

[anthonyb]

Torque spec is 9 Nm, I would tighten it in stages, 5 Nm all around, starting in the middle, then to 9. Don't overtorque.

If the gasket is old and hard, the cover will probably be easy to remove, especially if it is leaking. If the cover doesn't leak and the gasket is still sticky, you might have to gently pry it off (I would start at one of the front corners). Make sure the gasket is properly seated on the cover before reinstalling, and the sealing surfaces are clean of oil and dirt. It's not too big of a deal, worst thing that will probably happen is it won't seal properly, which makes a nasty mess of the engine and associated hardware, but it won't hurt your engine too much otherwise.

[william rogers]

I would sure use a new gasket and it's not a bad idea to code any vacuum hoses that you might have to take off to remove the valve cover.The 617 valve cover is a snap to do.Use a light touch when you retighten just as you would on a tranny pan...........

William Rogers........

[Snibble]

sorry for the dumb question, but how would I know the specs I am torquing? Is there a special tool that tells me?

[deanyel]

A torque wrench. You might want to price a new one - they're not that bad last time a checked, or try powder coating.

[william rogers]

I just tighten them by feel using a stuby 3/8th ratchet, To get a tourque wrench that reads low figures well is pretty expensive. Mercedes valve cover gaskets are head and shoulders above most cars and easy to get right,just don't over tighten! if you don't want to chance it any mechanic with MB experence could do it in a few minutes.....

William Rogers.......