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231 v6 aluminum valve cover issue

Discussion in 'Early CJ5 and CJ6 Tech' started by schardein, Jul 29, 2004.

  1. Jul 29, 2004
    schardein

    schardein Low Range Therapy

    Success, MO
    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2003
    Messages:
    553
    OK bear with me here...
    Got a set of turbo 231 aluminum valve covers off Ebay awhile back, cheap. They need a good cleaning/polishing or painting, so I thought, no problem. Then I noticed that the oil fill hole looked buggered up.

    Did some researching...

    The oil fill hole is made for one of those metal fill tube extensions to screw into, then the cap screws onto the fill tube. This fill tube apparently is specific for these valve covers. The fill tube extension I have on my 84 non turbo 231(sheet metal covers) doesn't fit it, and even if it did, the hole is buggered up, like I said.

    A fill tube with cap just went for $46 on ebay. Someone is making billet aluminum replacements that use a breather vice cap on the net for between $34-60. Not bad considering it comes with a breather.

    So I was thinking get some 1.5" od aluminum tubing, weld it on and clamp on a breather.

    While researching the K&N breather on their website, I came across a breather that threads onto Ford valve covers, so I got to thinking how hard would it be to weld a thick piece of billet aluminum to the fill hole area and tap it to work with that breather? Could a competent machinist match what is probably an uncommon thread size like that (I am guessing yes if I had the breather for him to work off of)?

    I guess I am asking for any ideas or experience anyone out there has to offer. The billet aluminum replacement would be a good deal I think at $34, but again, the hole is buggered up and I don't think it would seal. I hate to admit defeat and throw away an otherwise nice set of aluminum covers. The breather/weld on tube works for me except then I have to use a screw driver to unscrew the breather every time I want to add oil (or get one of those hose clamps that uses a thumbscrew instead of screwdriver... )

    By the way, there needs to be some kind of breather on the valve cover anyway. I don't know how the turbo motor allowed air into the crankcase with a screw on oil cap that basically sealed the valve cover. Also, I have seen some turbo valve covers that look identical to mine, but that have a hole in the side(end?) of the cover that faces the front of the motor. Don't know if those are for, say, Grand Nationals, and the style I have are for regular turbo regals, etc.?

    Ideas, comments...?
     
  2. Jul 29, 2004
    A Mandery

    A Mandery Member

    Indianapolis,...
    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2003
    Messages:
    138
    You will probably be able to get a used filler neck fom someone at this site http://www.gnttype.org/trader/part_wk0.htm. The stock tube has a nipple feeding back into the intake tube to pull off crankcase pressure. The covers with the extra breathers are exactly what you thought. Extra areas of egress for crankcase pressure. High boosting means more blowby and more pressure. The key to sealing the tube to the cover is a flat rubber washer found in the "Help" rack of NAPA etc. I bought the prescribed O ring from one of the TR vendors and it did not work. AM
     
  3. Jul 30, 2004
    James P. Enderwies

    James P. Enderwies Sponsor

    Lake Havasu City, AZ
    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2003
    Messages:
    747
    Schardein: My :v6: does not have a breather, just the PCV in the pass valve cover. You really don't need an additional breather if your PCV is working OK. You just run on a very slight negative pressure on a normally aspiarated engine. GM has not used a breather (intake) for years. My '92 Yukon does not have one as did my '87 Jimmy. The old :v6: seems to run fine without it. I did check it to see if any difference was noted by removing the oil fill cap while ideling--no difference. But then again, an additional breather (intake) is not really going to hurt anything.
     
  4. Jul 30, 2004
    schardein

    schardein Low Range Therapy

    Success, MO
    Joined:
    Aug 11, 2003
    Messages:
    553
    Thanks for the info guys. Jim, guess your right about the breather, but all the motors I can remember working on had a breather of some sort. I remember now that my K&N filter has a place on the bottom cover to mount a hose nipple, was thinking if I could weld in a 1/2" or 3/4" nipple to the valve cover and just run a hose to the air cleaner and pull clean air from there (like a lot of factory setups do, at least on the older motors I am familiar with)...
    AM, thanks for the tip on the rubber washer, and the link...But the hole is mangled enough I don't feel like throwing any money at that direction. Guess that's why I got them so cheap...gonna have to do some kind of repair/fabrication to the hole...
    Looking at it from the bottom, the filler hole (not perfectly round) is thinner than the rest of the cover and if that area was ground/filed out the hole would measure 1.5"...which is why I am leaning towards a 1.5" tube welded on with a 1.5" clamp on k&n breather...
     
  5. Jul 30, 2004
    James P. Enderwies

    James P. Enderwies Sponsor

    Lake Havasu City, AZ
    Joined:
    Feb 2, 2003
    Messages:
    747
    schardein: You're right. I've thought about adding one as my orig. air cleaner obviously had one. The hole in the valve cover is plugged (you can find the plugs in the "Help" section of the FLAPS. My new "Offy" valve covers have the hole also.

    I guess the bottom line is, if you want one, put one in (can't hurt). If it is a problem, just plug it.
     
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