Stuck Cam Cover

[john1180]

Try the high E guitar string, extra light gauge. You should be able to work it in at the corner to get things started, then try the sharpened wood sticks behind it as you go along.

[Chancer]

I used to use 3bond on Honda Blackbird crankcases, that stuck like **** to a blanket yet the finished joint was of de minimis thickness, a decade ago now but the main bearings were selective assembly using plastiguage on the journals whilst doing a dry run bolt up of the crankcases, from memory no allowance was made for the sealant joint on final assembly yet the bearing clearances were measured in tenths of a thou.

On that joint there is no way that you could get a start even with the finest guitar string, the crankcases were dowelled which worked against splitting them with a mallet but they would always give and never broke, an Elan cam cover is much much thicker and stronger.

Have at it!!!!!!!

[billwill]

I've no idea which direction you are suggesting hitting the cam cover. It has 8 studs through the top so it can only move sideways by the tiny amount of slack in the stud holes.

There isn't anywhere easy to hit it upwards, which is what is required.

[AHM]

Just 'kin hit it!

Best advice so far - A good wallop with a rubber mallet won't even touch the paint. Hit it side on at the front. It'll take a good ten seconds.

If you did oil it you are trying to break a seal pulling against it will take an awful lot of effort.

If that doesn't do it - Metal to metal sump joints which use a lot more silicone and probably have a greater surface area and are not oiled, are separated by hammering a long thin wedge. And just in case anyone was wondering, a screwdriver is not a long wedge it is a narrow lever.

As chancer says... do you think they t*t around at a garage?

[AHM]

Bill, in theory Stanley knife blades, cheese wire, and a block and tackle or what have you, will have it off in no time.

In theory hitting it sideways won't work.... In practice in does.

[Grizzly]

Just 'kin hit it!

Heard that before, it's supposed to be the vibration rather than the lateral movement that breaks it free (bit like cracking a suspension ball joint). Didn't work for my Brother and he hit it harder than i would ever strike a ?300 Lotus Cam cover but worth a go, you may have more luck.

Do you need to get it back off? if it's not leaking leave it maybe a few heat cycles will weaken it.

[Chancer]

And if you really dont want to hit it then I will give you a couple of clues.

what is that you can see when you remove the o?l filler cap?

can you see any more of them?

what happens if they are turned?

now what do you have to hand that will slip in that gap above them, not too hard, not too soft?

where did you last see that little hammer handle?

[2cams70]

Use a reasonably wide preferably brand new wood chisel. If you angle correctly whilst inserting it won't dig into the aluminium and as it rides up on the angled side it will lift the cover and cut the silicone at the same time.

Then next time just use a standard cork gasket! What's wrong with a cork gasket? I find they are pretty good provided they aren't overtorqued. It's a non critical area of the engine anyway.

[tedtaylor]

no one suggested a hard rubber mallet ?? works for me...

[Chancer]

Yes they did!

Just 'kin hit it!

Use a rubber deadblow mallet

I Wonder if the OP is still agonising about something which would have taken all of 2 seconds to resolve!

[billwill]

no one suggested a hard rubber mallet ?? works for me...

Where do you hit the cam cover?

[tedtaylor]

on the corners/ends where it's strongest i would think.
i just did this on my 907 engine in my Esprit (granted, a bit different shape than the TC), but it's what i needed to get it to "break" free from its bond.

[elanner]

Given that the problem persists after all the advice so far it might be time to consider Tim's earlier suggestion of unscrewing the cam cover studs and use the bearing cap nuts underneath it to "jack" the cover up. Like Tim, I wouldn't like to have to do this, but you might have no alternative.

Another option might be to use the same approach through the oil filler hole. If there's room (I haven't looked at mine to see if there is) insert a plate with a threaded hole in it and try to leverage up the cover enough to get a blade in. Would something like this work?

The picture makes it look simple, but I'll bet the fit is a lot tighter!

Nick

[billwill]

Given that the problem persists after all the advice so far it might be time to consider Tim's earlier suggestion of unscrewing the cam cover studs and use the bearing cap nuts underneath it to "jack" the cover up. Like Tim, I wouldn't like to have to do this, but you might have no alternative.

Another option might be to use the same approach through the oil filler hole. If there's room (I haven't looked at mine to see if there is) insert a plate with a threaded hole in it and try to leverage up the cover enough to get a blade in. Would something like this work?

Lever.png

The picture makes it look simple, but I'll bet the fit is a lot tighter!

Nick

Someone above already commented that it is not possible to remove the cap studs with the caps and cam cover in place, because they are fatter at the bottom thread.

[elanner]

Tim's comment was not to remove the studs, but to wind them out of the head and take advantage of the step and bearing cap nut to lever the cover up from underneath. At least, that's how I read it.

Nick