Vq25 Bolt Torque

[joshm35]

What torque should the rocker cover bolts be and what should the intske plenium bolts be? Need to replace my cam gaskets.

[scotty nm35]

Not much, the rocker cover will deform if you do them up too tight, the hardest part is making sure the rubber seal is in place before you tighten them. Use a 1/4 inch ratchet so you don't get much leverage.

When doing the plenum bolts, just remember how much force it took to crack them and do the reverse. The only bolts I torqued when rebuilding the engine were the head studs and the cam caps (as they are the critical ones).

[Daleo]

The rocker cover bolts are only a shouldered M5 bolt, nothing more than 6-8 Ft/Lb.

So nipped up with a 1/4" ratchet a bit more than hand tight will do. You only want to bottom it out against the shoulder.

As for the Plenum bolts; I reckon 20-22 Ft/Lb; no more. wipe a little grease/antisieze on the threads, and the underside of the head/washer, so they go in nice & smooth.

I do all that sort of stuff by feel, but those numbers will translate onto a torque wrench. As Scotty said; not particularly critical , but some people like "Tight is right"; all this does is stretch bolts, damage threads and cost you time if it goes wrong.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Daleo

[joshm35]

What I hell of a job that was and cams still leaking!!

[iamhe77]

^ Been there

You will have to recheck that no grime got in under the gasket and that it is seated in the cover (and stayed there) unfortunately.

No use over tightening the bolts, they snap very easily...

[joshm35]

Yeah could I use a sealant aswell?

[scotty nm35]

No need, when the seal is in the groove it seals fine, as long as both surfaces are clean.

You really don't want silicone floating around inside your engine...

[joshm35]

Warning recieved

[Commsman]

Mine had a thin bead of grey silicon on it from the last person (factory??). I cleaned it off before replacing the gasket.

[joshm35]

Yeah so did mine. I was thinking of putting an adhesive in the gap the gasket goes in to make sure the gasket stays in place.

[joshm35]

Yeah so did mine. I was thinking of putting an adhesive in the gap the gasket goes in to make sure the gasket stays in place.

[Commsman]

Yeah so did mine. I was thinking of putting an adhesive in the gap the gasket goes in to make sure the gasket stays in place.

That's what I did the second time & it seemed to work well. I think that would be safe (minimal risk of getting into the oil) & makes the job easier.

[joshm35]

Any certain type of adhesive you used

[scotty nm35]

Ahh, none sounds good...

[joshm35]

Hmm mixed opinions... Any disadvantages to using an adhesive just to keep the gasket inplace? Not used as a gap sealer

[bigkevracer]

Surely you can just use some kind of gasket sealant?

Definitely wouldn't be using some kind of silicon sealer, but I know dad uses this thin red gasket sealant which should be the go.

[scotty nm35]

No sealant is required though, there are little rubber tabs to hold the gasket in place while you slide it on. Just make sure it doesn't fall off before you screw it down, no big deal. It's only the first one you will fudge up.

Sealants require pressure, which you don't have in this situation. If for some reason you wanted to re-use the gasket then it would be needed, not that I would suggest it. Remember the oil is built up behind the cover so it needs to seal well for no leaks.

[joshm35]

I ended up applying an gasket sealant in the groove before pressing in the gasket just for the sole purpose of holding it in the groove. Waited 20 mins till it tacked and put it on. Not leaking at all. So pleased. Very suprised how quickly I got the intake off but easy once you get it in you head what to do. thanks guys for the help. I just did the cam cover bolts up just tight and torqued the intake bolts up to 22 lbs.

[iamhe77]

Well done Josh. It's nice to think how much you saved by not taking it to a mech to do after doing an annoying job like that

[joshm35]

Yeah I had it booked in this friday to get it done. So im going to used that booked slot to get snapped exhaust bolt drilled out and front disks machined as they are slightly warped. Yeah the cam gasket was annoying but not as annoying as having to fork out $$ to get a mechanic to do it. I recommend doing it yourself if you have general mechanical skills.