Whilst replacing the rubber valve cover seal and grommets today I managed to crack the aluminum valve cover due to over-torque...partly not my fault as the factory Service manual states ~70-95 ftlbs, which for our information is not correct. At about 14 ftlbs I heard a "crack" sound and sure enough, the aluminum valve cover cracked around the side of the bolt head area.
Any ideas?
I was considering replacing the cracked valve cover with a new un-cracked used cover from the local junkyard however I got to thinking...
Gee Whiz...the head is aluminum, all the other bolts were at about 14-15 ftlbs when I heard the "crack"...if that's the case, then the threads in the head for the valve cover bolts are most likely stripped or near stripped! Yikes! Better just JB Weld the crack now at its most open position, then while the JB Weld is still liquid, back off the torque on the adjacent bolt and evenly on all the other 10 bolts as well. Then let cure.
I'm concerned that the JB Weld may not expand and contract properly along with the aluminum valve cover once it's completely cured...you know, engine at normal operating temperature and all. From my understanding, JB Weld's characteristics act more like "Steel" than "Aluminum".
A friend swears by "Honda Bond" but never has had this particular issue pop up before. I'm used to "JB Weld." Anybody got a better idea?
I don't want to have to remove my head! Please Help!