valve cover - oil pooling

b00stingsx · 03-22-2005

no cracks, oil cap is fine, each bolt is tq'd correctly to spec... theres a small hole that seems like it might leak oil. Looks like it should be there, but i will clean it out, and then it will leak right through that hole again. its in the pictures... The hole im talking about is near the corner, in the sidewall of the valve cover... NOT the holes for bolts...

NOTE: this is just a old valve cover i had sitting around, not the one on my car.

TheBlizzard · 03-22-2005

Valve cover gasket? Sometimes there can be small cracks that you cannot see very good as well. About that hole, if it was there from the factory I am sure it shouldn't be leaking unless there is something that is suppose to go there.

CRAIG

Raptor · 03-22-2005

That hole is nothing more than an exit path for oil in the spark plug well area, if you look on the front side of the valve cover, it goes all the way through. If it is leaking oil, there is a crack internally in the VC under the baffle. Unless you know for sure it is leaking there, I would look for a different culprit, I have never seen one leak there.

AJ · 03-22-2005

How are you sure your 710 cap is fine? Even if it doesn't look like it's leaking they often do if the seal is bad.

b00stingsx · 03-22-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by DSMStyle

How are you sure your 710 cap is fine? Even if it doesn't look like it's leaking they often do if the seal is bad.

710 cap is fine, i cleaned off around it, drove the car, and oil pooled, but not anywhere from the cap area. I will look into it some more...

CDeutsch · 03-22-2005

When did it start? Did it start after you worked on it?

b00stingsx · 03-22-2005

was like this since the motor was rebuilt...

CDeutsch · 03-22-2005

Ever done a compression test? What were the numbers?

b00stingsx · 03-22-2005

havent yet, dont have a tester

CDeutsch · 03-22-2005

I asked that because my oil pool was caused by excesive crankcase pressure caused by too high compression, but that's not a likely cause for most people.

Did you pull your spark plug wires and make sure you could see a ring of black gasket in each whole where the valve cover meets the head? Those gaskeets like to fall off when putting the valve cover on.

Double check for cracks, clean up the cover, and then take it for a "short" drive. That way you may be able to determine where the oil is originating from before it spreads everywhere.

b00stingsx · 03-22-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by CDeutsch

I asked that because my oil pool was caused by excesive crankcase pressure caused by too high compression, but that's not a likely cause for most people.

Did you pull your spark plug wires and make sure you could see a ring of black gasket in each whole where the valve cover meets the head? Those gaskeets like to fall off when putting the valve cover on.

Double check for cracks, clean up the cover, and then take it for a "short" drive. That way you may be able to determine where the oil is originating from before it spreads everywhere.

alright thank you, I will try that as soon as i can. i took the boots off to clean the plug area, and one of the boots did have some oil in there, but not everything was oil-soaked, just the top portion of the spark plug hole. We did have the valve cover off to re-torque the ARPs after the break-in period of the motor.

b00stingsx · 03-22-2005

so maybe one of the rings is pinched or not on there correctly...

Raptor · 03-23-2005

It could be that one of them just isn't sealing correctly, that does happen on occasion. They are new gaskets.

b00stingsx · 03-23-2005

so i should take of the valve cover, and put it back on again, hoping for it to seal this time?

TheBlizzard · 03-23-2005

Yes.

CRAIG

Raptor · 03-23-2005

Take it off, inspect the gaskets, it is possible for foreign material to get into them above or below and cause a leak. then assemble it again. if one of the well gaskets is the problem, come down and pick another one up, I have a bunch of them here. I believe the VC and well gaskets in that motor are from the topline stuff you got originally but I can't be sure, that was a while ago.

b00stingsx · 03-23-2005

ok, finally got around to loooking at it more in depth, i did find a small crack on the side of the vc. so i need a different one.

TheBlizzard · 03-23-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by CRAIG

Sometimes there can be small cracks that you cannot see very good as well.

CRAIG

Bingo. Where was the crack? By a bolt hole?

CRAIG

b00stingsx · 03-23-2005

yep, the hole in the recessed part that is closest to the timing belts. you can see it in the 2nd pic.

Swifty1638 · 04-03-2005

Anyone have a valve cover for me now? Cause it's now my car, and I want this fixed..

-A. Swift