Hello this is my first post! I wanted to polish my valve cover for fun. So I removed it and discovered that the PCV valve was stuck because of the hard brittle grommet. I cut out the grommet with a small knife and hammer and finally took out the PCV valve. The next problem was that the grommet was stuck inside the hole and tried my best to spray it out. So i decided to get a 1/4 irwin drill bit and drill out the metal rivet things. When I seperated the baffle from the cover it revealed the plastic grommet piece and lots of sludge. Question: will i be okay running the valve cover without the baffle? I would either run it normally with a new PCV valve and grommet and run the hose to the carb. I have seen some 22r photos where they have two breather filters... one in the front and back. Whats is deal with that? Attatching the baffle and cover together with small self drilling or sheet metal screws would be an option. I would just put a thin line of gasket maker between the two. Best
Pretty sure the baffle is there for a good reason. My 20R VC had the baffle bolted in and the gasket was included in a gasket kit i had bought prior. I have a breather on the front of the VC right by the oil cap. PCV going to the intake
You need the baffle. Without that, the PCV valve will be sucking up straight oil. Not good for your carb or intake.
Thanks guys! @Pearce drill and tap it is. I drilled out the rivets with a 1/4 drill bit. And some of them I went a bit too deep, but it looks like I still have some material to drill and tap for a bolt to hold onto with sufficient threads. I wish I could get away with using 1/4-20 taps on the 1/4 drilled holes... or can I? I even thought about filling the holes with jb weld steelstick or something and retapping. but I guess I would have to step down to 10-32 and use the correct drill bit this time Remember when I said that I cut out the grommet? I accidentally pierced the baffle with a tiny hole.
Close-up of the over drilled rivets for vc baffle. 20210731_213341 by Tempura670 posted Jul 31, 2021 at 9:45 PM 20210731_213332 by Tempura670 posted Jul 31, 2021 at 9:45 PM
Drill and tap is an option, be sure to use threadlocker. Other way to reinstall the baffle is to use aluminum rivets. , like the factory did. the rivet will expand in the hole locking itself in place. Try to get aircraft quality structural rivets fully annealed. The annealed rivets will be least likely to pop the rivet bosses and will work harden when pressed or beatn into place. DO NOT USE POP RIVETS! Rivets are a better option to screws as they are less likely to be affected by the vibration and chemicals encountered inside the engine. Oil and vibration will eventually loosen the screws and then they will fall into your valvetrain. IF you do decide to go the route of screws/bolts use aluminum pieces so they will expand and contract with the aluminum valve cover. Steel and aluminum have differrent expansion coefficients. Amazing how much attention needs to be given to such a small issue.
Hopefully people can learn from my mistakes. I decided to go with 1/4-20x1/2 pan head bolts. I had a hard time finding the drill size for my 14-20nc tap, the package stated to use a #7 drill bit, but I couldn't find a #7 drill bit at Ace Hardware. I grabbed a 7mm as well as 13/64 just to compare. the 7mm was way too fat. now I know. I a saw a vid on youtube where the guy said that when you compare the drill and tap the feathers should stick out a bit.
How did I drill through the VC? Me not paying attention and rushing. So the 2 rivets near the oil fill hole are more shallow than the rest. I started drilling in the back row of rivets. When I found a good depth, I put a piece of tape on the drill bit to prevent me from going too far. So when I went to drill out the the front two, I over drilled even though my tape mark didn't touch the surface. 20210802_181710 by Tempura670 posted Aug 2, 2021 at 6:40 PM
20210802_182953 by Tempura670 posted Aug 2, 2021 at 6:40 PM Not bad for my first time tapping aye? the bolt isn't flush Its so hard trying the make the drill straight, I elevated the VC to make it even when drilling.
I guess polishing the VC is out the window. I plan on plugging the hole with high temp jb weld steel stick, and painting the vc black. I will continue tapping the rest on my next day off. best
The JB weld will eventually leak. MIght consider getting another valve cover. If you are going to drill and tap there are collars that can be installed onto the bit with set screws available or put duct tape to show your depth limit. If you have access to a drill press, your best bet, they have a depth limiter. As for tapping a short hole you will need a bottoming tap for that last mm. Where are you located? Someone close might have a spare valve cover they could give you or sell cheap enough.
@sirdeuce I will look into the collar and bottoming taps. All the taps at ace hardware are plug taps. I think there might be bottom taps in a set. I was about to say.... Is this a sign for me to buy a new shiny VC from yota1performance? Its a little hard to find parts here in Saipan unless you know some toyota people. But since its a VC i think it will be easy to find on market place Best