Valve cover leak? How to find?

[Shadowofoblivio]

After driving for a little bit i Find that there is oil in the spark plug wire valley (or whatever). just enough to cover the whole bottom of it lightly. The valve cover has new gaskets all the was around so i think it might have a crack. Is there any easy ways to check if i have a cracked valve cover or where the oil is leaking from? Thanks.

 

[ddavisaf]

Replace the gasket in the oil cap. It's 2 dollars at the dealership.

 

[Mike Marnik]

ya it could possibly be the oil cap when i bought my car it was leaking and a new one fixed it.

 

[Shadowofoblivio]

I just bought a new one right before i rebuilt the engine. the new oil cap only has been on for 600 miles. and the gasket is still on the oil cap.

 

[Mike Marnik]

hmm well it rules that out. is the cover not on tight enough or is it over tightend i had to retighten mine after a new gasket after a week or 2 because it was leaking

 

[dedlewamp]

hmm well it rules that out. is the cover not on tight enough or is it over tightend i had to retighten mine after a new gasket after a week or 2 because it was leaking

Be very very careful when doing this. If you use too much force when you are tightening them down again, you could strip the threads or crack the cover. Make sure the gasket is positioned correctly. Try and clean off the entire engine and then start it up and try to determine exactly where the oil is coming from.

Good luck!

 

[ISUJakey]

If you use too much force when you are tightening them down again, you could strip the threads or crack the cover.

Torque, not force. The cover-to-cylinder head bolts should be tightened to 36 in-lbs and the center cover bolts should be tightened to 24-36 in-lbs.

 

[TRBOBLU]

Ive replaced my oil caps with new gaskets and found they still leaked. What Ive been doing lately is doubling them up. Put the old gasket on the cap and a new one over top of that old. The cap fits nice and tight and doesnt leak. It may not be the best fix but it works great for me.

 

[Masochist]

On the donor car I bought to do my rebuild, it had oil in the same place. Pull the plug wires off the plugs and look inside the holes for oil on the walls and on the part of the plug wire that fits down inside the hole. If you have oil there, pull the valve cover and replace the gaskets. On mine the gasket had been cut from overtightening, and the gasket was actually kind of hanging inside the spark plug holes. Evertime it was driven, more oil in the valve cover.

 

[Shadowofoblivio]

On the donor car I bought to do my rebuild, it had oil in the same place. Pull the plug wires off the plugs and look inside the holes for oil on the walls and on the part of the plug wire that fits down inside the hole. If you have oil there, pull the valve cover and replace the gaskets. On mine the gasket had been cut from overtightening, and the gasket was actually kind of hanging inside the spark plug holes. Evertime it was driven, more oil in the valve cover.

but there isnt any oil in the spark plug wells themelves only aroung the valley that the cover goes on. all the gaskets are new because of the rebuild and the whole engine is clean. that is the only place that has oil on it. maybe i can get a picture of it.

 

[ddavisaf]

No need. There's only two things that could be wrong.
A) A bad oil cap
B) A cracked valve cover.

 

[talondude4]

No need. There's only two things that could be wrong.
A) A bad oil cap
B) A cracked valve cover.

Actually there could be another thing, were the plug holes are, on the back side of the valve cover there are seals on each and every spark plug hole. Is it just one plug area or is it all of them.

Also the valve cover gasket could have crimped or slide just enough to leak oil.

 

[ddavisaf]

No.
If the gaskets for the spark plug cylinders were bad it would leak oil onto the top of the plug and not out into the valley. And if the valve cover gasket were bad it would leak down onto the head.
So the only two ways to get oil in the spark plug valley would be via a cracked cover or a bad oil cap.