Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Hey guys,

Im thinking about painting my valve cover red, i know you need to get new gaskets and spark seals blah blah

But do you need a torque wrench to put the valve cover back on after you paint it?

thanks
Timmy

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Im not a guru by any means but I would say yes, you would want to torque the bolts to specs just to be safe. Honda did for a reason, ya know?

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Yeah, i know, im not sure, some people are telling to just use a socket, but then others are telling me to use a torque. I dunno

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

If you want to assure no oil leak then yes.

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

But is it assured that it will leak if i dont?

I mean do most people or do they just use a Socket?

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

https://www.hondacivicforum.com/m_392490/tm.htm

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Yeah ive read that, i know how to do it, i was just wondering if its neccesary to use a torque wrench

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

I did mine a couple day ago. I tightened my bolts up just with a socket. I sheared one of the bolts because they are so thin. I didnt know all this about it being the right pressure...

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

u dont really need one , i painted mine a couple of months ago and no oil leaks.

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

And you just tightened the bolts by hand to what you felt was right? I doubt it has to be perfect.

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

I agree.

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Yeah i dont think its a big deal, its the valve COVER

One of my buddies is like " youll be driving down the road and your cover will blow off because of extreme pressure..."

I dont know, ill see when it happens

I just cant wait to paint it gloss red

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Where would I find those specs? Thanks for the help - sorry I hijacked your thread!

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Well yeah, but if that goes its just pistons with oil flying everywhere. If that oil got contaminated with grit it would work its way all through the engine. Better safe than sorry if you ask me!

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

just take it out paint it get a new gasket some gasket sealer especially around the cam or cams if u have a dohc. and go ahead and get all the bolts nice and tight simple as that i did mine and i've had no problems , it doesnt need to be perfect so go ahead and do it and post pics lol

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

If the bolts come loose, the cover's not going to come "flying" off. It'll still be sitting there, mostly on top of the valvetrain. You can just check if the bolts are tight in a month or so. Bolts don't loosen that easily. If you're that worried about this happening, a torque wrench from harbor freight is 10-20 bucks, it's not that much.

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Im not really worried about it, i know its not gonna go FLYING off hahahah its a civic lol. Now if i had a GT500 with 650HP then MAYBE ill consider[sm=smiley36.gif]

But it is true, Better safe than sorry

I dont know, ill see how it fits, when it take it off and on.

Ill post pics [sm=smiley14.gif]

Might be this week, dont know, i might go get the paint and gaskets tomorrow. Might see if Auto Zone has a torque wrench. If not oh well.

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Oh and i heard that the specs are at the head of the bolt or something...?

I havent looked, because its pitch black outside right now

Ill find out tomrorrow

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

If you're going to get a torque wrench, make sure the range is correct. Based on the descriptions people gave, I'm guessing the bolt will need 8-10 ft-lbs of torque. That's going to be a small torque wrench, about the size of a hand screwdriver. There should be a range printed on the box or label, but this is just to give you the approximate size for which torque wrench you want.

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

See picture.

http://img505.imageshack.us/img505/1...ure0260zx2.jpg

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Oh thanks for that its a helpful diagram

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

yeah thats true because there is ample room in the engine bay for that to go flying off... and to believe the lack of appropriate torque can cause extreme pressure under the valve cover is hysterical. i've taken my valve cover off numerous times and never used a torque wrench... just tighten them appropriately... use a smaller wrench so you can get a good feel... the longer the wrench the easier it will be to turn at higher torque specs... torque = force * perpendicular distance... so the farther you are with the same amount of force the more torque you will get at the bolt. i'm just saying this so you dont use like a 1/2" drive wrench so it feels easy to turn and you end up shearing the bolts. use a small wrench and get them snug

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Alright thanks, i finally hear some one tell me that they have taken theirs off WITHOUT a torque wrench

i feel better thanks guys

Ill tell ya how it goes

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Wow guys seriously? 3 pages about putting a valve cover on?

5 bolts, pop them off, pull the cover off. Clean it, paint it, let it dry. Put the gaskets back on (you don't need new ones unless the old ones are shot) and bolt it back on. Either use a small socket wrench or a 10mm screwdriver, it only needs like 8-10lbs of torque and they will snap very easily if you aren't careful so once they feel fairly tight it's good.

Don't make it harder than it really is guys!

RE: Valve Cover painting and installing
 

Hey, i just asked if i needed a torque wrench or not. Jeeze

I got it, im good

Thanks guys