I'm about to replace the valve cover gaskets on the "new to me" '72 98 with a 455. It's running quite well, only has 60k miles, but sat for years and I figure with the valve covers off - that would be a good opportunity to make sure things are set the properly. I have the CSM but wondering if you folks have a good "DIY" video you can point me too. I tend to process things a lot better watching videos vs. reading.

Thanks for any suggestions.

Jay

 

Pretty sure they're hydraulic lifters - no valve lash adjustment. Now, preload built in should be around .040-.050 - but, that's a different story.

 

X2, not adjustable. If it sounds good, no ticks your good.

72 98, NICE car! Got any pics?

 

Cool. Sounds like no adjustment then. Curious what you mean though with "preload built in should be around .040-.050"??

 

The first couple are from the ad on Facebook Marketplace when it was pulled out of the garage is sat in for the last 20-something years. It ain't perfect, some surface rust here and there and other stuff like trunk pan need immediate work. Interior is incredible - though I did just post in ..."Interior" section about how best to clean the cloth seats; if in fact they're cloth :-). Not hard plastic vinyl. Loving bringer her back to life.

 

I stole this quote directly off the Internet. Don't even worry about preload unless you're tearing into the engine.

 

That's nice! Enjoy it and drive it a lot.

 

Thank you. Looking forward to it. A fair amount left to do but should be on the road by summer.

 

Gotcha. Ain't plannin' on tearing into nuthin' I don't have to.

So, when I do the valve cover gaskets - just remove the old, clean, install new and tighten down?

 

Yes. Don't go ape-$hit w/ any gasket sealant you're using - a light bead with your fingers is all that's needed. Be sure to follow the torque specification. The OEM valve covers aren't designed to be heavily wrenched on - you can warp the metal. An uneven valve cover is not a happy valve cover.

 

^^^THIS^^^

Beautiful Oldsmobile. BTW, you have the fender skirts, don't you?

 

Make sure the gasket mating service on the valve cover is flat. Very often a previous owner tightened the valve cover bolts and bent the valve cover under the bolt head. Get a flat anvil and a flat hammer and hammer them all flat before reinstalling, otherwise it will continue leaking. Make sure to use a torque wrench to tighten them during the install, otherwise you will bend the covers and they will leak.

 

. Thank you. What should I torque them too?

 

I believe the torque value is listed in the CSM.

 

My (personal) cheat-sheet list demonstrates 7 lb-ft/bolt. Perform it in a cross-pattern.

 

there is shims infer rocker tower to adjust lash , but that should be last thing to worry about so compression test . Crank over with no spark plugs in it build up oil psi , the see if it runs

 

Been mislead by this, from another post it said tighten with a nut driver, worked for me. Torque spec goofed me and the covers up.

 

Ah, what a bummer...

 

If using cork gaskets you could go to 7', un-likely factory ever used 7# or a torque wrench, rubber just tighten it till snug and an additional 1/4 turn. Can always snug up if it seeps but if over tightened the metal will bend and never seal, like stated above.

 

The very first thing to do is follow the advice in Post 12

 

No no no..... If you're gonna do this you had better change the blinker fluid first as the muffler bearings get rusty and lash goes verticals and all is lost... ( be careful what you see on the interwebs.....)

 

I did as post #12 mentioned, and most of the bolts holes that jut out were in fact warped a bit, so she’s good and smooth/level now. Cleaned the heck out of both mating surfaces and getting ready to reinstall. I painted them yesterday with Fusicks Olds color paint. Question:

Are we still using gasket sealer these days, and assuming we still do - what’s the best kind?

 

Valve covers look excellent. What type gasket you using - cork or poly/fiber? I know folks who don't put any gasket sealant on cork while others do & if they do it's a very thin amount barely enough to wet the surface of the gasket & only enough to hold it in place to the bottom of the valve cover while you install the valve cover. You'll most likely get many suggestions on which to use, but the past several times I've had my valve covers off I've installed them w/ Permatex® Ultra Grey® RTV Silicone Gasket Maker - mostly because I had a tube of it and I've never had any leaks.

 

I got rubber ones. I’ll go with a thin film and tighten to 7lbs ft/lbs. thank you!!

 

All good advice^^^

Give the sealer extra set-up time, don't put it together and start it.

If you do the WP take pictures and detailed notes of where the spacers and the non-standard bolts go. I'd suggest drawing a mockup on cardboard and punching holes in it to place the bolts as they are removed and the same for the spacers as they're not identical. Installation in the wrong spot will cause pulley misalignment and headaches.

Good luck!!!

 

That's very good advice. Additionally, I'll add this. Since you're in no obvious hurry I don't believe, don't torque/tighten the bolts for at least several hours - stay within the cure/set times of the sealant - they're all a little different and I can't recall exactly what the total cure time is for the Permatex® Ultra Grey® RTV Silicone Gasket Maker sealant. Tighten the bolts to just and nothing more than finger tight. Leave the valve cover in place for a minimum of several hours - stay within the cure time, walk away, grab a soda pop, work on sump'n else. Then, torque/tighten them down about one hour prior to total cure time. Silicone sealants are exceptional - most have a cross linker in the compound - much like vulcanization is to rubber. If you torque/tighten too soon while very wet it may have a tendency to provide an ill-formed shape therefore it's been my experience to wait until ~80% of the cure time has elapsed before tightening.

 

I use weather stripping cement (follow the directions) and glue the gasket to the covers, nothing on the head side. Then install the covers as posted above until the bolts are snug then another 1/4 - 1/2 turn.

 

Thanks. I do have the skirts, but they are pretty rough as are where they mount. Plus, I'm not a fan of that look ...not sure what I'll do.

 

So, after thinking I did a good job on the valve cover gaskets (cleaned the heck out of the heads, razor bladed soooo smooth, wire brushed the surfaces of the valve cover and hammered out the bolt holes where there was “warpage “, put the film of gasket sealer on heads and a little in valve cover to keep the gasket in place, gently tightening bolts in star pattern…..) I am seeing oil leaking from the forward part of the valve cover. Being completely honest, it seems worse than before!!!!

So. My question is, as I plan to take that cover off and do it all again: Can I re use the gasket? Thinking NO because it will have gasket sealer stuck to it (again, I used rubber gaskets).

Thanks all

 

Oh. And if I do need a new gasket (other valve cover seems fine) should I get cork, are they more effective?

 

Double check that the valve covers are truly flat. You could have removed the dimpled bolt holes individually, but the result could be a warp over a large portion of the sealing surface. Use a long straight edge to check the entire upper and lower. If your rubber gasket is very thin 1/16" then you might be able to get thicker rubber gaskets. The other option is to use a thicker cork gasket 1/4" which will make up for larger gaps. The only disadvantage of cork is it's harder to clean up the next time you replace the gaskets.

 

Thank you. Fingers crossed that I got it right the second time. If not, will get that straight edge.