Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Gone Wrong

My calibrated wrist-o-matic can manage a measured 7 or 8 foot pounds of torque using a screwdriver handled nut driver if I eat my Wheaties and reef it as hard as I can, which makes that a good tool for "snugging" down valve cover bolts.
 
My rule of thumb with torque wrenches (especially cheap ones) is try to avoid using them at the bottom or top of their range. My 1/2" drive torque wrench can go down as low as 20ft lbs but anything less than 50ft lbs I get out the 3/8". If I had to do something in inch lbs I'd be using a 1/4".
 
My calibrated wrist-o-matic can manage a measured 7 or 8 foot pounds of torque using a screwdriver handled nut driver if I eat my Wheaties and reef it as hard as I can, which makes that a good tool for "snugging" down valve cover bolts.
I don't use a torque wrench on non critical stuff. Valve covers? No. Transmission pans, yes.
 
What's the difference between torqueing a valve cover and a transmission pan?
Some transmission pan bolts are aluminum (because the cases are magnesium) and can be torqued too hard. You can usually get away with putting them in too tight, but then they break off when you try to do the next change. The transmission pan/case seam is almost always under the fluid level so if you squish the gasket too much it's ruined. In the good old days the US car pan gaskets were all cork or cork with rubber pieces and easily over tightened. Rubber ones were hard to find or special order.
So I just got used to using the torque wrench on them.
Valve covers are less likely to leak really badly if you screw it up a little bit.

Oh, if the valve cover is just that, a cover over the rockers, it isn't that critical. But some companies, like Mercedes, include the cam bearing cap in the valve cover on some engines. Those I use a torque wrench on.
 
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