Cam Cover Removal Guide
Discussion
I was hoping to remove my cam cover at the weekend so that I can polish it in on the bench machine, however i've never taken one off myself before.
I know it's not overly complicated, but if anyone has done this themselves I would really appreciate a walkthrough or expliantion of how to go about it and what I should be aware of?
Think I need a new seal for this job?
Is there a torque setting for the cam cover bolts or do I just 'nip' them tight?
I also need to remove the coil pack cover & reseal with something?
And I need to take out the coil packs?
I know its probably something I can figure out as I go, but just thought I would ask as there is a wealth of experience on here.
I know it's not overly complicated, but if anyone has done this themselves I would really appreciate a walkthrough or expliantion of how to go about it and what I should be aware of?
Think I need a new seal for this job?
Is there a torque setting for the cam cover bolts or do I just 'nip' them tight?
I also need to remove the coil pack cover & reseal with something?
And I need to take out the coil packs?
I know its probably something I can figure out as I go, but just thought I would ask as there is a wealth of experience on here.
threestacks said:
I was hoping to remove my cam cover at the weekend so that I can polish it in on the bench machine, however i've never taken one off myself before.
I know it's not overly complicated, but if anyone has done this themselves I would really appreciate a walkthrough or expliantion of how to go about it and what I should be aware of?
Think I need a new seal for this job?
Is there a torque setting for the cam cover bolts or do I just 'nip' them tight?
I also need to remove the coil pack cover & reseal with something?
And I need to take out the coil packs?
I know its probably something I can figure out as I go, but just thought I would ask as there is a wealth of experience on here.
I've not done it but it has been done before by a few PH'ers as I can remember a thread or two...I know it's not overly complicated, but if anyone has done this themselves I would really appreciate a walkthrough or expliantion of how to go about it and what I should be aware of?
Think I need a new seal for this job?
Is there a torque setting for the cam cover bolts or do I just 'nip' them tight?
I also need to remove the coil pack cover & reseal with something?
And I need to take out the coil packs?
I know its probably something I can figure out as I go, but just thought I would ask as there is a wealth of experience on here.
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=112...
With ref to your questions...AFAIK there is no gasket, you use a tube of suitable sealant...yes there will be a torque setting but I don't know what it is. There will be knack to it - applying the right amount of sealant, letting it partially set, etc. Assume you mean the HT lead / plug cover that runs down the middle of the cam cover...if so this is just a sealant to prevent water leaking in...I think its just sikaflex or similar but I might be wrong on this? If you've got the top of the engine in bits I would replace the coil pack as they are prone to failure and can cause miss-fires. Hopefully others will be able to provide more info?
Are you aware of the varley pages website? Its a useful resource and there's a thread running on here re a re-run of his manual.
Good luck with the work.
peteA said:
If you've got the top of the engine in bits I would replace the coil pack as they are prone to failure and can cause miss-fires.
Hi Mate, I did mine a few months ago and can give you some tips if you want 
much was done following graham v's guide I'm not mechanical in any way, however it was a breeze It's a simple job really. Dam, i'm in a hotel, bored, so here goes
I labeled everything, put bolts in bags etc, photo'd to be sure and even did little video's so I could have a record of the work I was doing, so I knew where everything went. I replaced a lot of the bolts too, so all new stainless now, but then again, I got my camcover painted at the same time
Here's a brief synopsis, undo bolts for the plug cover and take the plug cover off (prize off with a screwdriver, which I wrapped to stop any scraping etc, or pull off
. Yank out plug leads and 1 by 1 mark them, although it's obvious where they go, as they are different lengths. I cable tied them together and bagged each one to stop crap getting in there. You will probably notice that the silver sleeve on the camcover, which the plug lead goes into comes off at this stage, don't worry, keep it wrapped up with each plug (don't worry if you pop them on different holes). They have some sealant on them too, so clean that off
Right, then undo the bolts on the camcover and lift camcover off
You don't need to go anywhere near spark plugs! I loosened each bolt before doing the final extraction, mark bolts, pop in bags. I then cleaned the sealant off the areas where it remained so you have a fresh area to seal later. Make a note how it was sealed previously and how much was used, although i'll come on to this later. When you clean the sealant be careful not to let any drop into the engine (it's quite springy, then cover with a plastic bag, or in my case, I used cling film :P This stops more crap from getting in
Do your camcover thing...
Put Sealant on the top, not on the camcover. I used a very thin bead, no bigger than the widge of a match stick around the inside of the bolt holes. Don't put too much on, if you think you have, you probably have :P It's better to have less than more, as I believe a vacuum is created anyway. Right, then pop the camcover on...try and do it square, it's a little tricky to get it in the back, with the bulkhead and leads (make sure these are out of the way and accessible) and drop it down square, so hover it and then drop (you'll see what I mean).
Here's what it looked like before I cleaned it. You can just about see where some of the sealant was and how thin the bead needs to be
Then pop in each bolt (i did opposite bolts, and was very careful with the threads). Then torque on (graham v has the settings). Then pop the sleeves on again (i put a small amount of sealant) around the sides, and then pushed the leads in
Then it was a case of putting some sealant on the entry points where the plug cover goes on (two at the top, it helps with water ingress). At this point I popped on my carbon act plug cover, which requires no sealant, and looks the daddy
Here's a photo:
If you don't have that, then pop the sealant we used for the gasket around the edges or any other heat resistant sealant. Bolts in (torque, although not as essential as the camcover bolts....jobs a goodun.
Here was my finished result
Start engine praying it works!
I can't see why you would want to replace the coil pack, which will cost you around £90, if there is no issue with it. Plus, it's nowhere near where you are working, as it's on the other side under the airbox. Unless you have any concerns it's pointless and a waste of money, do it when it needs it. Just my opinion.
Hopefully that covers everything. My personal opinion, buy GV's Manual and get stuck in to the simply jobs, as they are just that.
PM me with your number if you want a chat
I'm around at the weekend, so if you get stuck in and gulp, buzz me Hopefully this has been of help.
Steve
Edited by ShiDevil on Wednesday 23 October 20:14
Hi Steve,
Thank you so much for that, really helpful and sounds like something I'm more than capable of doing, I may even now have to get one of those act plug covers!
It was really the whole sealant issue is was concerned with, plus I've seen there is a cam cover gasket at Racing Green, not sure if his is easier or of benefit..?
I have my name down on the list for the re-print run of the GV manual, but not heard anything yet as to if its going ahead.
Seriously though, thank you for the explanation and the pics are really helpful too!
Don't suppose you want to repeat the excercise for the the removal of the fuel rail !?!
Thank you so much for that, really helpful and sounds like something I'm more than capable of doing, I may even now have to get one of those act plug covers!
It was really the whole sealant issue is was concerned with, plus I've seen there is a cam cover gasket at Racing Green, not sure if his is easier or of benefit..?
I have my name down on the list for the re-print run of the GV manual, but not heard anything yet as to if its going ahead.
Seriously though, thank you for the explanation and the pics are really helpful too!
Don't suppose you want to repeat the excercise for the the removal of the fuel rail !?!
threestacks said:
Hi Steve,
Thank you so much for that, really helpful and sounds like something I'm more than capable of doing, I may even now have to get one of those act plug covers!
It was really the whole sealant issue is was concerned with, plus I've seen there is a cam cover gasket at Racing Green, not sure if his is easier or of benefit..?
I have my name down on the list for the re-print run of the GV manual, but not heard anything yet as to if its going ahead.
Seriously though, thank you for the explanation and the pics are really helpful too!
Don't suppose you want to repeat the excercise for the the removal of the fuel rail !?!
Hi mate, go for it Thank you so much for that, really helpful and sounds like something I'm more than capable of doing, I may even now have to get one of those act plug covers!
It was really the whole sealant issue is was concerned with, plus I've seen there is a cam cover gasket at Racing Green, not sure if his is easier or of benefit..?
I have my name down on the list for the re-print run of the GV manual, but not heard anything yet as to if its going ahead.
Seriously though, thank you for the explanation and the pics are really helpful too!
Don't suppose you want to repeat the excercise for the the removal of the fuel rail !?!
In terms of the Gasket from RG. Having spoken to many, including Bespoke and Mat Smith, it's a waste of money. The SP6 works fine with the sealant, and I believe it creates a vacumn anyway, so no need for the gasket. It's more of a gimmick than a neccessity. Stick with the sealant is my view, it's what 99% of the cars function with
In terms of the fuel rail, i've not taken mine off, but I believe it's not too tough a job. Simply a little bit of muscle to lift it off with a jiggle. There are plenty of posts about it from others that have done this. I presume you are going to polish it too? I wouldn't remove it if you are doing the camcover as there is no need. I believe you might need to replace the o-rings as these can split on removal or replacement. Some have lubricated these to ensure they slip on more effectively.
Here's a post from one of the brethren, with some very useful comments:
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Hopefully this is of help. I am sure others can add value too
Steve
@Steve
"I replaced a lot of the bolts too, so all new stainless now"
Have you untighten the bolts of the cover since then? There's a basically problem using stainless steel combined with aluminium - it creats contact corrosion when it's getting hot.
That's why cylinderhead bolts are normally black!
Regarding the gasket, there's is a big advantage! If the timing chain gets stretched gradually, it tends to hit the camcover between the camschafts, because the clearance is very low.
I have 1-2mm scratch marks in the camcover!
cheers Josef
"I replaced a lot of the bolts too, so all new stainless now"
Have you untighten the bolts of the cover since then? There's a basically problem using stainless steel combined with aluminium - it creats contact corrosion when it's getting hot.
That's why cylinderhead bolts are normally black!
Regarding the gasket, there's is a big advantage! If the timing chain gets stretched gradually, it tends to hit the camcover between the camschafts, because the clearance is very low.
I have 1-2mm scratch marks in the camcover!
cheers Josef
d to break!!zeppo said:
@Steve
"I replaced a lot of the bolts too, so all new stainless now"
Have you untighten the bolts of the cover since then? There's a basically problem using stainless steel combined with aluminium - it creats contact corrosion when it's getting hot.
That's why cylinderhead bolts are normally black!
Regarding the gasket, there's is a big advantage! If the timing chain gets stretched gradually, it tends to hit the camcover between the camschafts, because the clearance is very low.
I have 1-2mm scratch marks in the camcover!
cheers Josef
In addition to that, the extra clearance means you don't have to tighten the chain up any further reducing stress on the halftime bearing. "I replaced a lot of the bolts too, so all new stainless now"
Have you untighten the bolts of the cover since then? There's a basically problem using stainless steel combined with aluminium - it creats contact corrosion when it's getting hot.
That's why cylinderhead bolts are normally black!
Regarding the gasket, there's is a big advantage! If the timing chain gets stretched gradually, it tends to hit the camcover between the camschafts, because the clearance is very low.
I have 1-2mm scratch marks in the camcover!
cheers Josef
Gassing Station | Tamora, T350 & Sagaris | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff