Metal VANOS Cover Failure - MUST READ!

CamasM3e93 wrote

I purchased mine from Euro Power and installed them a few weeks ago. Thanks for your input, Abdul I appreciate very much that you chimed in here. I think I’ve had two track days and maybe 400 miles since install.

I did 6 engine restarts and marked the tabs of the closest cover with a sharpie so I could confirm I was seeing fresh area. It took 5-6 starts to see each tab. My first inspection is a Pass. But yeah, ugh. I’m 100% glad I did this job because my plastic covers just crumbled into my hands with almost zero effort when they came off.

I appreciate the kind words. We’re all trying to help each other out in this community.

What Move Over about ensuring that the Vanos cover are installed correctly is extremely important. If the installation instructions are followed, there will ZERO issues with the SLON Vanos covers or the Euro Power Motorsports Vanos Covers. Since we know for sure now that there no name brand ones floating in the market, do not buy them. Stick to SLON, EPM or any other reputable vendor/manufacturer.

If it’s not bolted on…there’s always a chance of it coming off. Not worth the sleepless nights of wondering if something clipped on slipping off at high rpm’s!

charliev68 wrote

If it’s not bolted on…there’s always a chance of it coming off. Not worth the sleepless nights of wondering if something clipped on slipping off at high rpm’s!

i mean to be fair, the OEM cover is clipped on too.

kolosy wrote

i mean to be fair, the OEM cover is clipped on too.

Exactly…further proof! Lol
When I removed my OEM covers I almost passed out. It literally fractured into pieces like a tortilla chip!

charliev68 wrote

Exactly…further proof! Lol
When I removed my OEM covers I almost passed out. It literally fractured into pieces like a tortilla chip!

... but that's not because of the physical shape of it, it's the material that was used.

LKN624 wrote

What I did when I installed mine was to lightly tap each tab with the lightest nylon hammer that I had to make sure each tab was seated correctly. They are sometimes a bit hard to get on there to seat correctly.

Not a bad idea. I typically grab each clip with a set of Chanel locks with a microfiber towel and snap them against the vanos gear. I usually don’t reccomend this to others as I don’t want to responsible for when someone’s slips and grinds up their gears, lol.

IMHO…Mporium cups are the only way to go. I had a set of SLON covers but decided not to install them.

VTT just released some vanos covers that look good in my opinion. Anyone tried them yet?

VTT vanos covers link.
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https://vargasturbo.com/product/vtt-s65-7075-vanos-covers/
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My money's on the MPorium cup covers.

DrFerry wrote

VTT vanos covers link.
.
https://vargasturbo.com/product/vtt-s65-7075-vanos-covers/
.
My money's on the MPorium cup covers.

The VTT looks great, cheap too. Not sure what aluminium Slon are using but IIRC 6061. Apparently VTT' 7075 corrode easier which I assume the paint will sort.

BTW just ordered timing cover gaskets for an "easy" check. For anyone in Europe they are like 11 Euros each on Autodoc vs 85E each from the (Swedish) dealer.

Helmsman wrote

BTW just ordered timing cover gaskets for an "easy" check. For anyone in Europe they are like 11 Euros each on Autodoc vs 85E each from the (Swedish) dealer.

I also point out they are two to a pack so you only need to place one order.

Helmsman wrote

BTW just ordered timing cover gaskets for an "easy" check. For anyone in Europe they are like 11 Euros each on Autodoc vs 85E each from the (Swedish) dealer.

can you pull those off without pulling the valve cover? even if you can physically remove it, TIS says to put a bead of sealant on the seam between the head and the timing cover...

DrFerry wrote

VTT vanos covers link.
.
https://vargasturbo.com/product/vtt-s65-7075-vanos-covers/
.
My money's on the MPorium cup covers.

I saw those making the rounds on facebook.

While it looks like a compelling solution, if the current situation has taught us anything, its that it may take a couple of years for issues to show up.

Waiting for real world data on reliability would be the wisest thing to do.

For now, the only thing we can say is safe and reliable without a doubt are the bolt on washer solutions. Years of data to back these up.

kolosy wrote

can you pull those off without pulling the valve cover? even if you can physically remove it, TIS says to put a bead of sealant on the seam between the head and the timing cover...

It should be possible, see post 277 from More Over: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1866437&page=13. Seems like half of his front is off on the picture but still hoping its possible to pull the timing cover.
Ordered some engine silicon sealer as well should it be needed (the timing gasket comes with some blue stuff for the corners).

Helmsman wrote

It should be possible, see post 277 from More Over: https://www.m3post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1866437&page=13. Seems like half of his front is off on the picture but still hoping its possible to pull the timing cover.
Ordered some engine silicon sealer as well should it be needed (the timing gasket comes with some blue stuff for the corners).

yeah it's the sealant that i'd be worried about. you can't clean off the old stuff on the head side, and you can't get a continuous surface over the seam.

drwankel wrote

I saw those making the rounds on facebook.

While it looks like a compelling solution, if the current situation has taught us anything, its that it may take a couple of years for issues to show up.

Waiting for real world data on reliability would be the wisest thing to do.

For now, the only thing we can say is safe and reliable without a doubt are the bolt on washer solutions. Years of data to back these up.

What has the current situation taught us about reliability? …. Zero reported issues with any of the SLON, EPM, or GAW covers. Thousands of them have been installed and not a single failure.

The failure that was reported was for a SLON knockoff cover made in China and being sold in that part of the world only.

The other few “unclipped” issues that were reported were due to installation errors. If and when installed correctly, there has been no issues reported.

As far as the bolt on washers, I can safely say that percentage of people that installed those versus Snap on ones are a 20-1 ratio. Years of data might be there but numbers are far less. Most people do not have the tools to hold/retime their engine. Most shops want to avoid that as well.

Abdul wrote

What has the current situation taught us about reliability? …. Zero reported issues with any of the SLON, EPM, or GAW covers. Thousands of them have been installed and not a single failure.

So far....

Abdul wrote

The failure that was reported was for a SLON knockoff cover made in China and being sold in that part of the world only.

The other few “unclipped” issues that were reported were due to installation errors. If and when installed correctly, there has been no issues reported.

I'd say the jury is still out on this one. Both I and Helmsman are looking at a potential failure of the Slon covers. If you watch the video about the new VTT covers, one of the things they are hypothesizing is that vibration can cause the clips on the Slon or other covers to wear, allowing them to eventually pop off. This situation is rapidly evolving, as more issues come to light.

I was one of the first people to install the Slon covers, and I remember the reports about installation issues a couple of years ago. As a result, I was regularly checking my covers, and I never noticed an issue until now. Could it have been an undetected install error? Yes. Could it be the clips on the caps coming loose? We cannot disprove that at this moment in time, so it therefore must remain a possibility.

Also consider the amount of time until we started seeing failures on the stock caps.

Abdul wrote

As far as the bolt on washers, I can safely say that percentage of people that installed those versus Snap on ones are a 20-1 ratio. Years of data might be there but numbers are far less. Most people do not have the tools to hold/retime their engine. Most shops want to avoid that as well.

This still doesnt change the fact that the washer solution as of this moment in time, appears to be the safest solution. Yes, getting it installed is difficult as people dont have the timing tools or are just straight up afraid to re-time the s65, but that doesn't make it any less true.

Carbahn/dinan has been using this in their engines for years. They knew... long before any of us did.

Just checked my SLON through the oil cap, looks fine but haven't cranked the engine to rotate it to check the others.

Abdul wrote

What has the current situation taught us about reliability? …. Zero reported issues with any of the SLON, EPM, or GAW covers. Thousands of them have been installed and not a single failure.

The failure that was reported was for a SLON knockoff cover made in China and being sold in that part of the world only.

The other few “unclipped” issues that were reported were due to installation errors. If and when installed correctly, there has been no issues reported.

As far as the bolt on washers, I can safely say that percentage of people that installed those versus Snap on ones are a 20-1 ratio. Years of data might be there but numbers are far less. Most people do not have the tools to hold/retime their engine. Most shops want to avoid that as well.

Strong words Abdul. Yeah Chinese production is not famous for its precision but ruzzian' certainly aren't either...

Again my Slon' have came loose. Let us investigate further. Plan to check/re clip via the timing cover soon as I receive parts. I'll report back.

Glad to see the healthy discourse in here. Not trying to crap on anyone's product or anything, but the China covers were made with 7075 aluminum.

One of the things that surprised me the most was the pic showing how the hook had worn down due to rubbing against the steel vanos gear. Whether it's 6061 or 7075, anytime alu rubs against steel, alu will lose.

Maybe we just have bad luck over here. In the past 12 mths one car with engine destroyed due to plastic vanos covers, and one car needing engine rebuild due to metal covers. Not saying all metal covers are the same, just be aware.