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Valve Cover Donut Tool? (Now with how-to pics!)

Discussion in 'XJ Technical Chat' started by maximike, Oct 24, 2012.

?

Does your bike leak oil?

  1. No, it marks its territory.

    1 vote(s)
    7.7%
  2. That's how I know there's oil in it.

    3 vote(s)
    23.1%
  3. I thought only Harleys leaked oil.

    5 vote(s)
    38.5%
  4. Not a drop, no way.

    4 vote(s)
    30.8%
  1. maximike

    maximike Member

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    I did a search on this, and I'm sure once I get them off it'll be self-explanatory, but I'm gonna be doing this at a friend's garage tomorrow, so I won't have all my tools. Want to make sure nothing unexpected comes up.

    I have a new set of "donuts" and I'm gonna put them on the bolts that hold on the valve cover. I also have the little brass tool from Chacal. Question: how, exactly, does that little funnel shaped tool work to put the new donuts on? Do you just push them on with it? Any tricks I should know? Heating, lubing, etc? I will probably just cut the old ones off, if they prove difficult.

    I don't actually have a new valve cover gasket, I had the head cover off not long ago and the gasket *looked* okay. Since I suspect the donuts are baked I'm gonna try this, along with using the Napa high-tack spray gasket on the cover groove as recommended by bigfitz, and cleaning everything up. Then, if that doesn't work, new gasket time. But I'm tired of having to clean oil off my engine and wearing black pants;)
     
  2. MiGhost

    MiGhost Well-Known Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    I am not familair with the tool. But I would suspect that it works in a manner similar to a valve stem seal tool that sits over the valve stem as the new seal is slid into place. This keeps sharp edges from cutting the new seal.

    The other possible method would be to slide the new donut onto the tool. Then place the tool over the bolt to slide the new donut into place. The funnel shape would allow the donut to expand enough to slide over the retaining ridge on the bolt.

    Lubing the tool, and bolt with a light coat of oil should not hurt anything, and allow the rubber to slide easier.

    Do not forget that the cover hold down bolts do not get torqued down. They have a stop ring, and the pressure from the donuts is what actually holds the cover down.

    Ghost
     
  3. Bushy

    Bushy Active Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    You already had th tools.. oil up the new donuts, push partially onto the bolt, put th bolt in th valve cover and tighten slowly, the donuts will slip onto the bolt. Read it here and done it. Don't like ' special ' tools if i can avoid them.
     
  4. maximike

    maximike Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    Yeah, think I found that same thread, Bushy, thanks. I don't normally go for buying tools for one job either. But...I was already making the order of the donuts and the tool was like $1.95 or something. It's really just a little brass cone, if you saw it you'd think it is a washer or something, not a "tool" of any kind. And Thanks, Ghost, also. I knew about the torquing issue, but it's always good info for whoever might stumble on this thread later.
     
  5. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    Guys, "the tool" is just a compression washer from the proper size compression fitting. It goes on the bolt, over the threads and up against the stop collar, and provides a "ramp" over the threads that wedges the hole open so the seal slips over the stop collar. The secret is finding the right size.

    The problem with tightening the bolts into the seals is that you can sometimes shear the raised rubber ring clean off the donut.

    If you lube them with silicone grease, you can pop them on by hand, it just takes strong hands. The "tool" is elegant in its simplicity.
     
  6. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    The only tool I use is my own hands. I put a light lube of motor oil in the hole with a finger tip and push them on. Gonna agree with fitz.....don't need special stuff.

    dave f
     
  7. fintip

    fintip Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    I did it by hand too. The beast was getting the old ones off... my god I felt like my fingers were going to bleed. I had to get out a welder's tool for trimming metal to snap the metal part of the rubber seals to give.

    Putting new ones on wasn't fun, but it wasn't that bad. Torquing them down by just screwing them in sounds a lot better, though, would try that next time.
     
  8. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    Again, speaking from experience. I ripped one apart trying this technique.
     
  9. chacal

    chacal Moderator Moderator Supporting Vendor Premium Member

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  10. HirsuitHeathen

    HirsuitHeathen Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    Yeah you should have seen my expression when I couldn't figure it out because I was rushing to get the tutorial finished. Anyways Chacal is completely right the last picture is how the special tool should be used before the "donut" is placed onto the brass ferrule (brass cone etc.) which is on the stop collar of the valve cover bolt.

    "(Side Note: it was suggested to me by both darkfibre and bigfitz52 that the correct way to do this is to put the ferrule on first. To use it as a ramp to slip the new Donut over the flange on the bottom of the bolt. Silicone spray or grease as needed to help persuade it over. Which ever way you decide to do this is up to you. My method for installation still worked for me so I'll keep it up in thread form.)"
     
  11. hogfiddles

    hogfiddles XJ-Wizard, Host-Central NY Carb Clinic Moderator Premium Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    Getting the old ones off is easy, too. .

    1 Take a razor blade and cut the rubber, straight down on opposing sides of the shaft and make sure that the blade tip gets down into the metal ring.

    2. Use a small screwdriver and dig down into the cut and pry enough to feel the metal ring on the outside of the rubber

    3.slide/push/scrape the screwdriver through the rest of the rubber til you reach the shaft.

    (So far, that's just two simple motions)

    4. Dig back down into the middle of the slice and pry sideways to lift one end of the rubber up. Once that is up, pry it up a little farther and the rubber will be able to be 'uncurled' from around the shaft and the metal ring will fall right off as the hole easily bigger than the bump on the shaft.

    You can do all 12 in 5 minutes or less.

    Or you can get cutters and snips to do it, too.

    Dave Fox
     
  12. hendo68

    hendo68 Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    popped mine on by hand also. i cut the old ones off.
     
  13. skyhawk

    skyhawk Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    I used Chacals tool, it worked great. The donuts slide on easy with no damage done to them. No damage = no leaks!
     
  14. maximike

    maximike Member

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    Re: Valve Cover Donut Tool?

    Ok, did this earlier tonight, so might as well post pics in case anybody else has this question sometime. (I know we already linked to a thread, but I'll show it with the tool used the recommended way)

    First off, once you have your bolts out of the valve cover you'll want to remove the old rubber donuts. I used two different methods. For the big ones, I stuck the bolt down in a 17mm spark plug socket, with the donut sticking out the top and tapped them with a hammer(carefully, now)

    [​IMG]

    This is the quick way, you could use the method I used later for the little ones on all of them to be safe.

    Here is the other method, as shown in another thread, you "crimp" them a little with pliers(I used vice grips) to pop the rubber part off the metal part of the donut. You can use a knife or something to separate the rubber completely, I used my Leatherman tool.

    [​IMG]

    Completely separated:

    [​IMG]

    Then, I used my wire cutters (it's what I had handy) to cut the rubber:

    [​IMG]

    Then you have this, a plain old shouldered bolt:

    [​IMG]

    Now, you place your "tool" on the shoulder, like so:

    [​IMG]

    Now you simply push the donut down on the tool, it really does make it easier:

    [​IMG]

    Now you have your donut on your bolt, easy as pie:

    [​IMG]

    Remove tool, duh:

    [​IMG]

    Here's a side by side of one of the new small donuts and one of the old squished ones. Well, there's your problem:

    [​IMG]

    Then I cleaned up the valve cover and used the high-tack gasket spray, decanted and brushed on, to "glue" the gasket to the cover. I have to say, I wasn't impressed with this stuff. Maybe I didn't use enough, or let it sit long enough, but still had the gasket coming off the cover. Probably it'll be pretty well stuck on there when I take it off though:

    [​IMG]

    Got a nice clean mating surface on head: I said mating surface, not entire engine;)

    [​IMG]

    And put a sheen of oil on head and gasket and put them together. I huge PITA on my bike because of a clearance issue I've mentioned before. Anyway, it got dark, but I'll put up a photo of assembled product and hopefully its non-leaking gasket when I get a chance.
     
  15. bigfitz52

    bigfitz52 Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Good work.

    See if you can get Rick to move this to "FAQ Suggestions," or just re-post it there.

    The key to the High-Tack is to use enough of it (I suspect your foam brush did you in) and to wait 15 minutes or so for it to "dry" (and become uber tacky) before attaching the gasket.

    The easiest way to remove old "donuts" is with a LARGE wire cutter or even a bolt cutter; snip 'em right off.
     
  16. maximike

    maximike Member

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    Thanks, Fitz, I was thinking the same thing about that silly brush(once I tried to actually use it). I was using pretty big wire cutters, but they didn't want to cut the metal part. I do have some nice linesman's pliers, but of course the cutting part of those can't get to the donuts.
     

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