time for some maintenance
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Senior User
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time for some maintenance
So, I noticed my valve cover gaskets leak a little, few drops under the truck each day, I also noticed that my transmission is leaking....(zf-5) this bothers me as its leaking from a seal that is vertical in the middle of the trans.
questions to see if I can get some help here,
engine-I will be replacing the valve cover gaskets this weekend. Does anyone know the torque necessary for the bolts on the valve cover gaskets? can i get the covers off with minimal movement of things around the motor? Suggestions of things to look for/known issues? (oil change is due and was waiting for that before doing this)
trans-For the trans, the trans shifts well no clutch issues, what does ti cost to replace this kind of seal?
any and all help is appreciated!
questions to see if I can get some help here,
engine-I will be replacing the valve cover gaskets this weekend. Does anyone know the torque necessary for the bolts on the valve cover gaskets? can i get the covers off with minimal movement of things around the motor? Suggestions of things to look for/known issues? (oil change is due and was waiting for that before doing this)
trans-For the trans, the trans shifts well no clutch issues, what does ti cost to replace this kind of seal?
any and all help is appreciated!
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2011
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valve covers are easy.
I did mine last fall. It will make things much easier if you remove the allternator from the engine. then remove the fuel filter and filter bracket. then jsut pop all the bolts out. some on the passenger side are a little hard to get to and see. as far as torque i think they are like ~10ft lbs. Just make sure you tighten them up evenly so you don't bend the cover and then have a permanent leak.
I did mine last fall. It will make things much easier if you remove the allternator from the engine. then remove the fuel filter and filter bracket. then jsut pop all the bolts out. some on the passenger side are a little hard to get to and see. as far as torque i think they are like ~10ft lbs. Just make sure you tighten them up evenly so you don't bend the cover and then have a permanent leak.
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Thanks for the answer there, I will grab a tourque wrench this week(needed one for a long time). Anyone else that can confirm about 10lbs/sqft? When you say evenly should i do this in an circle following the outside of the valve cover or do this differently? Should I use any kind of sealant with the gasket?
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2011
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I did not use any other sealent with the gaskets and they are doing fine.
All i did when tightening was creep up on the final torque. i might have done the circle pattern around the cover like you say. pretty much you just don't want to tighten a couple bolts all the way down and not have any of the others tight at all, and then try to tighten those.
Kind of like doing head bolts, just no perticular pattern to follow here. tighten them up gradually.
All i did when tightening was creep up on the final torque. i might have done the circle pattern around the cover like you say. pretty much you just don't want to tighten a couple bolts all the way down and not have any of the others tight at all, and then try to tighten those.
Kind of like doing head bolts, just no perticular pattern to follow here. tighten them up gradually.
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Senior User
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I did not use any other sealent with the gaskets and they are doing fine.
All i did when tightening was creep up on the final torque. i might have done the circle pattern around the cover like you say. pretty much you just don't want to tighten a couple bolts all the way down and not have any of the others tight at all, and then try to tighten those.
Kind of like doing head bolts, just no perticular pattern to follow here. tighten them up gradually.
All i did when tightening was creep up on the final torque. i might have done the circle pattern around the cover like you say. pretty much you just don't want to tighten a couple bolts all the way down and not have any of the others tight at all, and then try to tighten those.
Kind of like doing head bolts, just no perticular pattern to follow here. tighten them up gradually.
thanks this was the answer i was looking for. Anyone have any ideas on what to do with that zf5?
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Joined: Sep 2011
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You want to tighten them down kind of like how you tighten down lug nuts on a wheel - tighten across to the opposite side. If you tighten the covers down unevenly you can bend them and they won't seal right.
My $ 0.02 is that you won't need a torque wrench unless you want to buy one anyway. When I did mine, I just tightened them down so they were pretty sung and I haven't had any leaks. I doubt that you will be able to get the torque wrench in there anyway - some of the bolts don't have a lot of room for you to get at them.
Make sure that when you do the job to get all of the old gasket and sealant off of both surfaces before you try to install the new gasket and apply the new sealant. Use brake parts cleaner and a scraper to remove the old gunk.
Before you go out and buy stuff you might want to try and tighten down the bolts on the valve covers and see if that stops the leak. Sometimes you can snug 'em up a little and the leak will stop.
My $ 0.02 is that you won't need a torque wrench unless you want to buy one anyway. When I did mine, I just tightened them down so they were pretty sung and I haven't had any leaks. I doubt that you will be able to get the torque wrench in there anyway - some of the bolts don't have a lot of room for you to get at them.
Make sure that when you do the job to get all of the old gasket and sealant off of both surfaces before you try to install the new gasket and apply the new sealant. Use brake parts cleaner and a scraper to remove the old gunk.
Before you go out and buy stuff you might want to try and tighten down the bolts on the valve covers and see if that stops the leak. Sometimes you can snug 'em up a little and the leak will stop.
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Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 3,061
Likes: 2
You want to tighten them down kind of like how you tighten down lug nuts on a wheel - tighten across to the opposite side. If you tighten the covers down unevenly you can bend them and they won't seal right.
My $ 0.02 is that you won't need a torque wrench unless you want to buy one anyway. When I did mine, I just tightened them down so they were pretty sung and I haven't had any leaks. I doubt that you will be able to get the torque wrench in there anyway - some of the bolts don't have a lot of room for you to get at them.
Make sure that when you do the job to get all of the old gasket and sealant off of both surfaces before you try to install the new gasket and apply the new sealant. Use brake parts cleaner and a scraper to remove the old gunk.
Before you go out and buy stuff you might want to try and tighten down the bolts on the valve covers and see if that stops the leak. Sometimes you can snug 'em up a little and the leak will stop.
My $ 0.02 is that you won't need a torque wrench unless you want to buy one anyway. When I did mine, I just tightened them down so they were pretty sung and I haven't had any leaks. I doubt that you will be able to get the torque wrench in there anyway - some of the bolts don't have a lot of room for you to get at them.
Make sure that when you do the job to get all of the old gasket and sealant off of both surfaces before you try to install the new gasket and apply the new sealant. Use brake parts cleaner and a scraper to remove the old gunk.
Before you go out and buy stuff you might want to try and tighten down the bolts on the valve covers and see if that stops the leak. Sometimes you can snug 'em up a little and the leak will stop.
. IIRC some of the bolts on the pass side need a open/box wrench to get tight.
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Ok i will try tightening those bolts tonight and see what happens. I plan on doing this on saturday, as it needs an oil change and the only time I have is that day. i do have plenty of wrenches, just no torque wrenches... Both sides are leaking pretty good so I may just change them in the interest of longevity.
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