Rocker cover gasket on a cavalier 1.8 auto

A_LANCASHIRE_LAD_2

Hi Folks
Ive just bought a K reg cavalier 1.8 i automatic for £375 , its in cracking condition for its age , engine is clean as a whistle looks fine except for as mentioned slight leakage of oil from the head/rocker cover gasket . Now i used to work in the motortrade back in the 90s selling parts and am i right it just needs a new rocker gasket and should be ok or would there might be some other under lying probs ? Also if i just get the gasket replaced any idea on cost for the job labour wise ?

A_LANCASHIRE_LAD_2

Must be a mechanic online who can perhaps give me some advise ?

the_chauffer

Can't see it being anything else. Gasket will cost no more than a fiver. Labour will the dearest part, but it depends on the area you live, a big garage will cost a little more, but yet less chance of something else going wrong after. But realy shouldnt cost no mre than about 40-50 quid and that woulod be dear at that.

A_LANCASHIRE_LAD_2

Thanks on that chauffer the mot runs till september ... just wondering if its left what will actually happen ?

david29dpo

its an easy job, have a go yourself. gasket will be cheap, even from a dealer. its only a ring of bolts, remove cover, carefully remove old gasket and replace, but don't over tighten bolts. if left, no harm will be done except oil on the drive!

A_LANCASHIRE_LAD_2

david29dpo wrote:

its an easy job, have a go yourself. gasket will be cheap, even from a dealer. its only a ring of bolts, remove cover, carefully remove old gasket and replace, but don't over tighten bolts. if left, no harm will be done except oil on the drive!

Thats fantastic many thanks i didnt think it was much a job though i thought maybe i had to torque the head back up ? obviously not
I think the rocker cover gasket is a cork type if i remember my time in thye motortrade
much appreciated
cheers ! :beer: :j :j :j :j :j :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

david29dpo

you don't have to touch the head bolts.

david29dpo

ps, don't get any dirt inside!

A_LANCASHIRE_LAD_2

Cheers ! Even though i know the parts side of things mechanical wise im a muppett ! Wife was worried after we got this that maybe that when the car guy who sold it to us who give him his due that he pointed this problem out that maybe we was gonna have more trouble with it

Wig

It's easy as pie to do. Also does the rocker cover have a rectangular bump in the middle with a black pipe fixed onto it? That is the breather hose. When you have the cover off turn it upside down in the rectangular bit there should be a metal gauze filter, pull it out and replace at the same time.

put new gasket on (easy to place, no magic dust required) then replace cover tighten bolts to 6lb/ft which incase you're freaking out - is very lightly tightened, first do them all by socket until they begin to bite then give each one a 1/2 turn until it feels secure, you are not trying to tighten the Sh@t out of it. You also tighten them from the middle of the cover in a spiral fashion outwards *explained below.

What I like to do is before undoing the bolts....if you use your socket to try to tighten up the top bolts you should get a "feel" for how tight they need to be, of course someone may have already overtightened them.

Or another approach is use the money you would have spent on labour to buy a small torque wrench capable of 8Nm or 6 lb/ft. And it is better to buy a small torque wrench for this because one capable of 110 lb/ft is not going to be accurate at 8lb/ft it would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

And I did have a gasket and a filter here both new, but I just had a quick look and I think I may have thrown them out I may look more thouroughly later on.

looking at the cover from above there are 10 small bolts, number them along in a clockwise fasion around the head starting at the oil filler end

1.....2......3......4.......5

10...9.......8......7.......6

tighten them in this order 8, 3, 4, 7, 9, 2, 5, 6, 10, 1,

it's not important which one you start with only the pattern is important so it could be
3, 8, 7, 4, 2, 9 6, 5, 1, 10

Hope I haven't frightened you off, it really is a simple job. check your top breather hose too when it comes off make sure it's not blocked, the hose is cheap to buy (2 quid) and if the small metal tube on the metal rectangular housing (which holds the previously mentioned filter) onto which the hose fits...if that metal tube is blocked you can remove the filter and push a drill bit into it to clean it up until it you can see through it.

A_LANCASHIRE_LAD_2

Wig wrote:

It's easy as pie to do. Also does the rocker cover have a rectangular bump in the middle with a black pipe fixed onto it? That is the breather hose. When you have the cover off turn it upside down in the rectangular bit there should be a metal gauze filter, pull it out and replace at the same time.

put new gasket on (easy to place, no magic dust required) then replace cover tighten bolts to 6lb/ft which incase you're freaking out - is very lightly tightened, first do them all by socket until they begin to bite then give each one a 1/2 turn until it feels secure, you are not trying to tighten the Sh@t out of it. You also tighten them from the middle of the cover in a spiral fashion outwards *explained below.

What I like to do is before undoing the bolts....if you use your socket to try to tighten up the top bolts you should get a "feel" for how tight they need to be, of course someone may have already overtightened them.

Or another approach is use the money you would have spent on labour to buy a small torque wrench capable of 8Nm or 6 lb/ft. And it is better to buy a small torque wrench for this because one capable of 110 lb/ft is not going to be accurate at 8lb/ft it would be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

And I did have a gasket and a filter here both new, but I just had a quick look and I think I may have thrown them out I may look more thouroughly later on.

looking at the cover from above there are 10 small bolts, number them along in a clockwise fasion around the head starting at the oil filler end

1.....2......3......4.......5

10...9.......8......7.......6

tighten them in this order 8, 3, 4, 7, 9, 2, 5, 6, 10, 1,

it's not important which one you start with only the pattern is important so it could be
3, 8, 7, 4, 2, 9 6, 5, 1, 10

Hope I haven't frightened you off, it really is a simple job. check your top breather hose too when it comes off make sure it's not blocked, the hose is cheap to buy (2 quid) and if the small metal tube on the metal rectangular housing (which holds the previously mentioned filter) onto which the hose fits...if that metal tube is blocked you can remove the filter and push a drill bit into it to clean it up until it you can see through it.

Thats fantastic - thanks a lot for your help, my wife even said it sounds easy enough that she could have a go!!!

Cheers