Valve cover

[Rawze]

(03-11-2017 )mpreiss321 Wrote:  2011 int'l prostar, cummins cm871 engine. Did the overhead set. Now the valve cover won't quit leaking oil. Questions- 1) Is the gasket on the cover replaceable? Should I have replaced it? 2) should I have lubed the edge of the cover before putting it back on? 3) Are the bolts on the cover tightened in a particular cross pattern? And 4) should they be torqued down and to what value? Thanks

If you take your time with unseating the cover and the gasket, it usually will not become damaged. I have seen a few that no matter what you did, they get damaged, but it is because they have become brittle and need replacing. The gasket is replaceable on them, just get a new one and pull the old one out of the grooves of the cover.

DO NOT USE SOAPY WATER ON THE GASKET!- It will make the mating surface rust under it. A tiny bit of Vaseline would be the better solution for making it not stick.

I have had hundreds of them off and on again, old and new. - Be sure all surfaces are very clean all the way around before re-installing it, start all the bolts then wiggle it a bit, then torque them in a cross-patters of your choice. I snug all the bolts first, then tighten them to about 25 ft-lbs or so (more than the book says) and never really have issues with them. Of the hundreds I have done, I have only had to replace about 3. All 3 were pitted pretty bad and you could see/feel it before re-installing it. Performing an overhead adjustment every 200k miles or so should not require a new gasket each time if care is taken to ensure it does not get damaged.