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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / May 2007Why are aluminum valve covers designed wrong?
I mean why is the area around the filler cap lower than the rest of the cover, allowing dirt to accumulate there and easily fall into the engine if the cap is removed? > I mean why is the area around the filler cap lower than the rest of > the cover, allowing dirt to accumulate there and easily fall into the > engine if the cap is removed? They call that 'planned obsolescence' at it's worst. The more dirt that can fall or get washed in by adding oil into your engine, the sooner it up and dies. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) >I mean why is the area around the filler cap lower than the rest of > the cover, allowing dirt to accumulate there and easily fall into > the > engine if the cap is removed? Is it that hard to wipe the area off before you remove the cap? My sister's Honda has a valve cover like that and I've never had any problem with dirt falling in when I add oil. My other cars all have stamped valve covers with raised fill tubes, but I don't really see this as being a major issue. Just a little care would prevent any dirt from entering the system. Ed > >I mean why is the area around the filler cap lower than the rest of > > the cover, allowing dirt to accumulate there and easily fall into [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > this as being a major issue. Just a little care would prevent any dirt > from entering the system. I'm careful with it, but I'm worried that garages won't be, and here in Arizona I usually find grains of sand around the filler hole. On Apr 30, 12:08 pm, "C. E. White" <cewhi...@removemindspring.com> wrote: > >I mean why is the area around the filler cap lower than the rest of > > the cover, allowing dirt to accumulate there and easily fall into [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Ed Yeah, but the Honda has a nice wide cap with lots of scallops for easy gripping, so there's lots of space underneath for the grains to hide where you can't wipe them off without sliding a folded paper towel or something in there and flossing. And don't forget the heads with the deeply recessed plug holes!  SignatureCraigFL http://www.automotiveforums.com > And don't forget the heads with the deeply recessed plug holes! At least with those I can loosen them a few turns and crank the engine to blow out the crud (after first scrubbing out the holes). I always use my air compressor before I remove any spark plugs. Clean the recessed oil cap area as best you can before you take your vehicle to a shop to have it worked on and ask them to use their air compressor to remove whatever crud that might have gotten around that area. cuhulin > I mean why is the area around the filler cap lower than the rest of > the cover, allowing dirt to accumulate there and easily fall into the > engine if the cap is removed? It must have been more than 10 years ago since I last had to fill up oil in an engine (except for a classic car). So the thing is opened at regular oil change intervals, let that be 10 or 15 times during the engine life. The crud that may drop in there goes reasonably straight to the oil pan. From there it's pumped right away into the filter where it stops. So the only chance it has to damage the engine is at the oil pump. Once. If one were to plan obsolescence into an engine, there would be more reliable approaches than this. cu .\\arc The crud that may drop in there > goes reasonably straight to the oil pan. I look straight down into the oil filler hole in my Honda, I see rocker arms. > The crud that may drop in there >> goes reasonably straight to the oil pan. > > I look straight down into the oil filler hole in my Honda, I see > rocker arms. True but irrelevant. It is not likely that any minor crud that falls in through the rocker arm oil filler will get into the wear surfaces. It almost certainly will either get washed to the oil pan or just lay in a crevice in the head. I wouldn't suggest pouring sand into the oil filler, but I think you are over worrying. Ed On May 3, 1:31 pm, "C. E. White" <cewhi...@removemindspring.com> wrote: > > The crud that may drop in there > >> goes reasonably straight to the oil pan. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Ed Yeah, I think you're probably right. > If one were to plan obsolescence into an engine, there would be more > reliable approaches than this. Indeed. I also can't fathom anyone complaining about aluminum valve covers. Try living with the plastic valve cover on 1981-1986 AMC/Jeep six-cylinder engines for a while and you'll thank your luck stars for aluminum. SignatureRoger Blake (Subtract 10s for email.) On Apr 30, 10:28 am, larry moe 'n curly <larrymoencu...@my-deja.com> wrote: > I mean why is the area around the filler cap lower than the rest of > the cover, allowing dirt to accumulate there and easily fall into the > engine if the cap is removed? To answer your question, it's lower to reduce the chance of oil spills running down the side of the engine. Just wipe around the base of the filler before opening. Or open the cap very carefuly. Simple solution to a minor problem. |
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