Replacing a Head Gasket Valve Cover Bolts

Video Transcript

" Hi my name is Nate McCullough on behalf of expertvillage.com. In this clip we are going to talk about the proper way to torque your valve cover down. What I have done here, I have done a little prework. I got all of my bolts started. The point that I want to get across to you in this clip is that there is a sequence you need to follow when tightening down the engine component. We got all sorts of bolts on here; we want to make sure that this cover is torqued down flat. This one happens to have a center bolt that of course is going to be the first bolt that we start with. We want our center bolt down; just hand tight is good. Now from there we have some choices. What we are going to do is proceed in a star pattern, working our way from side to side and further out on the valve cover. We are going to go from there to here and run this bolt down. Right there. From there we are going to come straight across to the bolt located in the back. It is going to be pretty much its twin. We will roll that one down from there; we are going to shoot across to here and run this one down. Then to here. You could see that we are making this X pattern across the valve cover, working our way slowly out from side to side. What that would do is ensure that our valve cover seats uniformly and flat. Now the number and location in your bolts on your particular car will vary, but just remember to follow that pattern and you won't have any trouble. Okay this is the proper way to torque down your valve cover."