Valve Cover Gasket

[Jeffrey Bandel]

CAT0299DLGTC00836

My valve cover gasket is leaking bad. I have the parts (two gaskets and four grommets). The manual makes it look easy. Are their any tricks or special things I need to look for?

 

[Nige]

If you are replacing both the top cover gasket and the base gasket make sure that everything is nice & clean then take care to snug the bolts up a little at a time starting from the centre of the cover and working towards both ends in a criss-cross pattern (see the instructions for installing the cylinder head for an illustration). The torque values are not very high, so don't overtighten them.

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

Thanks. How hard is it to get to? The manual says to just tilt back the radiator.

 

[DMiller]

The gasket rubber or Viton type material? or actual fibrous gasket?

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

Rubberish gasket.

In my pdf version of the manual there are two different instructions with the same SMCS # (1107-010). One has a name i06552041 and the other is i06619028. On step 5 of one the instructions is says to remove hose (6), but there is no picture of where hose 6 is. The other one says on step 3 to remove tube assembly (4). I have no idea how to get to it.

 

[DMiller]

Thanks, NO Sealants, Really CLEAN Surfaces.

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

I just talked to a CAT mechanic. He laughed and said it is very difficult and hadn't worked on replacing one in years. He had to refer to the same manual I am looking at. There is nothing easy about removing the tube assembly. You cannot get to it. I keep removing stuff just so I can see the bolts. I can see one of them. I have about 2 inches of room to move a ratchet or wrench. It won't budge. I sprayed it with PB Blaster and left. Has anyone actually done this job recently on a 299?

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

Update: This morning I went to work on it with a fresh mind frame. It became abundantly clear more stuff had to be removed. The battery came out. The air filter box and assorted hoses and sensors came out. Some black box with tubes going to the block came out. Now I have a little more room. I talked to another CAT mechanic this morning and he has not replaced one either. He suggested taking the cooling package out. That was going to be my next step.
I can't believe someone at CAT actually wrote the manual for this and someone approved it.
Here is a picture of the two bolts on the tube assembly I am trying to remove. You can sort of see the right bolt circled in blue. The left blue circle is where the other bolt is. It is behind that black hose. (I might as well document this for the next sucker that has to replace one).

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

I got the tube assembly unbolted. I used a 1/2 impact gun with an extension. I couldn't remove the tube, but I was able to wrangle it out of the way.

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

Next I followed the manual which said to remove the upper valve cover and then remove the nuts holding the wires. I did that but they are zip tied as well. I figured it would be easier to remove them with the bottom cover removed. I started to do that and got rained on and quit.

 

[kshansen]

I don't know looks easy to me. Just let Jeffrey do it! Problem solved at least at my end!

I think that you now know the first part they put on the assembly line at the factory, hang that tube with three bolts up and build the machine around it. I think I would take some extra time to write things down in the order you remove them to help with the reassembly.

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

Yeah. I'm taking lot's of pictures. I'm super worried about one thing though. When I bought this machine, the delivery was delayed because he was putting a valve cover gasket on it. Well he obviously didn't do a good job, and no way in hell did he remove that tube. Which means he didn't clean it up and just slid the gasket under the cover and bolted it back together. What worries me is one of the lower valve cover bolts slipped off my socket twice. If it is stripped, I am screwed.

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

That last bolt won't come out. Idiot must have used a 1/2 breaker bar to put it on. It makes sense because it is on the right side and it is leaking from the left side. I'll soak it over night with PB and try again in the morning. Now I'm gonna go drink a home brew.

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

The head is stripped and I can't get it out. Of course it is in the hardest place to get to. Not sure what to do now.

 

[Nige]

Maybe try reinstalling all the other bolts and tightening them to spec. Right now you are in a position where the one bolt that you really want to remove is taking all the load. If you can get at least some load off that bolt then it may be easier to turn it. You may have to consider using either a smaller socket and beat it on to the bolt head, or if that fails maybe even something like a sharp small chisel to nick the bolt head on one side then carefully tap it loose, or even weld a nut on top of the existing bolt head. The bolt is going to be scrap either way but at least it ought to come out.

 

[kshansen]

Maybe try reinstalling all the other bolts and tightening them to spec. Right now you are in a position where the one bolt that you really want to remove is taking all the load. If you can get at least some load off that bolt then it may be easier to turn it. You may have to consider using either a smaller socket and beat it on to the bolt head, or if that fails maybe even something like a sharp small chisel to nick the bolt head on one side then carefully tap it loose, or even weld a nut on top of the existing bolt head. The bolt is going to be scrap either way but at least it ought to come out.

If the socket that slipped was a metric try to see if an inch size will work or the other way around. If you are using a 12 point socket find a 6 point one and that also might help. Or try a good smack on the head straight down to break it loose.

Are these the bolts that hold the lower potion of the valve cover to the head?

If so According to SIS there should only be 5 to 8 lb/ft of torque on them. But being shoulder bolts they will have heads that some idiot might have thought needed much more torque!

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

Good advice. I have 3 other bolts hooked up. I heated it up a few times and then pounded a bolt extractor on it. After a few attempts of that and heat, I put a 1/2 impact gun on it. It was so tight, it actually stopped the gun. But it came out about 1/16". I sprayed PB under and left. At least it hasn't broke.

 

[Nige]

With that in mind when you next put tooling on it I suggest don't try to loosen it. See if it will tighten a hair, then start to work it back and forwards. The last thing you want to do is break it, which is why I'd be using a bar or a ratchet rather than an impact gun. At least that way you can feel how much weight you are putting on the wrench, with an impact gun you can't tell.

I hope someone hasn't used an inch bolt where there should be a metric one or vice versa.

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

My exact plan

 

[Jeffrey Bandel]

Got it out. No way a new valve cover gasket was installed last May before I bought it. Maybe the upper, but this bolt has not been removed before.