Old Mar 13, 2016 | 09:08 AM
  #15 (permalink)  
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dedwards0323
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Joined: Nov 2008
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From: Upstate SC
Default Re: re smoking valve cover gasket failure, again?

Originally Posted by budaman
what are the sizes and grade of the aluminum bolts used on the breather vents atop the valve covers?
The breather covers aluminum screws are M5-.80x16. Not sure if there is a grade on these but for sure they are 1x use only. Any amount of excessive torque will wring the head right off the screw.

I ordered a set of these from a Chrysler dealer some time back. But I don't recommend anyone doing that. The screws Chrysler substitutes are anodized steel and are 18 mm long rather than 16 mm. That extra 2 mm length gave me issues during re-assembly. I ended using marine grade steel bolts that have an anti-corrosion covering on them. Makes the screw compatible with the alloy valve covers.

Lots of discussion in another thread on this repair: Valve Cover Leak. onehundred80 discussed galvanic corrosion in this thread and I think he hit the nail on the head with this point. Would explain the selection of aluminum screws by M-B to avoid this longer-term issue. And that goes for using Stainless Steel versions also. If one uses steel screws, I'd strongly recommend a marine grade screw which has an anti-corrosion coating.
 

Last edited by dedwards0323; Mar 13, 2016 at 09:21 AM.
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