As you guys know the screws on the breather cover are sort of a joke, they are aluminum and are so touchy that they will break if you even look at them wrong.

They dont take much torque, think about a smidge more than snug or like a gentle tightening with a screwdriver. Im thinking of using stainless steel screws in place of the 4 little ones (I have about 10 M5x20 SS screws).

Is using SS in such a situation bad? corrossion problem?

Im armed with the half caulking tube of GM sealant and the only bit stopping me is the stupid screws, dealership also handed me the cheap aluminum screws and told me thats the part.

Reason to use GM sealant - it was easily available at the chevy dealer and it can really seal up oil pans.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

corrosion can be beat with anti-seize, but the problem is expansion under heat. aluminum and ss expand at different rates. try at your own risk-for leaks, I guess, and report back. I've broken a bunch of those screws so I know the deal. good luck, chuck.

Aluminum alloy and SS are pretty close on the galvanic chart so there shouldn't be a corrosion problem due to dissimilar metals. However, since steel is much harder be careful with cross-threading.

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Good luck.






1998 E320 Wagon

Use the OE screws. Just make sure ALL the threads are clean. We do tons of 'em with no problem.

should I just reuse them or buy new ones from the dealer?

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

If they aren't cheese-headed, you can reuse them.

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Prost!

they are literally cheese. - cast from aluminum alloy.

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2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)

I use a nut-driver when I do those and I work gingerly. Even a stubby 1/4" drive ratchet will easily overtorque them. IIRC the spec is 2.5 or 3 NM which is really very, very little. My sense is that they are really there simply to hold the cover snugly (not firmly) in place until the sealant is fully cured. (Which is really the key to this job, the longer you can let it sit until you start the engine, the better. Best to go overnight if you can.)

Replacing them would depend on how they look when they come out.

As far as the sealant, I tend to prefer the MB stuff, in part because it is available in a syringe, so it's easier to control and work quickly, which is another key to this job. If you take too long getting the sealant applied to the breather cover before you get it back in place, it's not going to seal properly.

Of course the first key is getting all of the old sealant off, which is the most time-consuming part of this simple DIY task.


Can we get someone to edit the thread title to include the M113? It's the same exact setup and this discussion is equally pertinent.

I have a pistol grip tool that can hold the toothpaste type tube in it and you can then use any sealant tube you want like a pro.

the GM engine sealant (part no. 12378521) I have is because

1 - it was easy to buy and its the small caulking tube cartridge with precision cut 3mm bead nozzle 5.3 oz for 13 bucks
2 - I have another job - camry 2.4 litre timing case sealing.

Its used for every joint in the modern GM engines, set time is about 20 minutes. I have used toyota 103 FIPG once and it almost resembles this GM sealant except that the toyota one is black.

Reason not to use MB sealant...

1 - spensive
2 - why did it leak in this job? (its not that Im against it - it seals the timing case and sump pretty darn good)

I also can get a tube of Ford branded FIPG (used on the diesel sumps) - the problem is that I would need to destroy the breather covers to remove them if they are bonded with that.

__________________
2012 BMW X5 (Beef + Granite suspension model)

1995 E300D - The original humming machine (consumed by Flood 2017)
2000 E320 - The evolution (consumed by flood 2017)