A loose valve cover wouldnt have hurt anything would it have? i went to change the gasket, all bolts were loo?

Question

could this be the reason my motor knocks like a diseal?

Answer 1

loose valve cover can let dirt in there

Answer 2

Just to add to Jake's answer, the valve cover also acts as a sound barrier as well for those valves so if it was loose, the valve lifters and rockers may certainly sound louder.

Answer 3

well, all a valve cover does is stops oil from sqirting out, so yes it could have hurt something if you lost a lot of oil and if you did its probly a rod knock, but if your oil level was normal, then no it was not the cause of any problems

Answer 4

if it made the engine run dry it could have hurt it, but not otherwise.

if its an alloy valve cover it could have been rattling around and making the noise you're talking about-  it also would have made the tappets sound louder.