How not to replace a valve cover gasket on a 97 DOHC
 

The lazy mechanic who did my valve cover gasket replacements did some interesting things I now have documented in pictures.

1) Don't tear the gasket and not get a new one. Assinine.
2) Don't put RTV at all four corners where the gasket touches the head. By doing all four corners, by definition, all the mating surfaces are now going to have to curve (as in the plastic valve cover) to try to seal but they won't when you torque it to spec. Because the surfaces don't meet!!!! So he over torques it -- it still leaks . to this day (well until 15 min ago. when I took it apart.
3) Do NOT leave traces of old rtv under where you put the new rtv. Will never seal.
4) Do not put a 1 inch long horizontal bed of rtv along the head mating surface where the timing cover meets the block. It goes front to back over the casting seam and is supposed be a smear, not a 1/8' mountain ridge.
I could put the end of a craftsman stubby flathead in the gap between the cover and the mating surface, with the gasket material crushed on top of it.

WHICH ONE OF YOU HID MY NEW PARTS? i FINALLY HAVE THE DAMN THING APART AND CAN'T FIND THE REPLACEMENTS.

IF HE WARPED NY VALVE COVER BY OVERTORQUING......

I should have known better than to let someone under the hood of my baby who doesn't know a Saturn.
How hard is it to pull up AllData/

i even left the Chilton manuals on the front seat for torque specs --he could have looked it up when no one was looking

I don't get truly mad very often - -- frightens me how much I care about this car. bought the same year i got married. Like a second wife, I guess.

Add this to the list

NOW WHERE ARE MY PARTS?

Don't be so sure.

Found the parts. Cleaned everything meticulously. Dabbed the rtv Reassembled. Went to torque bolts down, now can't find my in lb torque wrench. Think it's in ohio.

then realized I never cleaned off the top.off the spark plug Wells. Went back and looked at I picture. Sure enough there's oil in them. Hoping they won't leak. Can't believe how crappy.my.memory is getting.

Good luck w.your assembly.