Well, I just took my D into the shop today to get the valve cover gasket replaced b/c it was leaking oil onto the headers and smoking back into the cabin. I just got a call from the service manager and he said that the valve cover was cracked and thats what was leaking the oil. Has anybody ever heard of a valve cover cracking? What causes it? The only thing I can think of that might cause it would be the engine block moveing and hitting the firewall, and if it were to do that, then I would need new motor mounts. Any one who can shed some light on this, it would be greatly appreciated.

 

Never heard of that happening before... Good thing valve covers are cheap but I would go down to the shop and take a look at the cover just so you know they aren't trying to nickel and dime you.

 

Im not too familliar with the valve covers on our Durango's, but if they are made from either cast aluminum or that plastic that dodge likes to use on our engines it is not really all that far fetched. First I would look at where it is cracked, is it near one of the hold down bolts? Did you first try tightening the bolts, before you took it to have the gasket replaced? If they were removed before, maybe it is possible they werent seated properly before they were tightened. Or perhaps they were just overtightened. Plastic or cast would be easy to crack if over tightened. Well good luck...
Jay

 

Sounds good but they are not plastic or Aluminum. They are medal.
Next I've never heared of one cracking but I have seen the hole's in the mounting flaps bend from over tighting and they needed to be replaced. Get down there and check it out yourself.

 

Well, I just went down there and checked it out for myself and it is cracked right along the end closest to the driver. I had apparently been a problem before, as someone tried to epoxy the crack to "band aid" it. It is made of aluminum. I was suprised to see how cracked it was, as the crack went from where it gets bolted on to the block, right up to the top of the valve cover. Anyways, its getting fixed as I write this post. I am just glad I caught it before fishing season begins up here in the great white north, as I tow my boat around all summer, and it would suck to see the oil pressure drop to zero going up a steep hill.

 

If it's aluminum, it's not stock. Stocker are metal and there is no way you are going to crack one.

Since you were unaware of this on your ride, I'd have it well checked out for other things you are not aware of. Getting caught off guard due to substandard repair light that is bad enough. The next thing could be serious.

Where did you get it and who would do something like that anyway?

IndyDurango

 

I bought it from a dealer, and I seem to think that it was a DIY repair gone bad. I had the truck to a mechanic before I bought it and he checked it over, but who could see a cracked valve cover. The only reason it was found was because I was getting the gaskets replaced and they took it off completely and saw the crack. I guess its better that it is found, rather than not.

 

Anyone, especially a mechanic, should have been able to at least indicate to you about the aftermarket engine parts like the covers. They can't look like stockers. I'd get another consultant and have it looked oover again before something else creeps up, goes bad and really costs you.

JMHO

IndyD

 

Hey Indy, Just to give you a little info... Seeing how you have either the 5.9L or 5.2L, you obviously havent done much homework on the the 4.7L. So just to let you know, not all Magnums are created equally. Yes you have steel valve covers on your motor, 5.2's and 5.9's are basically the old style motors. Our 4.7's are the newer technology and are different. We do have Aluminum valve valve covers, and yes they are factory...we even have two cam shafts, if you can believe that. Your valve covers go for approximately $20 through make it mopar.com, ours go for about $130. But if you want to be cool like us, even you can get cast aluminum valve covers through MOPAR Performance...oooh Factory...and also just to let you know, the plastic in our engines that I originally referred to was our intake manifolds. Yes they are plastic, where yours is probably cast iron or Aluminum..Oh and another thing Aluminum is a Metal, last time I checked the periodic table...Metal being spelled with a T and not a D. The reason why steel valve covers would just bend is because steel is malleable, where as cast metals are more ridgid and brittle, hence the cracking when stressed. Steel will just stretch and bend untill it cant any longer, then it tears. Not trying to be a jerk or anything here, BUT I hate when people spout off at the mouth without doing their home work first.
Jay

 

Jay
If you are so good at this motor than I think you can answer this man's question.

Obviously you know all about the 4 types of the motors and can adequately tell him what to do without a mistake. You obviously know that the 4.7L is considered a SOHC motor. You should know that a SOHC motor is considered to have many different options and yet it does have two cam gears and right and left cams, but, it is still considered a SOHC motor which tends to get people confused. Indy is very good but sometimes all of us can get confused when not relating to the same motor than what others have.
So don't