I have to give you some background to make this make sense.

Also, I am sorry that I don't know how to make these links to pictures in my webpage work from this page, get the pictures smaller, etc. You'll have to paste these links into a new browser windoe.

Back in the spring the oil pickup screen on the 960 got about 98% clogged. I had to have the pan dropped, screen cleaned, new O-rings, etc. While this was done the shop (an independent) told me that they had pulled the valve cover, checked to make sure there was no HLA trouble, make sure that there had been no camshaft bearing damage, etc. And while they were in there they told me that they had cleaned out whatever gunk they could to try to mitigate future issues.

About 5 pm today the 'second opinion' mechanic called to tell me that he had pulled the valve cover and I needed to come take a look

http://home.earthlink.net/~flseminarian/Full%20Valve%20Cover.JPG

The first thing that catches your eye is the fact that this sure doesn't look like a valve cover that was pulled six months/5,000 miles ago and cleaned out. The machanic tells me that the chemical seal would still be pink, as opposed to the brittle brown stuff in the picture. He doesn't think they ever went inside this engine

http://home.earthlink.net/~flseminarian/Gunked-up%20engine.JPG

and reamed out what they could.

Another thing you note is that the side of the valve cover bulges out ever-so-slightly just down and left (from this perspective). You will see the significance of this in the next picture

http://home.earthlink.net/~flseminarian/Crack%20in%20side.JPG

where you get a really good look at the crack from the inside. You can see the crack, which runs right up toward the bolt hole and, in fact, into the bolt hole.

http://home.earthlink.net/~flseminarian/Crack%20by%20Bolt%20Hole.JPG

You can also see some scratches in the baked-on oil, including some really deep ones, and a dent in the cover at its lower edge. As far as the new mechanic can figure, these are the marks from where they tried to pry the valve cover off by levering from within the filler tube.

You apparently cannot purchase just a valve cover for this engine, since the camshaft bearings are ground into the head and the valve cover. They are mated pairs, like buying a new barrel for a Browning over and under shotgun - you have to send it to the factory, where it is fitted to the gun.

We're going to see if this can be welded. The mechanic apparently knows someone very skilled in doing this type of work, and understands that this is aluminum, relatively thin, fragile, etc. I hope to hear something back from him Friday.