Valve cover torque?

[RadioFlyer90]

My wife's car just developed it's very first oil leak at just under 130,000 miles. It appears to be coming from the corner of the valve cover, so I plan on replacing the gasket.

I replaced a similar gasket on a different brand car and ended up warping the valve cover, causing a bigger leak. I didn't think I had overtightened anything, and felt as though I had tightened it evenly (though I didn't use a torque wrench). Is this a concern on my wife's car? If so, does anyone know the proper torque?

By the way, this is a '98 LE, 4-cylinder.

Thanks!

[Creeps228]

33 ft pounds

[Mike Gerber]

Originally Posted by Creeps228

33 ft pounds

That's way to high. You will probably crack the valve cover at that torque. Tighten the 30MM nuts to 17 ft lbs in 3 even passes. First 6 ft lbs, then 12 ft lbs, and finally 17 ft lbs.

Mike

[chronoti]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

That's way to high. You will probably crack the valve cover at that torque. Tighten the 30MM nuts to 17 ft lbs in 3 even passes. First 6 ft lbs, then 12 ft lbs, and finally 17 ft lbs.

Mike

no you snap the bolts before then, i did that

[jasguild]

Originally Posted by Mike Gerber

That's way to high. You will probably crack the valve cover at that torque. Tighten the 30MM nuts to 17 ft lbs in 3 even passes. First 6 ft lbs, then 12 ft lbs, and finally 17 ft lbs.

Mike

Unless I am misreading it, the online manual on page 58 of the file named "Engine Mechanical I-4" says it should be 33lbs of torque

8. INSTALL CYLINDER HEAD COVER
(a) Remove any old packing (FIPG) material.
(b) Apply seal packing to the cylinder head as shown in the
illustration.
Seal packing: Part No. 08826–00080 or equivalent
(c) Install the gasket to the head cover.
(d) Install the head cover with the 4 grommets and nuts. Uniformly
tighten the nuts in several passes.
Torque: 44 N·m (450 kgf·cm, 33 ft·lbf)
HINT:
Install the grommets so that their markings are as shown in the

illustration.