Cleaning and polishing your valve cover will make your engine look more presentable.
If you are wanting to clean and polish your engine, your valve cover is going to be one of the first components that someone else sees when you open up the hood. The valve cover is typically also one of the first engine components to start leaking through a faulty gasket. Fortunately, the valve cover gasket is one of the easier and more accessible gaskets to replace.
Instructions
1. Slide an absorbent work mat beneath your engine to catch all of the gunk and cleaning chemicals that will result from your cleaning process.
2. Inspect your valve cover for signs of carbon buildup and oil leaks. If the valve cover has a carbon buildup, unscrew the mounting bolts with a socket wrench and pull off the top valve cover. Pull out the gasket and if necessary use a plastic scraper to remove small gasket chunks. Install the new gasket into the gasket groove and use automotive silicone to help make a bonded seal. Reinstall the top valve cover by tightening the mounting bolts.
3. Cover important electrical connections before applying water to the engine. Use plastic bags and tape to cover the air inlet holes, breather caps on valve covers, dipstick tubes, relay boxes, wire connectors, sensors and distributor coils.
4. Clean the valve cover with degreaser, water and a rag or sponge. It is helpful to warm up the engine so that the part is also warm, but not too hot to touch. Allow the engine to sit and cool if it is too warm. Continue to scrub the valve cover if it is still greasy, replacing the water and allowing the degreaser to sit. Use a paint scraper or a wired brush to clean off some of the heavier carbon gunk and buildup.
5. Apply light pressure to sand down the valve cover with an angle grinder. Remove as much porous material as possible from the valve cover. Use 120-grit sandpaper to smooth out uneven lines from the angle grinder. Spray on degreaser and use a new sheet of sandpaper. A wet sand will lead to a better finish and polish.
6. Continue the same wet-sanding process with increasing grits of sandpaper, using 400-, 800-, 1200- and 2000-grit sheets. The more you can smooth out the surface of the valve cover, the better the polish will appear on the component.
7. Coat the valve cover with brown buffer soap, followed by a coating of white buffer soap, using a buffer wheel attachment for a dril or angle grinder.
