I wonder if anyone has had this issue; Valve cover gaskets were replaced in May 2014. Sitting in the garage for a couple of months this past (some of Dec, Jan, part of Feb and the smoking from the right side (facing the engine) is back again. Do valve cover gaskets fail this quickly or can there be an underlying problem? Any thoughts to convey to the mechanic?? Thanks, I really appreciate any suggestions from forum members.

 

Have the breather vents atop the valve covers been ruled? They will leak when the sealant breaks down.

 

Ruled out I meant to say.

 

180 mentioned the same component. I'll call Monday and ask that these be looked at. I assume that when valve covers leak, that the spillage/leak is obvious. That is what was fixed the first time so who knows about the breather vents. I'll ask- thanks!

 

Bet you'll discover that to be the case. Just had mine resealed and the vehicle only has 7k on it.

 

I had a leaking one on the driver side MBZ said their was a service bulletin out and need to replace the valve cover it self

 

I just yanked my breathers and Valve covers off and did Max's fix on them. Got em all cleaned up nicely and re-RTV'd the breathers. I changed the valve cover gaskets as well, but only on "General Principles" as they were fine.

I also changed every bolt, as it is said the bolts are single-use only. Total cost for bolts and gaskets as well as RTV: just under $95 (most of it from Needwings). The whole thing took me some six hours, but that's cause I'd never done it before AND I spent two hours just cleaning them - engine sure looks nicer now!

 

How is the bolt one use?? Its not torque to stretch is it, goodness. Dont tell my car, I have reused the bolts several times before I went to the bigger needswings intakes.

Woody

 

See, that is why I worded it like that - I questioned this myself. But I read it right here on the forum - that they are soft and will break off easily due to over-tightening. I also read that they are designed to snap off so that it will be easy to remove them AND so that you can't over-torque them and strip the threads they are going into.

What is the truth here? I've read "7 ft/lbs max" on the bolts holding the breathers on and "10 ft/lbs max" on the valve cover bolts. Again, what is the truth here?

 

The small OEM aluminum bolts on the breather covers are one time use according to the manual. Some have changed these to steel bolts. I personally would not use plain or even stainless steel bolts here. The OEM steel bolts used look to be plated to prevent anodic corrosion.

 

I may be full of ****, but I have the feeling that when the valve covers are replaced in thier entirety, they come from the factory with the breathers pre-sealed and mounted. Not as 4 separate pieces.

Which indicates to me that the dealer techs don't ever screw around with them.

Like we're forced to...

Whadda' ya' think?

 

And, as far as I remember, it's:

7 INCH/pounds for the breathers (M4)-replace.

and

7 FOOT/pounds for the valve covers (M6)-reuse.

 

Above is from an earlier post regarding the breather covers repair. And per onehundred80, the aluminum screws used for the breather covers are a 1x use only.

I do have marine grade screws instead of the aluminum securing my breather covers. The screws are coated to prevent corrosion.

 

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.

 

You say "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"

Are you referring to the screws used on the valve covers or the breather vents atop the valve covers?

Thanks

 

Breather Crankcase Covers

 

where did you end up buying these, "marine grade steel bolts that have an anti-corrosion covering on them"

 

I got a set from Rob at NeedsWings.
They are SS, don't know about the marine coating, but I do trust Rob.

 

Thanks, I'll check NeedsWings out.