^^+1^^

 

It did not begin life with the baffles riveted into the casting. The problem with these is, as the previously link shows, that you have to remove all the baffles in order to get it properly cleaned, and then putting them back cannot be accomplished as the factory did it...

If there's 1/2 teaspoon of sand in there that comes out, that's more than enough to fubar your bearings and cost you an entire engine. Not worth the risk...

 

I would definitely buy a new one. Not worth chancing it on $175.

 

put some gas in it shake it around and blow it out with air. then get some brake cleaner couple of cans and spray down and blow out with air. repeat until clean.

 

do not put a car part that can potentially have oil , and is made of magnesium in your dishwasher!

 

I must have missed the link to the pics of the cover and associated baffles but if the factory attached them, then we can remove them, clean, and re-assy. How are the baffle(s) held on? Pressed rivits? With rifled bodies? Then pull/cut off the rivits and thread the holes and install screws (and perhaps safety wire them too).

Certainly worth a couple hours of work if it's $175 for a replacement.

Granted I don't have one of these specific covers here to glance at but I've R&R'd many a rivited baffle in my time with zero failures.

 

It's been done, you could just drill and tap the valve cover and screw the baffles back on, but then you risk a screw working loose. Even with safety wire, you're still putting something directly above one of the most critical areas of your engine that wasn't there from the factory. Call me paranoid, but I'd rather buy another valve cover used for $50-75 than deal with removing and re-assembling baffles.

The other option is to just leave the baffles off and run the breather and PCV ports to an oil separator/catchcan. I wouldn't recommend this on a regularly driven car though, unless emptying it and checking your oil several times a week is your idea of fun.

 

This sucks so bad man.....How are all these other guys stripping the paint off their VC without hurting stuff? At least then I can tell the person that does my next one the proper procedure.....I have shaken it under water and submerged it more than five times. Theres going to be sand in the baffles for as long as I can forsee. It just keeps coming out. Pressure wash, hot water, hose, compressed air...this doesnt do the trick because there is a sort of caulking/bond material keeping the baffles sealed and the sand sticks in the crevaces....i think this VC is FUBARED.

 

too bad.

Should've let me buy it in the first place. I could've put it to better use.

 

if you still have the valve cover you can dill out the rivets and tap them. i talked to my machining teacher (who's been in the business for 20+years and thats how he's done it from day one, still does) we glass bead our valve covers and some motor parts, like valve covers, cylinder heads, valves heads, main caps, etc. its usually done as a process with us, which is cleaned, then we bake them to dry up any old oil, than bead blast/shot peen. the whole process seems to work perfectly, i've done 2 valve covers on my civic and it turned out just fine.

 

They are doing it with chemical/acid baths because it's powder coated and not painted. Get another valve cover.
And to all you guys who say it can be washed with this and that, and have this done to it;
Go ahead and help him out by sending him your good valve cover. Take his sandy one of his hands, clean it out like it's so easy to do, and run it.