Valve cover issue

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BUCKEYE FAN

BUCKEYE FAN

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Is this normal? Took them off to seal up a leak around the gasket and saw this. They’re cast aluminum mp. Both cracked in the same spots.

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Do cracks go through? Epoxy them from the bottom and rock on. There are bosses for oil baffles. Also make sure the lip doesnt hang up on the 3-5 and 4-6 intake runners. Must trim or run thick gaskets so they dont leak or worse crack when your trying to wrench them down to fix a leak. Looks like someone tried to run an oversized sheet metal screw into those bosses.
 
pishta said:
Do cracks go through? Epoxy them from the bottom and rock on. There are bosses for oil baffles. Also make sure the lip doesnt hang up on the 3-5 and 4-6 intake runners. Must trim or run thick gaskets so they dont leak or worse crack when your trying to wrench them down to fix a leak. Looks like someone tried to run an oversized sheet metal screw into those bosses.
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...and make sure that you aren't over tightening them and have the proper screws
 
Ok thanks. I never did anything with them other than take them out of the box and install. After I saw the leak, probably from needing trimmed around the intake runners, I saw this. When I removed them to address the leak.

thanks for the replies!!
 
Any marks on the baffles? To be sure it's not rockers put clay or silly putty to check clearance. Since you put them on new, very strange both are cracked in same spot.
 
Buckeye Fan If those "cracks" as you call them are identical on each valve cover, and they do look like they are identical, that's just a defect in the mould for the casting. Clean em off real good with a wire brush and some lacquer thinner, and look at em real close, I would almost bet a paycheck those are not cracked, but small amounts of raised excess aluminum from an irregularity in the mould. If you dont have the centers of these knocked out for breathers on that side of each cover, and it looks like you dont, then you dont have baffles screwed into those bosses either. Theres nothing there to crack anything
 
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They look like Mopar Performance and mine have similar "casting cracks" that are not through. But leak check them to make sure. BTW, you mentioned valve cover gasket leaks, if they are MP valve covers they will have to be ground down on the lips where they meet some intake manifolds. Mine did when using an Edelbrock intake. Just so you know.
 
check your "cracks" again, they may actually be in relief, ie. sticking up? Looks like there are shadows of something proud of the cover top.
 
moparmat2000 said:
Buckeye Fan If those "cracks" as you call them are identical on each valve cover, and they do look like they are identical, that's just a defect in the mould for the casting. Clean em off real good with a wire brush and some lacquer thinner, and look at em real close, I would almost bet a paycheck those are not cracked, but small amounts of raised excess aluminum from an irregularity in the mould. If you dont have the centers of these knocked out for breathers on that side of each cover, and it looks like you dont, then you dont have baffles screwed into those bosses either. Theres nothing there to crack anything
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Mine have some raised casting flaw ridges in that area that looks almost the same , but aren`t cracks and dont leak ------------jfyi
 
In short I’d say yes. That’s normal. Don’t worry about it.
 
It's just casting flash. Every MP valve cover that crossed my bench has them and they aren't cracks.

The big block version has a continuing issue with the dog ears breaking off though, far too many similar reports unrelated to overtightening.
 
Yep, CudaChick nailed it. They are probably casting lines from the molds. They is why they are both the exactly the same. Pretty common with MP valve covers.
 
CudaChick1968 said:
It's just casting flash. Every MP valve cover that crossed my bench has them and they aren't cracks.

The big block version has a continuing issue with the dog ears breaking off though, far too many similar reports unrelated to overtightening.
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The ears break off because people try to use these cast covers on stock iron heads where the gasket surface is not flat (not machined at all in most cases). Steel covers willl bend to conform to the head, but the aluminum just breaks.
 
69_340_GTS said:
The ears break off because people try to use these cast covers on stock iron heads where the gasket surface is not flat (not machined at all in most cases). Steel covers willl bend to conform to the head, but the aluminum just breaks.
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I found obvious cracks on the dog ears on brand new valve covers that were never installed on any engine. Unfortunately all of those pics were lost in the linked thread when the site upgraded a couple years ago. I probably still have them on an old hard drive though.
 
Those look like casting flash, I have a new, never installed set still in the box.
I could check them, I bet they are the same.

I also have a well used set, still bolted on an old engine of mine, I could check them also.
 
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Yes, casting flash as I hinted at in post 13. Weird as its so small. If I were making that mold, Id make the boss' have more support than those spider flash lines. Carry on.....
 
pishta said:
Yes, casting flash as I hinted at in post 13. Weird as its so small. If I were making that mold, Id make the boss' have more support than those spider flash lines. Carry on.....
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Yeah just the casting. The pair I have look exactly like that.
 
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