1992 Acclaim Valve Cover Removal

I am currently attempting my first real under-the-hood repair, changing the
ruptured valve cover gasket on my 1992 4-cylinder acclaim. However, I'm
having a devil of a time removing the valve cover. I removed the cowling on
the left hand side of the engine, and the bolts around the base of the
cover, but there are two things at the back of the cover restricting
movement. Basically, I can get about a centimeter of play in the
cover...enough to just about be able to replace the front part of the
gasket, but nowhere near enough to access the rear edge.

I know the first response would be to check a repair manual. Well, I know
I'm getting a manual for Christmas, but that's a coupe weeks down the line
and the manual is in another state, and in the mean time I have a halfway
disassembled engine...

Thanks.

 

If you have the 2.5L engine, it is most likely the stamped steel valve
cover. It should come loose once all the bolts are removed. It may have
been "glued" on with gasket sealer. The steel valve cover was prone to
leaking. I replaced mine with the aluminum one that is used on the
turbo engine. It has not leaked since. It was over $70, but made sense
since the car was still young at the time, and I planned on keeping it
for awhile.

-Kirk Matheson

 

I have all the bolts off, but it's still obstructed in several places. To
the rear left the air filter assembly is in the way (sorry, without the
manual I'm not terribly fluent with the part names), while to the right
there are three cables that are taut over the cover. Two of them I can push
aside enough to probably get the cover off, but the third, thicker one is
still in the way. It's connected to something almost directly below the
battery, but I can't see where it goes to how to disconnect it.

Thanks,
Patrick

 

Do yourself a large favor: Go shopping at a local wrecking yard and obtain
a valve cover from a 1995-model Dodge or Plymouth with the 2.5-liter
4-cylinder engine. The '95 cover looks almost the same as the '92 cover,
and the two are directly interchangeable, but the '95 cover is made out of
cast aluminum and seals much better, and much more durably.

The turbo valve cover mentioned by another poster is NOT a
directly-interchangeable swap; the crankcase ventillation fittings aren't
the same and so modification is required -- probably not something you
want to do, given that this is your first effort at car repair.

Yes: The rubber PCV valve elbow at the center rear, and the rubber
crankcase air inlet hose at the driver's side rear. Remove the complete
airbox (air cleaner) assembly from the engine compartment, and you will
have a much clearer view of these two rubber items. Grasp and firmly pull
each one off its fitting on the rear face of the valve cover, and you'll
be all set.

I hope, for your sake and the sake of your wallet and your car, that you
are getting a genuine FACTORY manual. The Haynes/Chiltons type manuals are
worse than worthless.

While you are in the immediate neighborhood of your valve cover, you
should take the small amount of extra time to service your engine's
complete crankcase ventillation system. See my earlier post here for
instructions:
http://tinyurl.com/yr2pg

DS

 

Dan is right about the cover not being the one for the turbo. I had
forgotten this. When I went to the dealer to order it back in 1997, I
asked for the turbo one. The parts guy came out and looked at my 2.5 to
ensure that he ordered the correct one, not for the turbo. After
putting on the aluminum cover, I had not had a leak problem since. I
did not know that the aluminum cover was standard for 1995.

-Kirk Matheson

 

Yeah, for a while, at least, they were substituting a package with a simple
cast alum. cover to replace the stamped leaker. There may have even been a
recall on this...you might get a free cover! Do some research.

Rick

 

R.E.-

Not a recall, it was just a TSB. No free covers outta this one. The
aluminum "looks like a steel one" cover was released in '94.

 

Those 3 cables are the throttle cables and go to the pedal, transmission
kickdown, and cruise control. The thing under the battery is the cruise
control servo. You have to remove the entire airbox and then unbolt the
throttle cable bracket from the side of the throttle body to get the valve
cover off. If I remember right from a head gasket swap on my aunt's 92
spirit they are 10mm.