TR/512Tr Valve Cover and End Cover Torque and Order

Why? At some point common sense need to prevail. Not singling you out here but are we so helpless we need step by step instructions for everything?

 

The wsm says 8.8 nm for valve cover torque

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Just make ‘em evenly snug in a star pattern - start in the middle and work outward and around.
First round, just enough to secure the cover.
Second round, just enough to lightly compress the gasket.
Third round, nice and snug.

Use a small 1/4” drive ratchet, hold it around the head with a single hand and give it a good, firm single handed torque.

none of that two handed 3/8” drive grunt.

those are small m6 studs.... easily broken with a two handed grunt. Excess torque is not a leak solution. .

Lesson learned:
Apply torque with your head rather than your muscles.

Recommendation:
Go to the hardware store and buy a dozen or so 1/4” bolts, nuts and washers. Get a few larger nuts that can be slipped down the bolt’s shank outside of the threads. Secure the bolt in a vise and lube it up.

Run the 1/4” nut down to the larger nut/washer. With lots of lube, torque to failure. Do this a dozen times and ‘feel’ how it fails.

torque will increase in a linear manner with rotation until the bolt starts to yield. Then, the torque will no longer increase but the rotation will continue. If you just ‘start’ to reach the initial yield point, you can likely stop there without damage. Do it with your eyes closed... a zen meditation exercise.

from that point on, you will always be able to feel your fasteners and prevent damage. That ‘feel’ plus a good torque wrench will go a long way in making you more skilled.

PS: Just to be clear... i am not recommending you torque your cover’s studs to yield!

 

Both zen and ocd methods are needed in your arsenal! Any decent mechanic has a bunch of torque wrenches in their drawers. The good ones have annually certified wrenches.

one last point of note... many applications call for torque values significantly below a bolts yield strength - OEM torque specs must always be your first choice.

 

8 to 10nm working from the center out in a criss cross pattern also making sure the gasket ends at the corners do not get displaced. A finger keeping the gasket in place under torque works wonders.

 

All new gaskets... cut extremely carefully to fit. A paper hole punch works well to scarf the new gasket around that cam o-ring.

New o-rings at the plugs. Clean the old pia silicon in the plug o-ring grooves out with a wooden pic that is sold for a hand manicure. You can dig it out without damaging the soft aluminum. Now you know why I use hylomar instead of silicon.

spotlessly clean...
Carefully wipe down with carb cleaner. on sealing surface only (via a rag - not spray). Not on o-rings.

Many disagree.... but I recommend hylomar with a dab of silicon at the cam’s o-ring interface. See those white silicon worms hanging off your plug o-rings? They are begging to be let free to clog your oil screen... or worse yet, plug an oil hole at a bearing. Hylomar will not do that.

Chase your stud threads to allow free torque (not the head... just the studs). Where the stud came out of the head by accident, clean the stud hole carefully & inspect the threads. Don’t mess up those threads in the head! Think twice before you consider running anything in that stud hole. A q-tip soaked in carb cleaner is about the only thing beyond the stud that should go into that hole... unless it is already damaged! Use blue locktite on your studs where they enter the head. Permatex etc is crap - use locktite. No locktite on the cover nuts.

Use something like this... consider it a ‘must’ at 35$ on amazon:

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Just to clarify... that lang set is NOT a tap & die set. It will clean and deburr threads but will not cut threads.

no experience with 518 on gaskets.

hmmm... as long as you are in there, you might as well check your clearance. You never know until you personally check. The previous service may not have been done well.

 

Avail at walmart or most any place that sells cosmetics... the wood is nice and hard.


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