tappet cover torque, rubber deforming

[tomblue01]

18ft#. I tighten & tighten & tighten, but my torque wrench never clicks. How much deformation is normal?

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

 

[brucejohnson]

If that is the camshaft torque plate cover then it shows 18 ft/lb as you stated. What is the range of your torque wrench. If you are using a 150 ft/lb click type torque wrench then you may not have an accurate application of torque. Under 20% of full range is inaccurate and may not load the mechanism sufficiently to give the click at settings lower than 20%. I would get some new rubber seals for the cover bolts AND maybe get a new, properly ranged torque wrench. And, yes, they may squish quite a bit.

 

[DavidC]

According to dieseltruckresource.com
18 ft-lbs (24 Nm)

 

[DavidC]

Verified
https://www.turbodieselregister.com/threads/tappet-cover-r-r-details.259520/

 

[tomblue01]

This is the tappet cover along the driver's side of the engine. Some call it the push-rod cover. Hidden by the p-pump.
My t-wrench is fine. 15-80 ft#. The issue is the rubber washers that came with the new gasket. [FTR, I do NOT recommend Victor Reinz / Fel-Pro (They seem to have teamed together). This is the second issue I have recently had with them.] The rubber appears to be too soft. Since I need the truck in a day & a half, I'll know soon enough.
The bolts have dented the washers. I compared the ones posted here to what I threw in the garbage. They are not dented.
All I know is that I don't want to do this again!

 

[brucejohnson]

Duplicate post removed...

 

[brucejohnson]

This is the tappet cover along the driver's side of the engine. Some call it the push-rod cover. Hidden by the p-pump.
My t-wrench is fine. 15-80 ft#. The issue is the rubber washers that came with the new gasket. [FTR, I do NOT recommend Victor Reinz / Fel-Pro (They seem to have teamed together). This is the second issue I have recently had with them.] The rubber appears to be too soft. Since I need the truck in a day & a half, I'll know soon enough.
The bolts have dented the washers. I compared the ones posted here to what I threw in the garbage. They are not dented.
All I know is that I don't want to do this again!

My son had a torque wrench that all of a sudden quit clicking at the lower end of the scale due to a broken shim washer. Torqued a BMW composite oil filter lid way too tight. Did you see if your wrench clicked on a different bolt that is tightened more than 18 ft/lbs just as a test? Do the dented washers appear to be thinner than the old ones, or the old ones have an internal sleeve to prevent total grommet crushing? It would seem odd if they allow so much crush that squeezes the grommet out from under the washer...in pieces. Although the crushed cupped washer would still provide a seal by "containing" most of the compressed rubber grommet. I'd probably attempt to achieve the 18 ft/lb setting and crush away.

 

[tomblue01]

Like the test idea. Pulled an oil pan bolt. T-wrench installed it, clicking at 18ft#.

When I looked at them, the old & new washers, they seemed identical. At this point, I'm unwilling to pull one out to check metal thickness... because the p-pump's back on!

As I read the link DavidC provided, GAmes used a feeler gauge to check the seal. Wish I'd done that!

Time's against me now. Signing off to make her run again!

 

[brucejohnson]

Like the test idea. Pulled an oil pan bolt. T-wrench installed it, clicking at 18ft#.

When I looked at them, the old & new washers, they seemed identical. At this point, I'm unwilling to pull one out to check metal thickness... because the p-pump's back on!

As I read the link DavidC provided, GAmes used a feeler gauge to check the seal. Wish I'd done that!

Time's against me now. Signing off to make her run again!

Hope all will work out on the up side for you! Think positive...maybe you torqued it to 17.5 ft/lbs - which is well within tolerance. Best of luck to you!

 

[tomblue01]

So far, so good. It's been hard to get her boost up on the highway because of city traffic. Briefly hit 20psi before slowing down. No leaks, at this time.

Old rubber washers - metal not crushed; some rubber deformation.
The picture of the fresh red paint install shows hand tightened bolts only, so it looks better than it is.

 

[NIsaacs]

Rubber cushion and clicker torque wrench don't work. Use a beam type.