Check your GT350 valve cover bolts !! . . . .

[GT_Dave]

I have seen similar warnings in other coyote forums . . . for about the last week I have noticed as the oil temperature was between 125 and 160 degrees, when I stopped in traffic I would get a heavy oil smell in the car and occasionally see a small puff of smoke drift out from under the hood. I had spot checked under the hood every day when I got home from work but as the engine reached full heat the problem went away. Thinking it may be a loose pressure sensor, tonight I took the time to look over all possibilities. What I found was all the bolts on the drivers side valve cover were loose and a few on the passenger side. Most 1-2 turns out, about 4 bolts were at least 5 turns out and 1 was just sitting free. As I found the problem, It was obvious a small amount of oil would occasionally hit an exhaust header which caused the symptoms I was experiencing. My car has 28,000 miles and this is the first time I have seen anything loose on the engine. Testament to what the voodoo vibrations can do.

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[DCShelby]

Good catch. Thanks!

 

[Tank]

Indeed! Good catch @GT_Dave !!

I’ll link this thread under the Moderate Checks of the GT350 Basics sticky.

 

[NoXiDe]

Does anyone have the torque specs? This information is useless without the torque specs for the engine bay compartment.

 

[Tank]

Does anyone have the torque specs? This information is useless without the torque specs for the engine bay compartment.

If not done beforehand, I’ll get them posted tonight.

EDIT: Torque : 89 lb.in (10 Nm)

 

[GT_Dave]

First off, you will never get a torque wrench to reach most of the valve cover bolts unless you pull the entire top half of the engine compartment out (tower braces, battery box, ect).
My torque spec is a small 1/4 drive ratchet, and don't hurt your wrist cranking them down. There are steel compression sleeves in the plastic cover, so reasonably tight will be OK, for us experienced mechanics.

 

[Niz55]

good info. I will check mine.

 

[JohnVallo]

Checked mine today,
21,000 miles in for me. All cover bolts still tight from factory, (No loose bolts)

 

[Demonic]

Did you remove the valve covers to check the gasket? I'm wondering if the valve cover gasket started to fail and the couple loose bolts were a secondary effect.

Edit: Just checked mine since I sometimes see some oil residue on the bottom edge of the passenger side cover. A couple took a quarter turn to snug, but I don't know if that's anything note-worthy. For what it's worth on a thread in the GT forum someone mentioned the torque spec being 89 in lbs.

 

[Alain]

Anybody got any pictures for those of us who are not mechanics by trade.
I want to make sure im checking the correct bolts.

 

[Demonic]

Anybody got any pictures for those of us who are not mechanics by trade.
I want to make sure im checking the correct bolts.

If you look at this post in this thread by the GT members, you'll see the bolts. Look at the black valve cover on each side of the engine that says "Powered By Ford". Around the perimeter are 10mm bolts sitting inside recesses. You do not want to over tighten them though. We're talking like 7.5 ft lbs of torque. They're just to clamp the valve cover against the squishy valve gasket on the heads. You'll have to move some wire harnesses around to reach a couple. On BMW's these things used to leak stupid often.
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/check-your-valve-cover-bolts.22476/page-2#post-2646634

 

[NoXiDe]

can i get a suggestion on amazon.com of the best torque wrench to purchase for this task? the one that i got is for the wheels (digital)....

 

[Alain]

If you look at this post in this thread by the GT members, you'll see the bolts. Look at the black valve cover on each side of the engine that says "Powered By Ford". Around the perimeter are 10mm bolts sitting inside recesses. You do not want to over tighten them though. We're talking like 7.5 ft lbs of torque. They're just to clamp the valve cover against the squishy valve gasket on the heads. You'll have to move some wire harnesses around to reach a couple. On BMW's these things used to leak stupid often.
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/check-your-valve-cover-bolts.22476/page-2#post-2646634

Ah, that’s exactly what I thought we were talking about. Just wanted to be sure. Thanks !!

 

[Alain]

can i get a suggestion on amazon.com of the best torque wrench to purchase for this task? the one that i got is for the wheels (digital)....

You can use any torque wrench that goes down to 5lbs. You’ll probably have to use a bunch of extensions and u-joint sockets to reach the bolts, I’m pretty sure using those will throw off the torque reading a little.

I’m hoping someone chimes in with a good quality torque wrench that goes down to low torque measurements. I’ve been meaning to get one for a while, not sure what’s a good choice without having to spend big money for the name brand wrenches.

 

[Niz55]

Just hand tighten the bolts. No need for a torque wrench.

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