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Old Bastard !
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| If anyone has any suggestions as to how to keep this thing from leaking, I'd love to hear it. I really wish I had a torque spec. I have to go by feel with an allen key and a 10mm wrench for extra leverage. I'll have to bring my hex socket set from work home for a night and try it with an actual ratchet. |
Ordered a new cover off of Summit Racing, one of their in-house covers. If this one doesn't work, then something is for sure wrong. Should be here tomorrow.
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Is the new cover a stamped steel unit of a cast white metal ?
Here is what I have found IS the best approach to a Cover holding back oil is this:
1) Make sure the sealing surfaces on the Cover and mating surfaces are smooth and straight.
2) Using a good gasket sealer like Hy-Tach Spray Sealer, (red sealer) hang the gasket, spray the both sides of the gasket with a liberal coating of Hy-Tach, let set for at least 30 mins. Do not use right away. Spray before you start anything else on the Axle.
If you have drips on the lower edge wipe them off with a cloth, don't use a paper towel.
3) Once the surfaces are clean and straight, apply a light spray of Hy-Tach Gasket Sealer to the gasket and lay the gasket in place. I use two bolts with the head cut off, as alignment tools, slide the gasket on, making sure the gasket is lying flat. The Sealer should hold the gasket in place, not always though !
4) After you have made sure the Cover is straight/flat/smooth, slide the Cover in place.
5) IF the Cover is a stamped steel cover, you need to use a some sort of elongated washers or pressure ring before bolting the cover in place, this will allow an even torque to be applied and you will not damage the steel cover.
6) If the Cover is a Cast Aluminum Unit then use flat washers that fit the bolts and fit the mounting surface, again this applys a more even torque to the cover and sealing surface.
7) Torque all bolts to OEM Specs...using a cross tightening method used on a tire and wheel, snug them up... tighten, torque, this is important especially if you are using a Stamped Steel cover, to much or uneven torque will damage the mounting hole and it WILL leak oil. Even the Cast Covers should only be tightened to OEM Specs,
DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN !
NOTE: Just because a Mounting bolt can handle torque beyond the spec., doesn't mean you the Covers can !
The gasket is there to stop the oil leakage, the cover holds it in place, too tight and it can deform the gasket.
My experience with years of Harley Davidson Side Covers and Oil Leaks and Stamped Steel Valve Covers, have lead me to this method, once I sat down and worked on the Stamped Steel Side-Cover on my First Bike, a Harley, and determined the best method for sealing it, I didn't have any more oil leakage while it seemed everyone else was complaining about the problem.
I have applied this method to Valve Covers, Waterpump Housing Covers, Oil Pans, Side Cover, and the list goes on !
Do not over tighten !
Also, even new covers have problems, take a large flat file and run it across the gasket sealing surface on the new Summit Cover and see how the pattern looks. If you are lucky is will look flat but sometimes they are not and it take only one small rise in the surface to cause the oil to start dripping.
Good Luck on the Oil Leak.
Ltr
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Ltr,
2003 EDGE, Std Cab, Steppie, E4 Red, 5sp, 4x
5" SuperLift, 33" x 12.50 x 15"
Hurst Shifter
Mod'd Backrack to fit Steppie
Front and Rear Bumpers by Custom 4x4 Fabrication, OK; now Mike's Welding and Fabrication.
Working on more Mods, just need more time, longer days would work !