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I continue to test drive my 2106 after engine rebuild. I thought I found some oil dripping down from the oil pump, so I torqued the bolts. Just a bit under torqued. I drove about twenty miles yesterday and it looks like the oil pump is OK but some flashlight work revealed a leak from the front valve cover exiting right above the oil pump. I also found the rear cover leaking at the bottom rear corner.

I plan on a gentle tightening of the valve cover bolts. I know the covers can be over tightened without much effort. What is a recommended torque values for those bolts?

Also wondering if valve cover issues are common experience post-rebuild?

Thanks folks,

Mark

Don't see a torque listing for valve covers in the 46-50 manual but the 51-4 engines are very similar in that part of the construction to the 356. If the 356 uses the same 5/16-18 bolt as the 51-4 the spec is 25-35 INCH pounds.

I would verify the covers are flat -- nothing tweaked so that one corner is sticking up in the air for instance. The sealant on one side of the gasket and grease on the other like for oil pans might work but it might take extra in the form of some non hardening Permatex or similar on both sides of the cover gaskets to stop a leak on those. Are there some baffles on the inner side of the 356 covers? If so are the baffles present and correct so oil is hitting them first and running down and off a sort of lip into the valve chamber and isn't being thrown on the outer covers and then running down between the cover and block?

Thanks Howard. I didn't think to check a later manual. I replaced the rear cover with a good used one shortly before rebuild. Sealant is not the ideal, but I might try some if a re-torque doesn't help.
I'd like to think I am gaining on this, but sometimes I wonder....
Mark

I'd bet even the factory didn't use a torque wrench for the valve covers, and almost certainly no skilled mechanic ever did. Assuming they are not distorted from overtightening (often the case), just snug them up with a short-handled wrench. My preference is to use gasket shellac or a hardening Permatex product to affix the gasket to the cover and then just a thin layer of grease on the gasket surface where it mates to the block, in that manner removal of the cover does not generally necessitate a new gasket. There is no pressure within the valve chamber so any oil that accumulates is only under the force of gravity. Just my preference but I'd NEVER use silicone gasket cement anywhere on an engine where excess can ooze out into the oiling system!