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Cleaning valve cover?

remove all the grommets carefully so you dont have to replace them, unbolt, and pry off cover. Turn cover over, remove baffles/screws ect- clean with solvent-- I use tolulene in a squirt can/carb cleaner-Throttlebody spray. Spray on, use a toothbrush, ect-scrub that puppy clean. tolulene can remove paint, but if it dosent do a good enough job, just throw more paint on the black. In an absolute pinch, laquer thinner cleans all evil demons.

When your done, regasket! use RTV sealent(senser/sensor safe) or buy an expensive gasket from mopar/parts dealer....reinstall.
 
I used TB Cleaner and Brake Cleaner, with steel wool.
On the inside.
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Just some degreaser on the outside...Used a high temp ceramic based engine paint. gave it two coats. that was last spring and not a crack or peel in the paint.
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Replace the gromets while you have it apart. You can clean in a dishpan using Prep-sol or other automotive paint solvent or get it blasted. Local machine shop charges $10 to blast it, takes 5 minutes but they do want you to remove all the gunk. When you get it ready to put back on lay it on a really flat steel surface and check it for trueness, the flatter it lays the better the seal. I use a steel saw table or my 8" wide jointer table.
A local powder coater here will powdercoat a valve cover for $30 in any of about 10 colors and that includes stripping it so you might want to consider that and ask around for prices, holds up much better than paint.
Quadratec sells prefinished covers also but I think they are around $100 or so.
 
kool, i used my parts washer and cleaned in thier. Im thinking of just spraying it with some of that high temp ceramic engine paint stuff. Dont really have time to go and get it powder coated or anything like that. I just want black nothing special if I wanted a custom color though I would prolly get it powder coated.
 
Wire wheel inside and out, new grommets and rubber gasket for the oil cap as well as a new valve cover gasket. Paint is high temp engine paint in a Chevy Orange flavor.

IMG_0003.sized.jpg
 
xtremewlr said:
Wire wheel inside and out, new grommets and rubber gasket for the oil cap as well as a new valve cover gasket. Paint is high temp engine paint in a Chevy Orange flavor.

IMG_0003.sized.jpg

wow that looks pretty nice. what type of wire wheel did u use?
 
Jeepster4wd said:
wow that looks pretty nice. what type of wire wheel did u use?

I think it is a 4" wheel on a hand grinder and then a small 1.5" or 2" wire brush type thing in an air grinder for the tight spots on the inside of the cover. Cleans everything alot faster and better than chemicals do IMO.
 
was just wondering but did your valve cover have like small rocks imbeded into it? i was told this is just parts of the cast metal is this true?
 
after you clean it up, the best sealing method i have found is a cork gasket, with RTV on both sides.
 
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