If you've noticed a brand new puddle associated with oil under the front of the truck, there is the good chance your 5. 9 cummins timing cover gasket has finally made a decision to call this quits. It is 1 of those irritating maintenance items that will usually stays out of mind for any decade or two, but once it starts weeping, this quickly turns the whole front of your engine into the greasy, grime-covered clutter. Whether you are driving a 12-valve or even a 24-valve edition of this legendary electric motor, that gasket is usually the thin series between a clear engine bay and a driveway that will looks like a good oil spill web site.
Let's be real for a second: these engines are built like tanks, but these people aren't exactly identified for being "dry. " They vibrate, they cycle by means of massive temperature swings, and they work hard. Over time, that will original gasket materials gets brittle, or the bolts back out simply a small bit, and all of a sudden you've got oil migrating everywhere. Changing a 5. 9 cummins timing cover gasket isn't the hardest work in the world, but it is surely a "labor-intensive" one because of everything you have got to move out of the way just to get to it.
Why do these types of gaskets fail in any case?
You'd believe some metal attached to another piece associated with metal wouldn't have got much trouble keeping sealed, but the timing cover on the 5. 9 Cummins offers with a great deal. First of all, you've got the sheer gerüttel of a straight-six diesel. It's a rhythmic shaking that may, over a few hundred thousand kilometers, actually loosen the particular bolts holding the cover to the gear housing.
Second, right now there is the high temperature. The front of the engine will get blasted from the lover, but it also sits right behind the radiator. All those constant cycles of getting hot plus cooling down ultimately make the gasket materials shrink or crack. When you have an older 12-valve, you're likely dealing with a paper-style gasket that just doesn't possess the lifespan of modern multi-layer steel or high-end rubber. As soon as that seal will be broken, the essential oil pressure behind that will cover—even if this isn't "high" pressure—is enough to press lubricant from the spaces.
The "while you are within there" factor
If you are going to consider the time to replace your own five. 9 cummins timing cover gasket , you absolutely are not able to disregard the "Killer Dowel Pin" (KDP) in case you're working on a 12-valve or an early 24-valve engine. It would certainly be a huge error to get that cover off, see the dowel pin sitting down there, and not really tab it straight down. That little pin can wiggle out, fall into the timing gears, and fundamentally turn your engine right into a very costly paperweight in regarding half a second.
Many people that are performing the 5. 9 cummins timing cover gasket work will also get a brand new front crankshaft seal. The close off actually presses into the timing cover itself, so since the cover has already been on your workbench, it's the ideal time to swap it. It's very much easier to do it now than to put everything back together only to realize the particular old crank seal is leaking in any case.
Getting straight down to business: The teardown
To get at the gasket, you've got to perform a casino game of "remove many methods from the front side of the vehicle. " You're looking at taking off the particular radiator shroud, the cooling fan (which can be a real pain in case you don't have the right thin-profile wrench), as well as the serpentine belt.
The biggest challenge for most DIYers may be the harmonic balancer. You'll need the way to keep your engine from switching over while a person break those bolts loose. Once the balancer is out of the way, you may finally see the sea of 10mm bolts holding that timing cover upon. I always recommend taking a piece of cardboard plus poking holes within it in the form of the cover. When you take each bolt out, stick it within the corresponding hole within the cardboard. Some of all those bolts might become different lengths, and you definitely don't want to play the guessing sport when you're attempting to place it back again together at nighttime upon a Sunday evening.
Cleaning is the most important step
Once you get the cover off and appear at the aged, crusty 5. 9 cummins timing cover gasket , you may be tempted in order to just scrape the best chunks off plus slap the brand-new one on. Don't do that. If a person want this seal to last one more 200, 000 miles, you need those surfaces to end up being surgically clean.
I usually spend more time with a gasket scraper and some brake cleaner than I do actually switching wrenches. You desire the mating surface on the gear housing and the cover itself to end up being shiny and soft. Be careful not to gouge the aluminum cover, although. If you produce a deep scratch with a metal scraper, you've just created a new path regarding oil to leak out. A plastic scraper or the very careful hands with a razor blade is the way to proceed.
Installing the particular new gasket
When you finally go to install the brand new 5. 9 cummins timing cover gasket , pay interest to whether your kit requires RTV (room temperature vulcanizing) silicone. Most associated with the time, the high-quality gasket is designed to go on dried out, or simply with some sort of very thin smear of sealant in the corners in which the gear housing meets the oil skillet.
One particular trick I've discovered is to use a couple of long bolts with the heads cut off as "guide studs. " Twine them into the housing, slide the particular gasket over all of them, and then slide the cover on. This keeps the gasket from shifting close to while you're trying to start typically the first few mounting bolts. It's a lifesaver, especially when you're leaning within the bumper and your lower back is starting to protest.
Torquing it straight down right
Don't just "ugga-dugga" individuals 10mm bolts in. The timing cover is aluminum, and it is surprisingly easy to strip the strings within the housing or crack the cover if you go overboard. Look up the particular torque specs for your year—usually, it is around 18 in order to 24 foot-pounds—and use a crisscross design. This ensures the 5. 9 cummins timing cover gasket gets squished evenly. If you tighten up one side just about all the way down first, the cover might cock from an angle, plus you'll be carrying this out whole job over again in a week.
Wrapping this up
Right after you've got the cover on, the new crank seal installed, and the harmonic balancer bolted regress to something easier, it's simply a matter associated with reassembling front side associated with the engine. Don't forget to check your belt regarding wear while it's off; if it's cracked, you might mainly because well put a brand new one on today.
Once everything is back together, give the front of the motor a good degreasing. You want in order to wash away almost all the old essential oil so that when you fire this up, you can see if your fresh 5. 9 cummins timing cover gasket is holding tight. There is a massive sense of satisfaction in seeing the bone-dry timing cover after many years of dealing with an oily mess.
It's not exactly a "fun" Sat project, but this is one of individuals essential tasks that keeps these outdated Cummins trucks upon the road regarding the long carry. Spend some time, clean your surfaces, and tab that KDP while you're at this. Your driveway (and your engine) will certainly thank you.