3.0L camshaft cover (valve cover) questions

[audi-owner]

On a 3.0L, the camshaft cover (valve cover) is supposed to be torqued to 10NM (approx. 88 inch-lbs).
couple of questions for all the 3.0L owners...

1. 10NM isn't much torque... did you use Loctite on the screws?

2. on the drivers side cam cover, several of the lower screws are difficult to access. How did you get a torque wrench on those screws?

3, did you experience any issues when changing the cover gaskets such as leaks after install of new gasket?

[john_gonzo]

1. No.

2. Those two screws under the coolant reservoir are unreachable with my torque wrench so I use a small L-shaped wrench of the correct size. First I take a practice pull on other screws that have been torqued to get the feel of the wrench at that torque, then I tighten those other two. In sequence of course.

3. VC gaskets leak have a few causes:
A. Sealing surface prep: Prior to placing the gasket, wipe away all oil from the sealing surface and any oil that might run onto the sealing surface. Wipe down with brake cleaner before installing the cover.

B. Faulty PCV systems: This is common. The Positive Crankcase Ventilation system uses corrugated plastic hoses to pull vapors off the back of the valve covers. Those plastic hoses get very brittle due to the heat from the cats. They crack, they leak, crap starts building up in the hoses and valve covers and then the crankcase overpressurizes the valve covers and pushes oil past the seals. Some AZ site sponsors sell replacement kits. Many of us have replaced ours with 3/4" ID heater hose and brass elbows (hardware store, Lowe's). Check my gallery for some pics.

Note the valve covers have baffles that can be snapped out for cleaning. Pics of that in my gallery too. Be gentle - those get brittle too.

[f0reignfeatures]

My valve covers gaskets were leaking when I bought my car so it was one of the things I fixed as part of my first tune-up.

To answer your questions:
1. No loctite. I didn't torque the screws down either, just made sure they were nice and snug. Careful not to go overboard because stripping them would be a real headache.

2. The driver's side is a real PITA, especially the screws that are furthest back. After trying to go at it with a ratchet and torx socket with no luck, I bought the smallest screwdriver/wrench set they had at home depot. It's husky brand and looks like a small wrench that you can put different screwdriver bits into. It includes the torx bit you need. I tried googling it just now but couldn't find the same thing to show you. It was on the wall by the wrenches and cost like $15. I couldn't have completed the job without it.

3. After 15k mine aren't leaking at all but there are a few key things you need to do. First off, when taking the torx screws off and putting them back on, make sure you do it in an alternating pattern (like a star pattern for your lug nuts). I believe there's a specific pattern to this listed in the Bentley manual, but I just read up on it online and did it logically, no problems. Also, be sure to loosen and especially tighten them partially until they are all in. Tightening one side all the way down before the other wont seal things correctly.

Also, be sure to use a razor blade and clean all mating surfaces well to prevent a poor seal. I used a can of engine degreaser, an old toothbrush, and some water to clean off the outside of the valve covers once I had them off the car (dry them before you put them back on, obviously). Mine were filthy and covered in oil, so taking the time to clean them would let me know if they were leaking again. I also used the degreaser in the areas of the engine below the valve covers for the same reason (by the red electrical line that the coilpacks connect into). Be careful not to get cleaner inside the engine though, that could cause trouble.

Lastly, use a very small amount of black RTV sealant on the corners of the motor where the valve covers go. Again, only use a little. I dabbed less than a pea sized amount in each corner and spread it out with my finger creating a thin layer in those areas. Look on youtube and blauparts' website (IIRC) for videos on this. There weren't specific videos for the 3.0 when I did mine, but watching it done on the older B5 2.8 motors gave me the right idea.

That's it man, with the right tools it shouldn't take too long. Doing mine for the first time ever took me all afternoon, including the time it too to ride out to home depot in my friend's car. Best of luck with the job! Feel free to PM me if you get stuck.


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[f0reignfeatures]

Oh yeah and like the guy above stated, careful with those plastic hoses!

Our cars are old and those things are brittle and crack easy. I've looked into it and no one makes a replacement kit for the 3.0 (no love smh). So if you do crack a hose your only option is buying an OEM kit and doing them all ($) or coming up with a homemade solution like heater hoses as stated above.


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[deyrag]

I got a replacement hose kit for mine off ebay from China that was about $70 and had everything except the short section that connects to the valley pan. I just don't like the look of hose clamps on heater hose so it was worth the little extra money to me to keep everything looking oem

[john_gonzo]

....I just don't like the look of hose clamps on heater hose so it was worth the little extra money to me to keep everything looking oem

I agree now. I'm going to use OEM style single-use clamps if I ever need to rebuild my heater hose system.

[audi-owner]

2. Those two screws under the coolant reservoir are unreachable with my torque wrench so I use a small L-shaped wrench of the correct size. First I take a practice pull on other screws that have been torqued to get the feel of the wrench at that torque, then I tighten those other two. In sequence of course.

this method is what I was planning on doing pending an epiphany from the forum

3. VC gaskets leak have a few causes:
A. Sealing surface prep: Prior to placing the gasket, wipe away all oil from the sealing surface and any oil that might run onto the sealing surface. Wipe down with brake cleaner before installing the cover.

removed both covers yesterday afternoon and had already done this exactly as you suggested, with brake cleaner sprayed onto a rag.

B. Faulty PCV systems: This is common. The Positive Crankcase Ventilation system uses corrugated plastic hoses to pull vapors off the back of the valve covers. Those plastic hoses get very brittle due to the heat from the cats. They crack, they leak, crap starts building up in the hoses and valve covers and then the crankcase overpressurizes the valve covers and pushes oil past the seals. Some AZ site sponsors sell replacement kits. Many of us have replaced ours with 3/4" ID heater hose and brass elbows (hardware store, Lowe's). Check my gallery for some pics.

Ran into the brittle hoses a couple of weeks ago and already bought replacement OEM style. Found this problem when I was resolving the SAI error codes that the car was reporting (found broken vacuum T and Y connector as well as the check valve near the intake connector), and accidentally lightly pressed against one of the hoses and heard the crack.
(turns out this was a fortunate find since it also lead me to a very oily/cruddy EGR valve)

Note the valve covers have baffles that can be snapped out for cleaning. Pics of that in my gallery too. Be gentle - those get brittle too.

I saw the valve cover pictures in the gallery but could not find any specifically pointing out the baffles. I'll take a look at the ones I have later this p.m. This appears to be damned if you do, damned if you don't situation. If they are that brittle that they could break when touched, how long will it be before they just break on their own....

[audi-owner]

3. After 15k mine aren't leaking at all but there are a few key things you need to do. First off, when taking the torx screws off and putting them back on, make sure you do it in an alternating pattern (like a star pattern for your lug nuts). I believe there's a specific pattern to this listed in the Bentley manual, but I just read up on it online and did it logically, no problems. Also, be sure to loosen and especially tighten them partially until they are all in. Tightening one side all the way down before the other wont seal things correctly.

....Be careful not to get cleaner inside the engine though, that could cause trouble.

- yes, per the short brief I was able to find, Bentley says to : "loosen and tighten using a diagonal sequence starting from the center"

...problem is that there are 3 rows of screws... so you are correct; just have to use a logical tightening pattern.

- my plan was to torque to 50% and then re-torque to 100%

- Based on what/how I see these gaskets seating in the valve covers, I am not sure of the benefit of adding RTV to the corners....

- been spraying cleaner on a rag and then using the rag to wipe to avoid contamination in the engine.