Saturn Valve Cover
First thing that comes to mind when the word Saturn is heard is the “ring planet”
of the Solar System. In the world of automobiles though, it’s, the youngest marque
among others under General Motors that specializes with, compact cars, family
utility vehicles, sports utility vehicles, and now sports cars with Saturn Sky
as the latest creation. It was only in 1990 when GM launched Saturn automobile
manufacturing company as response to the expanding industry of Japanese small-car
imports in the United States. Since, Saturn started to run in the later period
of the modern era already, the units created under it were all injected with sophisticated
Saturn auto parts. Their technology was ensured to provide quality performance;
of engines, transaxles, distributors, wheels, body panels, and even the simplest
as valve covers.
The Saturn valve covers work as sealant that keeps oil in the valve train from
leaking out the cylinder head. As the oil is pumped up through the pushrods and
dispersed underneath the valve cover, the rocker arms are kept lubricated. Holes
in different places of the engine head where the oil circulates are sealed by
the valve covers. If the valve cover doesn’t work perfectly and lets the oil to
just leak, the rocker arms would have shortage of lubricant. Consequently, the
rocker arm would work stiffly which might cause operational damage. The valve
train then would subsequently affect the Saturn’s engine. But with perfectly fitted
Saturn valve covers, along with valve springs, lifters, and cam in case of overhead
cam engines, the machine will be kept in good operation.
What you could do to know if your Saturn valve covers are in good condition is
do a routine check-up. Through manual pinching of the valve cover gasket, oil
leakage can be determined. Another way is to remove the gasket and putting the
valve cover back onto the cylinder head. When the valve cover and cylinder head
come into contact, the cover should sit flat. If it rocks, it is bent. Common
cause of such problem is over-tightened valve cover screws. And because, valve
covers are often made of thin sheet metals, they can easily break. Other Saturn
Valve covers are made of plastic, composite and thermoplastic materials, which
are sometimes dressed with chrome billet aluminum, and or carbon fiber.
