valve covers...steel vs aluminum Options

[eyesright]

While building my 2.0 I got some aluminum valve covers (without hardware), cheap, off ebay. When my engine was ready to assemble I still had not gotten around to getting hardware so I just installed my steel valve covers.

Since then I have wondered if the aluminum valve covers really help cool the heads since they are insulated from the head by gaskets. Perhaps they might help cool the oil a bit in the hot summer -- my engine sure doesn't need any extra help with oil temps if the OAT is lower than about 98 degrees -- but the heads themselves? Anybody with any thoughts? Anybody with any hard evidence?

Thanks.

[Mikey914]

As they come in contact with oil, I'm sure they will dissipate some heat, the question is how much?

[Mark Henry]

Hard evidence is they will leak, good luck stopping them from leaking and one day they will fall off and wipe out your engine.

Nothing going for them other than bling factor. But they're nice looking on a trailer queen that never sees any real road time.

[brant]

I raced with a pair of aluminum covers for 10+ years on 4motors
they work fine, especially with the correct sealants

no advantage ever noticed...
but they work fine
I'm of the opinion that a lot of people who put them on didn't use adequate sealants, or perhaps didn't know how to install them

they can be used with out leaks or problems
but again, I'm not sure there is any advantage either
brant

[eyesright]

Hard evidence is they will leak, good luck stopping them from leaking and one day they will fall off and wipe out your engine.

Nothing going for them other than bling factor. But they're nice looking on a trailer queen that never sees any real road time.

You're right they do look cool, but of course we can't see them any better than we can get to the valves for adjustment. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/mad.gif) I had heard they do leak and I bought these because they are the 4 bolt alum covers instead of 2 bolt.

Its funny...at my last valve adjustment I forgot I had new gaskets tucked away somewhere and installed the steel covers with the old hard gaskets...still no leaks after 3k miles. Now that I found the gaskets do you think I'm going to install them...NAAHH! Maybe I'll see how many adjustments I can get away with using the original gaskets.

Anyway, to be effective in cooling the oil, I wonder what volume of oil makes contact with the valve covers...oil splattering off the rockers to the valve covers vs just dripping to the bottom of the head. Is it correct to assume that a larger volume of oil goes thru the bearings?

I think I didn't pursue using them when I thought about the gaskets insulating the covers from the heads. Any racers out there who swear by alum covers? (PS Oops, thanks Brant)

[SLITS]

Anyway, to be effective in cooling the oil, I wonder what volume of oil makes contact with the valve covers...oil splattering off the rockers to the valve covers vs just dripping to the bottom of the head. Is it correct to assume that a larger volume of oil goes thru the bearings?

I think I didn't pursue using them when I thought about the gaskets insulating the covers from the heads. Any racers out there who swear by alum covers? (PS Oops, thanks Brant)

Supposedly they run about 1/2 full of oil but I can't verify that figure.,

[Mark Henry]

I raced with a pair of aluminum covers for 10+ years on 4motors
they work fine, especially with the correct sealants

no advantage ever noticed...
but they work fine
I'm of the opinion that a lot of people who put them on didn't use adequate sealants, or perhaps didn't know how to install them

they can be used with out leaks or problems
but again, I'm not sure there is any advantage either
brant

Besides lots of antidotal evedance and I saw an engine wiped right in front of me, totally hosed my car with oil, enough for me.
I've build quite a few engines, if you ask me to install these covers I recommend a different engine builder.