Cracked valve cover
 

Cracked my valve cover doing a gasket change. My question is, what do you guys think about using a used valve cover for a replacement? Or should I just buy a brand new one?

Should be good with a used one. Just check it for damage before using it. I would probably change the spark plug tube seals too.

I don't see why not. How severe of a crack are we talking anyways?

Cracked around the corner bolt hole next to the oil fill cap.

Pretty common result when you don't equally tighten down the valve cover bolts in several passes bringing them up to the torque spec.

Used is fine.

I appreciate the responses. The torque spec seemed a little low to me, so I gave it a little more. I guess that was enough the crack the cover. I was torqing the bolts in a cross cross pattern a little bit at a time as to bring the cover down equally, but I was told I should have brought the four center bolts down first in an x pattern and then the outside bolts in the same pattern. Maybe four or five passes to bring them all down to spec.

Yes, starting in the center in a crossing pattern and then moving outward to the other bolts in a crossing pattern is the correct method. It sounds like to me you had the right idea, but every time I've done this job I've done it even more gradually than 5 passes, more like at least 10. It's a test of patience doing it this slowly, but it's the safest way to go about it. I honestly don't think it's the slight over-tightening you did but rather you didn't tighten it down equally and gradually enough. Since you broke off the front corner, it's my guess the rear bolts were more touch downed the the front bolts. That means the cover needed to actually now bend down to the head, and it's not going to bend, it's going to crack since it's a cast piece. One of the corners cracking is where it always happens. I think you'd have to really over-tighten the bolts a lot to get the cover to crack. I don't think going slightly over the spec would do it, but I could be wrong. The first time I did this job, I didn't use a torque wrench, I just went by feel using my torque elbow.

The trick with the valve cover gaskets is to circle back to them every 500 miles and retorque the bolts as everything settles in.

The big culprit here are the rubberized washers under the bolts, those collapse with time and heat.

I tightened mine for the first year after changing my valve cover gaskets on my two-wheel drive - it should be good for another 200k miles.

The used valve cover gasket from the junkyard should be fine, I see them all the time, I just never needed one.

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