Which billet tappet cover to buy?

[01dodge24v5.9]

Can someone give me suggestions on which billet tappet cover to buy? I've changed the seal once already.... I don't want to do it again so I'm going billet... I've heard Keating Machine tappet covers are good? What's everyone's opinion on brands and longevity? 

[dripley]

Does a billet cover make the gasket seal better?

[Tractorman]

I have a related question to ask about the tappet cover.  I have done the oil crankcase breather mod similar to Mopar1973Man's, but I still get some oil dripping out of the tube.  It has always dripped the same amount of oil since it was new.  I have seen aluminum tappet covers and 12 valve factory tappet covers advertised that have integrated the crankcase breather and vent  into the tappet cover.  Has anyone installed either setup on a 24 valve engine and did it stop oil from dripping out of the new crankcase vent tube?

 

3979-01dodge24v59, I don't mean to hijack  your post, but  maybe we both an get answers to of our questions here.

 

- John

 

[01dodge24v5.9]

I have a 12v tapper cover on my truck currently that has the breather made on it. I haven't noticed oil dripping from it or at least a large amount. I still get some out of the breather on the timing cover haven't done the mopar1973man mod yet. The problem I have is the factory seal on the tapper cover is a poor design and (I think in my case) doesn't hold enough tension on the seal (between the block and cover) to keep the oil where its supposed to be. Possibly my cover is sprung or bent enough, that it's not holding the pressure it should... idk... I don't want to gamble on it again bc it's a pain in the azz to change. But from what I've seen, the billet covers have an O-ring in a groove that's suppose to seal better. 

And yes I used the "right stuff"  silicone with a new seal and let it dry for 24hrs then torqued everything the way the books said.... fast forward 3000mile annnnndd its leaking. 

 

 

[Tractorman]

1 hour ago, 01dodge24v5.9 said:

And yes I used the "right stuff"  silicone with a new seal and let it dry for 24hrs then torqued everything the way the books said.... fast forward 3000mile annnnndd its leaking

 

Did you actually wait 24 hours for the  silicone to cure and THEN tighten the bolts?  Or did you re-tighten (re-torque) the bolts 24 hours later?  Just trying to get clarification on your procedure, because if the bolts weren't tightened when you installed the cover, then tightening the bolts 24 hours later (after the silicone cured)  would likely cause a leak.

 

So you are actually running two breathers on your engine.  I would be very interested to know if the tappet cover breather stays dry. 

 

- John

[01dodge24v5.9]

I just put the bolts in snug enough to hold the tappet cover flat and square, then torque them (actually 48hrs later bc I got stuck at work).

And I'll take a look at the tappet cover breather hose to see if its dry or not.

[dripley]

I did my gasket about 140k ago. Just slipped on the cover and bolted it in. No silicone. It has recently got a little weepy and I will have to replace in the near future. As I remember the oe had no silicone on it. The old gasket just came off, no evidence of silicone.

[Tractorman]

50 minutes ago, 01dodge24v5.9 said:

And I'll take a look at the tappet cover breather hose to see if its dry or not.

 

Thank you, appreciate you doing that.

 

- John

[Dieselfuture]

Yeah my tappet cover is moist almost everywhere on bottom, I used feelpro, no silicone. I do have Mike's crankcase vent mod coming of front cover up then over towards fire wall just under intake horn and down to frame. It drips very little, every time I park probably a drop.

[Mopar1973Man]

Same here I get about a drop or so on the garage floor. I've considered buy a 12V tappet cover and replacing the 24V with it and then capping off the stock vent and using just the 12V vent.

[trreed]

12 hours ago, Tractorman said:

So you are actually running two breathers on your engine.  I would be very interested to know if the tappet cover breather stays dry. 

I also have two breathers, stock and a 12V style.  It splits the pressure relief better, but both hoses of mine (routed to the same place on the frame) have oil residue there.

[Mopar1973Man]

I remember long ago over on CF a guy managed to make a crankcase vent that kept a mild vacuum on the crankcase using the exhaust system and a check valve. Basically, in a nutshell, the exhaust was set up with a venturi style Y fitting with a check valve. The flowing exhaust would create a mild vacuum and draw the vapor out into the exhaust stream. He basically had nothing that dripped on the floor and supposed to run faster because the mild vacuum allows pistons to swing easier with no crankcase pressure. That's the theory...

[Tractorman]

2 hours ago, trreed said:

I also have two breathers, stock and a 12V style.  It splits the pressure relief better, but both hoses of mine (routed to the same place on the frame) have oil residue there.

 

Can you tell if one breather is more oil-free than the other?  I like the idea of using only the tappet cover vent if it works equally as well or better than the factory vent just to get rid of the additional plumbing to extend the factory vent.

 

- John

Edited August 15, 2018 by Tractorman

[trreed]

I can't tell, as both of my breathers terminate in the same location.  A vent is a vent, but I like the idea of having one on the side of the block.  If you go to a 12v style tappet cover, you'll have to remove the stock lift pump bracket as it interferes.  A BBC fuel pump block off plate will work to cover the hole, or I trimmed my bracket down to cover it.

[Tractorman]

2 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

I've considered buy a 12V tappet cover and replacing the 24V with it and then capping off the stock vent and using just the 12V vent

 

This is what I want to do.  I was just wondering if someone else has already done that and if they are happy with the results.

 

- John

3 minutes ago, trreed said:

I can't tell, as both of my breathers terminate in the same location.  A vent is a vent, but I like the idea of having one on the side of the block.  If you go to a 12v style tappet cover, you'll have to remove the stock lift pump bracket as it interferes.  A BBC fuel pump block off plate will work to cover the hole, or I trimmed my bracket down to cover it.

 

I agree that a vent is a vent, unless one style separates oil from the vapors more efficiently.  This is why I was wondering if the tappet cover vent may be a better solution. 

 

Thanks for the tip on the stock fuel pump bracket.  I would probably trim the bracket as you did since I have a frame mounted lift pump.

 

- John

[trreed]

Both have steel mesh in them for separation.  The stock vent is higher up on the crank case so in theory it will do a better job of separating oil out purely because it's harder for oil to get up there.  I like the 12v style because it is more of a direct path for the pressure to escape, but it is lower on the block.  Ideal would be the venturi system in the exhaust.

[Tractorman]

1 hour ago, trreed said:

The stock vent is higher up on the crank case so in theory it will do a better job of separating oil out purely because it's harder for oil to get up there

 

This seems logical, but I have always wondered that with so many gears rotating and flinging oil everywhere, could the OEM vent be overwhelmed?  It would seem that a tappet cover vent would be in a lesser turbulent environment and would have less oil entering the vent so it could do its job better.  Just my thoughts.

 

- John 

Edited August 15, 2018 by Tractorman
Can't spell.