Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

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jc1300
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by jc1300 »

Well, lots of good tips ! As for the silicone sealant, I have some Permatex Ultra Black, or "RTV gasket maker". Do you think it's a good one, or do I need to find some 3M N° 8660 ?

Then what do you recommend for cleaning the gasket base from oil ?

One more question, it seems that with the kit, you have a half moon that comes with ? Like a plastic one ? Be the half moon that's on my engine is a aluminum one. Anyone is better than the other ?
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by nxski »

jc1300 wrote:Well, lots of good tips ! As for the silicone sealant, I have some Permatex Ultra Black, or "RTV gasket maker". Do you think it's a good one, or do I need to find some 3M N° 8660 ?

Then what do you recommend for cleaning the gasket base from oil ?

One more question, it seems that with the kit, you have a half moon that comes with ? Like a plastic one ? Be the half moon that's on my engine is a aluminum one. Anyone is better than the other ?
Apparently VW dealers carry the best gasket sealant imported from Germany. My cousin says they use it instead of a gasket in some instances. The aluminum half moon seal is an "upgrade" from the evo engine I believe.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by bionic »

FYI:
:-D :-D Rockauto.com has the valve cover gasket w/moon seal for $6.88. Part# FEL-PRO VS50100R.
I just received mine within 2 days to Blaine.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by Growlerbearnz »

The official half-moon seal is made of rubber, and eventually shrinks and hardens. As mentioned above, the Evo has an alloy half-moon seal.

Mitsubishi part number: MD372348 Alloy Half-moon seal

I installed this seal in my Delica a while back and it's gloriously leak-free, despite the rocker cover being removed a number of times over the last 20,000km.
Nothing says "poor workmanship" more than wrinkles in the duct tape.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by FalcoColumbarius »

Growlerbearnz,
Where did you procure said aluminium half moon plug and for how much?

Falco.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by Growlerbearnz »

I got the plug from my local Mitsubishi dealer, as bizarre as it may sound. I just told them the part number and they ordered it from Japan.

Cost me about US$30. This website: http://www.streettunedmotorsports.com/p ... gasket.htm says they have them for $14.50
Nothing says "poor workmanship" more than wrinkles in the duct tape.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by bionic »

..I am really confused how someone is willing to pay 30.00 for a half-moon seal alone, when the gasket/moon set is $7.00-25.00 everyday,all year long, from every major on-line parts supplier in north america???? All the below will ship cheap.. As for an aluminum half-moon seal, all of my gaskets came with a hard plastic hybrid.(no this is not the tell tale of a cheaper gasket...this is just the current material choice for most large manufacturers) I am sure the alloy one works well also.(with proper prep) But mine is still leak free today.
Here are just a few:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FEL-VS50100R/

http://www.amazon.com/Fel-Pro-VS50100R- ... B000C2AOHK

http://www.sears.com/fel-pro-fel-pro-vs ... 369455408P
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by Growlerbearnz »

It's relative. Here in New Zealand things cost more, it's just a consequence of living on an isolated subtropical island. A typical non-genuine gasket set costs about $40, genuine Mitsubishi gasket set will set you back $80.

And really, after paying for a new head with genuine Mitsubishi injectors and glow plugs, $30 felt like spare change.
Nothing says "poor workmanship" more than wrinkles in the duct tape.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by bionic »

Ahhh, New Zealand. I always seem to forget the web is global not continental. Understood. :-D
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by jc1300 »

bionic wrote:..I am really confused how someone is willing to pay 30.00 for a half-moon seal alone, when the gasket/moon set is $7.00-25.00 everyday,all year long, from every major on-line parts supplier in north america???? All the below will ship cheap.. As for an aluminum half-moon seal, all of my gaskets came with a hard plastic hybrid.(no this is not the tell tale of a cheaper gasket...this is just the current material choice for most large manufacturers) I am sure the alloy one works well also.(with proper prep) But mine is still leak free today.
Here are just a few:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FEL-VS50100R/

http://www.amazon.com/Fel-Pro-VS50100R- ... B000C2AOHK

http://www.sears.com/fel-pro-fel-pro-vs ... 369455408P
I have been looking to the links you gave but when I try to define my Delica, they didn't propose any Delica version for 1993. Am I dumb or ???
The links your are providing are fitting for which kind of engine please ?
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by bionic »

The valve cover gasket is relative to the engine, not the vehicle. The delica (l300)shares the same 4d mitsubishi diesel that the early (80's)ford rangers and dodge ram 50's etc came with. There are many parts of a delica that are unique, but the engine is not one of them.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by bionic »

It should also be stated that you do not need to remove the fan shroud/timing cover on an L300....pure waste of time. Removing the valve cover is 2 X 12mm bolts and 3 rubber hoses and undoing 2 electrical plugs. The valve cover can be removed/reinstalled by carfully "rolling" the cover over the valve assembly. The seal is inserted into the cover lip, so it will not drop out if it was cleaned properly. Permatex Hi-temp sealant is all thats necessary for the 1/2 moon seal. As Falco stated, the only "secret" to this install is to carefully clean the mating surfaces. (a slight contortionist will accell here) Total time to disassemble/clean/refit should be around 1/2 hour.
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by jc1300 »

Well, thanks a lot for this tutorial. And all the answers I had here. My gasket is a Yundai. The number on the package is : 22441 42902. I hope it might help those who are looking for this part as well.

Fixing this gasket was easy, following the steps carefully. Then, the lips of the half moon are difficult to install properly, as reaching the rear end of the engine is tricky. But the leak is fixed.

Thanks for your help...
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by Morganizer »

I finally got around to this little task today. My Delica developed a very small oil leak right after I bought it, which was odd because the previous owner had just had the 100,000km maintenance done, and the engine was spotless.

So this took me 5 hours, mostly because, "Double check the top of the head that it's clean and there are not pieces for dried up gasket stuck to it." I'm not sure if it was old gasket (the one I took out was intact, so maybe residue from a previous gasket) or Permatex Black, but I had to scrub little bits of it for a couple of hours to get it clean to my satisfaction (those who know me, feel free to chuckle at this point.)

My tool of choice for this cleanup, better than brass brushes, Scotchbrite, or jamming rags in the groove was this:
TongueDepressor.JPG
TongueDepressor.JPG (116.41 KiB) Viewed 7815 times
It's a tongue depressor, cut at 90 degrees to get rid of the rounded end, then split into 5 pieces, and tape wrapped around to keep it from splitting any further. I scrubbed back and forth in the groove, like a broom, and because of the splits it would curve around corners, especially useful on the glow plugs side where nothing's a straight line. It rubbed the debris into little, snake-like goobers, that I whisked out with a toothbrush.

Also worth mentioning, another invaluable tool for this job was one of those swivelling mirrors on a telescoping rod. Very handy for checking out the half moon seal, whether you got the surface clean enough, etc.

I read somewhere, to get the half moon seal out you just reach back there and pop it out with your fingers. I had to get small vice grips on it, and you can see there was quite a bit of goop holding it in place. See the importance of applying only a small bead of Permatex Black when reinstalling.
RubberMoon.JPG
RubberMoon.JPG (110.58 KiB) Viewed 7815 times
Also note, I replaced the rubber half moon with an aluminum one, from Harold Zeigler Mitsubishi, Kalamazoo Michigan, Part#MD372348. When this thing arrived, I thought it can't possibly be the right one, it's too small, but it fit perfectly.

Oh, and a Deli mechanic told me there's another one in the front too, but it's harder to replace. I found it hard to replace because it doesn't exist! I looked for it, but didn't find it. So I've got a spare aluminum half moon gasket, all the way from Kalamazoo. PM me if you're interested.

Can someone explain the half moon phenomenon? I mean, why not just make the surface flat all the way around? Is it because they need the half moon cut-out to get the cam shaft in? I'm sure it's necessary, just inquiring minds want to know.

And the other mystery, when I ordered my gasket, it came with two rubber seals, which I installed around the bolts that go through the head cover...and it also came with two more, similar seals (these ones with metal cups on the back) which I didn't use because they're for larger bolts than the ones in my engine. Anybody know about this? Are there Deli engines with valve cover bolts larger than the ones with 12mm heads on my engine?
LargerLeftovers.JPG
LargerLeftovers.JPG (45.56 KiB) Viewed 7815 times
Got a couple of leftover rubber seals. PM me if you need some for your larger bolts. ;)

As I was putting the timing belt cover on, the foam seal from the top edge fell out. So I pulled off the cover and looked around for something to replace it...and noticed the old valve cover gasket was about the right size...so I cut a couple of pieces to length...but they were too tall...so I sliced them lengthwise with a knife...then put them in the timing belt cover with a bit of Permatex Black in the groove... (I'm just sayin')

Oh, and I don't have a torque wrench, so I just imagined I did, and 4-5lbs would be way down at the light end. Then I couldn't get the timing belt cover to seat unless I tightened down the front some more. So I torqued it just until it fit, then pulled on the back bolt about the same. Probably around 7-10lbs, I reckon. Or maybe when the timing belt cover just fits over the valve cover, that's 4lbs spot-on, and so you don't really need a torque wrench. Food for thought.

And furthermore (this just keeps getting better) I was wondering why it leaked in the first place. The speculation was that the rubber half-moon had given way (hence the aluminum bits from Kalamazoo) but there didn't seem to be much oil down the back. Most of it was on the exhaust side of the engine (which is why my passengers asked, "what's that smell?" going up a steep hill), below the straight edge of the valve cover. I inspected the groove, and it was rough in patches through the middle. Pits, caused by the beginnings of oxidation. I wrapped some sandpaper around My Favourite Tool and gently sanded the pits smooth. Then finished up with some Scotchbrite. So I think that's why it was such a slow leak (1/4 litre in 15,000km): the oil was going up over the gasket, through the tiny pits created by oxidation. And that's why it wasn't getting worse, because the oil kept the oxygen out, keeping oxidation to a minimum.

So I'm hoping that with a smooth groove and a new gasket (and an aluminum half moon from Kalamazoo!) there will be no more leaking.

And after I degrease the engine, no peculiar smell. (sigh)
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Re: Here's how to replace your valve cover gasket

Post by Growlerbearnz »

The half moon cutout is there so the boring (as in drilling, not *yawn*) machine can bore out the camshaft bearings all in one go.
Nothing says "poor workmanship" more than wrinkles in the duct tape.
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