Hole in Head?

[Danimal1209]

Hi I might have a big issue here but I am unsure. Hoping you guys could help.

Me and my girlfriend were cleaning her valve cover because there was some sort of oil leak somewhere. Oil was making it to the TOP of the valve cover, I thought it was somehow coming up through where the bolts go in. So we cleaned it and took it out for a drive, while driving we notice a slight amount of smoke coming from under the hood. After we got home I popped the hood and there was oil all over the manifold. After closer inspection, where the valve cover is bolted down (on the outside portion of the valve cover) there was a hole where the bolt goes in. Like the bolt screws down and the bottom of where it goes popped off or soemthing. Is this the head? Should I post a picture?

If it happens to be the head, thats a pretty big expense to replace. Can I just put on some jb weld or something similar to close it off? Any help is greatly appreciated.

 

[cheap90gsx]

posting the pic would get you much better help.

 

[Danimal1209]

ok, this isnt our engine but I circled where the same spot is. A hole has somehow manifested itself here, I can even see the thread of where the bottom of the bolt should be.

 

[cheap90gsx]

ouch, you may need to look into getting a new head. maybe you can use some ingenuity to secure the valve cover to the head for now until you can come across a head for a good deal.

 

[Danimal1209]

The valve cover is securely on there, just there is a hole there. Could I use some epoxy putty on it to seal off the hole? Atleast for now?

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

I dont see anything there. Please show a better picture.

James

 

[Danimal1209]

I cannot show another picture because my camera doesn't have a macro mode.

What I have circled is where the hole is on my engine, since I cannot show you a good picture of my engine, I have posted a picture of a similar engine and circled where on my engine the hole has manifested itself. Imagine that engine right there, but it would have a hole where I circled.

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

Please use more specific terms than engine. (IE, block, head, valve cover, and such) Engine is a vague term. Which implies nothing or everything.

James

 

[oldman420]

Thats just a small hole in the valve cover. Take it off and get some welding shop to fill it, keep in mind its pot metal so they may have difficulty. Really your just better off getting a used one and putting in a new gasket and done.

 

[Danimal1209]

Its whatever the valve cover screws into.

Also, I just noticed after driving it again for about 5 minutes there is alot of smoke coming from under the manifold. Also, there is somehow oil on the underside of the hood like the oil is just spewing out from the bottom end of the block.

 

[oldman420]

yah ok, then if it is the "thing" that the cover screws into it's your head. and thats not good.

 

[VETTE_50_TH]

Did you drill into the head, because that shouldn't just happen.

James

 

[Danimal1209]

Ok, so we discovered the oil is not coming from the hole. We think now the oil is coming up from the bottom portion of the engine somehow. Here are some pictures, is there any way to tell just from the pictures where the possible oil leak could be coming from?

After driving it for a bit the smoke is coming from the left side of the manifold.

 

[tkelly27]

There is a hole in he head, is it a round hole, or is a piece missing? Does the hole go up to the point where the head mates to the valve cover?

Lets say its a round hole, you could take the valve cover off and tap it. If it's an oblong shape hole, you could take it to a shop and have a patch welded onto it. If it's where the head mates with the the valve cover you will need a new head. You could maybe have it repaired, but at that price you'd be better off getting a rebuilt head.

Have you had the engine running while you're looking at it? That much oil and you'll see it squirt out and the mystery of where it's coming from will be solved.

Oil smokes when it hits the manifold, the leak and smoke are very much connected.

 

[Danimal1209]

while running the car in park, no oil or smoke is seen, even while revving it. After a trip around the neighborhood, the smoke is easy to see.

There is also a lifter tick like sound, but I had the lifters replaced last year and it didnt fix the noise.

The oil isnt coming from the small hole......

 

[gstryyder]

wow, lots of oil. bummer. valve cover gasket? how does your pcv valve flow? can you get any other angles of the engine, and not all of them super close. maybe can look for a "spray pattern" of where the oils coming from. ### that is a lot of funking oil everywhere. doesn't look like just a simple leak tho with all the spatter everywhere.

 

[solidviper89]

I was thinking vc gasket but thats way too much oil... isnt there an oil passage by one of the exhaust mani studs?

 

[Danimal1209]

the valve cover gasket isnt leaking. and im not sure what a pcv valve is. also not sure what an oil passage is. As for spray pattern. it seems to be shooting up from the left side of the manifold.

 

[DSMTalonTsiAwd]

have you checked the oil feed line to the turbo?

 

[blackhawk2k7]

looks like your gasket is messed up, im not sure how you didnt catch your engine on fire

because my dipstick came out one time and sprayed hot oil everywhere catching my upper ac line's foam cover on fire and melted the paint in one spot on the outside before i put it out...

anyway, you should start it up after cleaning your headers and head free of all that oil and crap, and then have someone start it look for, listen for, smell for the leak even have someone rev it up slightly to see if you see any visible or otherwise flow of oil.

From what im guessing its your valve cover gasket not seating properly... you may have to re-seat it. or get a new one, and put on some gasket sealer on your new or old gasket... good luck