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Car Forum / GMC Cars / October 2005Valve cover, 94 Grand Am?
Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, 3.1 l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and although I sealed the crack, there's some oil seepage, as the bottom edge of the cover is no longer straight and cannot press the gasket against the intake with equal strength. Parts stores don't stock valve covers, and my local dealer didn't have it in stock, either. I checked some online places, including eBay, but couldn't find one. Thanks. Svilen The dealer can get one overnite special order. > Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, 3.1 l > (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and although I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks. > Svilen > Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, > 3.1 l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > it in stock, either. I checked some online places, including eBay, but > couldn't find one. What about a wrecking yard? I certainly would not be paying for a brand new one if at all possible. Ian >>Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, >>3.1 l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Ian I did call a couple yesterday -- neither had it. So I thought I might be able to find a discount one online, but it appears it's not that easy -- at least not for parts that are not in great demand. www.car-parts.com Steve > Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, 3.1 > l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and although I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks. > Svilen > www.car-parts.com I did check this one out, thanks. The closest seller that had one is 226 miles away. Sent them an e-mail asking if they ship. > Steve > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >>Thanks. >>Svilen Geez, how much can a factory VC be to generate all this BS. >> www.car-parts.com > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >>>Thanks. >>>Svilen LOL Shep, you're gonna laugh. Valve Cover, Right, p/n 24504670 - $54.82US Valve Cover, Left, p/n 89017415 - $51.46US Steve > Geez, how much can a factory VC be to generate all this BS. > >> www.car-parts.com I tell you Steve, this is better than a comedy show! > LOL Shep, you're gonna laugh. > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >> Geez, how much can a factory VC be to generate all this BS. >> >> www.car-parts.com > Geez, how much can a factory VC be to generate all this BS. My local Pontiac dealer quoted it at $79.99. But they didn't have it in stock. I would have paid the price and saved you the BS. >>>www.car-parts.com >> [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- All you had to do was say that upfront and none of this"BS" would have gone on! >> Geez, how much can a factory VC be to generate all this BS. > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] >> ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption >> =---- > All you had to do was say that upfront and none of this"BS" would have gone > on! I'm not quite sure what you are saying. I said what I wanted to say up front: I asked if anyone could recommend an online auto-parts seller where I could get a valve cover for a car I own. If you don't know of any such site, and if you don't want to read the BS, you can simply ignore the thread. But you find it entertaining, as you already admitted, so I don't know what you are complaining about ;) >>>Geez, how much can a factory VC be to generate all this BS. >> [quoted text clipped - 31 lines] > http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups > ----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =---- > Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, 3.1 > l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and although I [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks. > Svilen Maybe you should start taking your car to a shop and letting someone who knows what they're doing work on it. Between the valve cover and the caliper you seem to be doing more damage to the car than age or wear. >>Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, 3.1 >>l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and although I [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > knows what they're doing work on it. Between the valve cover and the > caliper you seem to be doing more damage to the car than age or wear. And maybe I'm just fixing the damage that those supposed to know what they are doing have done? Those that know what they are doing suggested today that they replace the steering knuckle, to fix a stripped thread. That's around $400 for parts and labor. I prefer to spend my $400 on something else. I noticed the crack in the valve cover while replacing the intake manifold gasket on that car a few months ago. Back then those that know what they are doing offered to do that repair for me. For the modest sum of around $700. I opted to spend $44.99 for a set of gaskets and doing it myself. Successfully, it seems. I've been asking qualified questions here so far, and I have received competent answers. So I keep coming back, whenever I have a problem. If you don't have a competent answer to offer in this case, maybe you should go get ready to watch the World Series? ;) > >>Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, 3.1 > >>l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and although I [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > That's around $400 for parts and labor. I prefer to spend my $400 on > something else. So first you strip the thread, then use an oversize self-tapper instead of a heli-coil and even go so far as to bottom it out. At this point a heli-coil may not even be an option. If you want it right, replace the spindle. That $400 you want to save may be no savings at all if the brakes fail. > I noticed the crack in the valve cover while replacing the intake > manifold gasket on that car a few months ago. Back then those that know > what they are doing offered to do that repair for me. For the modest sum > of around $700. I opted to spend $44.99 for a set of gaskets and doing > it myself. Successfully, it seems. Instead of doing it right months ago you just slapped gaskets on it. Not so succesfully it seems since it's leaking. Try a body shop. They could weld the crack and hammer-and-dolley it back to shape. For a price of course. Or JB Weld the crack, straighten the edge as best you can, then JB Weld the gasket surface. Once it's hardened up you can file it down to a flat sealing surface for the gasket. > I've been asking qualified questions here so far, and I have received > competent answers. So I keep coming back, whenever I have a problem. > If you don't have a competent answer to offer in this case, maybe you > should go get ready to watch the World Series? ;) I'll pass on the baseball, thanks. >>>>Can anyone tell me where I can find a valve cover for a 94 Grand Am, 3.1 >>>>l (front, the one with the oil opening)? Mine got cracked and although I [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > may not even be an option. If you want it right, replace the spindle. That > $400 you want to save may be no savings at all if the brakes fail. The "self-tapper", as you call it, was recommended by those that I asked to sell me HeliCoils -- NAPA. It's a bolt designed and sold for what I used it. Why do you say a HeliCoil might no longer be an option? And how will the brakes fail, with that bolt in place? If you can get me scared enough, I'll bring the car over to Shawnee and pay you the $400 to replace the caliper mounting bracket. That is, if I can get it to go that far from Chicago, with all the damage I've done to it ;) >>I noticed the crack in the valve cover while replacing the intake >>manifold gasket on that car a few months ago. Back then those that know [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Instead of doing it right months ago you just slapped gaskets on it. Not so > succesfully it seems since it's leaking. I was referring to the intake gasket replacement as successful. That one is no longer leaking. > Try a body shop. They could weld > the crack and hammer-and-dolley it back to shape. For a price of course. I prefer not to pay that price -- the valve cover is not made of anything that's weldable and hammerable. > Or JB Weld the crack, straighten the edge as best you can, then JB Weld the > gasket surface. Once it's hardened up you can file it down to a flat > sealing surface for the gasket. This might work. Still, I think I should be able to find a usable cover for about the price of a couple of tubes of JB Weld. > I prefer not to pay that price -- the valve cover is not made of > anything that's weldable and hammerable. Is your valve cover the black plastic one, or is it the aluminum one? If it's the plastic valve cover, your replacement will end up being an aluminum one...they don't make the plastic ones anymore...in fact, there was a bulletin about upgrading to the aluminum valve cover years ago. Because of cracking. If you have the aluminum v/c, they can be welded. You should see the repairs that can be done to aluminum wheels that have had big chunks ripped out of them... Ian >>I prefer not to pay that price -- the valve cover is not made of >>anything that's weldable and hammerable. > > Is your valve cover the black plastic one, or is it the aluminum > one? Black plastic one. > If it's the plastic valve cover, your replacement will > end up being an aluminum one...they don't make the plastic > ones anymore...in fact, there was a bulletin about upgrading > to the aluminum valve cover years ago. Because of cracking. Well, that explains it ;) Thanks for the clarification. I (or the previous owner) must have missed that TSB. > If you have the aluminum v/c, they can be welded. You should > see the repairs that can be done to aluminum wheels that have > had big chunks ripped out of them... > > Ian To wrap up this thread, I should say that the other day I drove to a local junk yard, where they were able to pull a perfectly good aluminum VC for me, which I bought ($20) and installed. Still, I find it odd that there's no online discount retailer for a certain class of after-market replacement parts. So the consumer is left with either paying the high dealer price for an "authentic GM" part, or with getting an aged authentic one from a junk yard. It seems it will take a while longer before online auto-part sales follow the model of computer-hardware sales. >>> I prefer not to pay that price -- the valve cover is not made of >>> anything that's weldable and hammerable. [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] >> >> Ian > To wrap up this thread, I should say that the other day I drove to a > local junk yard, where they were able to pull a perfectly good [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > left with either paying the high dealer price for an "authentic GM" > part, or with getting an aged authentic one from a junk yard. I think you made the right choice. For parts like this, why pay some outrageous price for a new part? I love the wrecking yard, I can go there and grab an electronic part for my car that I would pay 180 dollars for, and at the wrecker it might cost me 5 dollars. Ian > go there and grab an electronic part for my car that I would pay > 180 dollars for, and at the wrecker it might cost me 5 dollars. ie: The front ABS sensor pigtail for a mid-90s W-body. $124 from the dealer, $5 from the wrecker. |
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