PSA: "Quit While You're Ahead" Is Real Good Advice Sometimes.

All joking aside, I have a serious word of advice for everyone. Some of you may have been following along in my Power Wagon project thread and know what I'm talking about here.

Over the weekend, I decided to tackle some oil leaks on my truck. I ended up changing the oil pan gasket, and that took a lot of time to get it off the truck, cleaned up, and back in. I was tired, and it was getting late, but I knew the driver's side valve cover was leaking oil too, so I wanted to get that done as well.

Pro Tip: When you are tired and are in a hurry, just put the wrenches down and come back to it later. 

This is the result:


That black area above the exhaust manifold that's smoking is oil. I didn't clean the mating surface well enough, and I probably overtightened the bolts, warping the edges of the valve cover. I drove about 20 minutes home from my friend's place with this shoddily replaced gasket peeing oil all over the exhaust. I'm lucky the truck didn't catch fire!

So let this be a reminder: sometimes it's best to "quit while you're ahead". Not my proudest moment as a gearhead, but it's a teachable moment.

Just like this guy did.

In reply to Tony Sestito :

I cringed when you wrote "and I probably overtightened the bolts, warping the edges of the valve cover," Brought back painful memories from my early years learning to wrench.  "Tighter is betterer!"

Yep.   Who knew that transmission pans are just a tick more than finger tight.     Now I know.

If I can tighten it by hand enough to bend it, it shoulda been stronger to begin with.

But yeah, picking the right stopping point has been a major improvement in my wrenching as I've gotten older and (maybe) wiser. My latest challenge is learning how to stop while I still have enough energy to put tools away... 

Ya almost should have put on the sbc marketed valve cover washers that spread the load out over a larger surface.

One thing it could have been was the gasket itself. I didn't put much sealant on either side of it, and it was not staying in position when I was bolting it back on. Since I was tired and in a hurry, I basically said "Berk it!" and called it good. Obviously, it wasn't good.

Again, not my proudest moment.

Those valve cover spreader washers might be a good idea, if they will fit. Might have to snag some before the weekend.

I learned this years ago when building my S52 E30. Had everything, had quadruple checked the wiring harness, pins, sensors, etc. I finally called it a day because I was getting ANGRY.

Woke up the next morning and realized the reason the fuel pump wasn't getting power was because I had removed the fuse. 

Installed a new fuse, car fired right up.

ultraclyde said:

If I can tighten it by hand enough to bend it, it shoulda been stronger to begin with.

Probably should avoid anything made before 1990 or so, then.  Old school valve covers are ridiculously flimsy, and only sealed up at all thanks to very thick cork gaskets, which always drooled a bit anyway.

A lot of those engines didn't even have machined sealing surfaces, just as-cast rails.  I think they figured they were going to leak anyway, so why bother with the extra machining step.

Yeah my C1500 left with one chrome and one red valve cover because the other chrome one was missing one of the silly support tubes and I over tightened and bent the center bolt valve cover. My first sign of a problem was a lot of smoke coming out from under the cab from where the oil was pouring down the back of the head onto the exhaust y pipe. (Yes the silly 80s TBI y-pipe designed to make a hot spot around the unheated o2 sensor)

I prefer to fly as far into the crash as possible, only stopping when the last peice stops moving.  

I don't know whether anybody who hasn't had to knock the bumps around the overtightened bolts out of a sheetmetal sealing surface really understands the lesson, but I guarantee anybody who has, does.