when you take the valve cover off...

-do you need to put something on top of the head after its removed?

-does the h22 head have a valve cover gasket, can i re-use the gasket?

while polishing it, what do i need to cover with masking tape, oil cap holder, spark plug holes?

 

i Heard that you can just lay a clean towel over it, so that not too much dust and other contaminants would get into the valve cover area.

i dont think that you would need to cover those areas since you are polishing, maybe if you were painting.

and finally, i don't think that ANYONE should RE-USE ANY gaskets, especially the valve cover gasket.

Just my 2 cents----i also think that i am repainting my valve cover this weekend.

 

Towels have a lot of dust and crap on them, I usually use wax paper.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by father &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">when you take the valve cover off...

-do you need to put something on top of the head after its removed?

-does the h22 head have a valve cover gasket, can i re-use the gasket?

while polishing it, what do i need to cover with masking tape, oil cap holder, spark plug holes?</TD></TR></TABLE>

My 94 Helms manual specifies to inspect the valve cover gasket and replace if damaged. I have seen three people reuse valve cover gaskets (including my self) and have no leaks. Just make sure it isn't damaged and maybe run a little black tube permatex (liquid gasket) over it to ensure a seal. I found the ptex on two of the gaskets that I took off and had someone else working on them before me (basically used car/engine and the last person to work on it was someone I didn't know). The third one was my friends car and he put the ptex on himself. Also make sure you don't get any run off inside of the valve cover, which is why you should be somewhat conservative with the application.

 

wax paper sounds really good. Thanks for the heads up, and i know terry cloth towels have a lot of lint on them. so thanks for the heads up.

 

I've reused my gasket twice, and it doesn't leak a bit. Just be careful to not damage it or bend it excessively.

 

I covered my head with a peice of plastic then put a towel on top.

 

i've used a towel on the head before, but wax paper sounds like a good idea. I've reused my valve cover gasket 4 times now, it all depends on what kind of condition it is in.

 

You should cover the oil cap holder and the spark plug holes. That's what I did when I painted mine.

 

cool thanks everyone

 

how did you cover the holes neatly?? masking tape and exacto knife? i am very unfamiliar with this. i was just going to paint over everything. and some people say to put petroleum jelly over the letters and the honda symbol so that they dont get painted over. is this true? thanks in advance.

 

why did you have to take the valve cover off 4 times? to paint different colors?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dannylee312 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">why did you have to take the valve cover off 4 times? to paint different colors?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I painted my valve cover while the motor was on a stand. I pulled it once for a valve job, and the other 3 times were timing belt related.

 

I just stripped off all the paint on my valve cover on Sunday, and now it looks GREAT!!!!! I have to take pics soon! My friend helped me, and made things easier, I basically left everything on and plugged up all the holes with rags and paper towels. Then I put old t shirts around everything, and stripped everything off with chemical stripper. VERY cool stuff, when i was done i just wiped it down with a rag, and then i steamed cleaned everthing......VERY NICE!!!!