Oil Leak On Oil Cover [Merged 9-7] cap gasket dipstick leaking pool

[CanadianTSi]

Did you change all the Gaskets and use some RTV on them when you did the VC?

 

[eboy0]

There's no oil leaking around the valve cover(where the gasket is), I changed gasket between swaps. Its inside the rectangular area where the spark plug cover rests... I'm thinking it's shooting out of the little oil drain hole on the bottom right corner of the valve cover.

 

[CanadianTSi]

There are gaskets that go around each spark plug hole...did you change those?

 

[eboy0]

Indeed I did. Bought a kit off ebay for like 15$ w/ valve cover gasket, spark plug gaskets, and the halfmoon seal aswell.

 

[eboy0]

Going by what Steve said, "An intake pressure test will help you find out if your turbo is leaking from the compressor into the oil return, again pressurizing the crankcase."

 

[keeler]

If the oil is on your spark plug boot when you pull it out then it's the gasket still start with that.

 

[eboy0]

There's no oil on the boot or inside the spark plug well. It's only on the bottom part, along the oil drain hole.

 

[fallenauthority]

There's no oil on the boot or inside the spark plug well. It's only on the bottom part, along the oil drain hole.

Oil cap, the seal rots over time and leaked oil into the spark plug area, not into the wells but into the rectangular area you are talking about it. Pick a cap up from napa for like 5-10 bucks and i bet your problem will be gone.

 

[eboy0]

I'll give that a try fallen, though wouldnt i see oil residue around the oilcap?

 

[fallenauthority]

I'll give that a try fallen, though wouldnt i see oil residue around the oilcap?

Sometimes you will, sometimes you wont, mine i couldnt see it, thats why i never thought it was the oil cap, but i replaced it and no more oil leak.

 

[sillyme]

had the same problem. it was the oil cap. i replaced all the seal including the spark plug ones. fallen is right

 

[just2asian]

your dipstick is shooting out? That could be a sign of blowby which means your piston rings could be shot, but don't jump to conclusions yet.

 

[talon91tsiawd1]

There's no oil leaking around the valve cover(where the gasket is), I changed gasket between swaps. Its inside the rectangular area where the spark plug cover rests... I'm thinking it's shooting out of the little oil drain hole on the bottom right corner of the valve cover.

Check your oil cap. Even though it might feel tight, it still might be leaking. And for your dipstick poping out you need to change your pcv, but you already did that. Try a little filter on the side of the valve cover. That will release pressure to the oil and stop the stick from poping out. You also might want to crimp the top of the dipstick tube, and if that does not help get a new dip stick.

 

[eboy0]

Check your oil cap. Even though it might feel tight, it still might be leaking. And for your dipstick poping out you need to change your pcv, but you already did that. Try a little filter on the side of the valve cover. That will release pressure to the oil and stop the stick from poping out. You also might want to crimp the top of the dipstick tube, and if that does not help get a new dip stick.

Did the fuel filter mod on the breather a while ago. From what i hear, crimping the dipstick is just a band aid, and doesn't solve the real problem, which i dont know what it is at this point.

 

[Splitpi]

do a compression test.

 

[eboy0]

do a compression test.

192 across all 4. Haven't done a leakdown test yet though..

 

[Splitpi]

192 across all 4. Haven't done a leakdown test yet though..

Hrm... seems a little high, standard value is 178 psi.

 

[eboy0]

Found that out a while ago, did like 2-3 seafoam treatments thinking it was carbon buildup, since I can see this thing running rich as hell.... compressions stayed constant though.

 

[kyleh]

oil cap seal is worn and leaking oil into the spark plug bay as those above me have said. there is really no other way oil can get into there cause if it was a leaking valve cover gasket how would the oil end up on top of the valve cover.

 

[Calan]

I have a leak very similar to this. I get oil on top of the plug wire cover, next to the cam gear cover. If I pull the cam gear cover however, there is no oil on the belt or anything under the cover.

I don't see any oil around the dipstick or oil filler cap and can't see any visual leaks whatsoever. If I remove all the oil splatter and go for a short drive, there it is again; usually a few small drops on top. This adds up and eventually starts getting blown back and accumulates on the plug wires, cruise cables, brake booster, etc.

I just bought the car a couple weeks ago and I'm thinking this has been going on for some time, as there is a lot of oil at the back side of the motor and down around the pan. I'm hoping that this is buildup from this small leak blowing back and running down, and not other leaks.

Do the two top bolts that hold the cam gear cover go all the way through? (it looks like it). Could oil seep up through these and then get blown back by the fans?

 

[Dream On]

Pull the pcv in the car now, and compare to the old one. Can you blow past them? I'm guessing that your old pcv was fine and the new one was junk. This would cause the dipstick to pop out if boost is entering the crankcase.

 

[ftwadlon88]

Hey, I have had the same exact problem with 3 talons so far. I had a 1g, it started by blowing the seals out. So i got them replaced. After i got them replaced it shot the dipstick out. Me not being the best mechanic in the world just put it back in, and went about my bussiness not running hard or anything. After awhile of not running a talon hard you have to, i did, and the head cracked. So i bought another talon about 2 weeks ago. This one is a 2g with a """rebuilt turbo""". After i brought it home i took it for a spin and wouldnt you know the dipstick poped out. So wew did a leak down test, an it came back fine, so i took it for another spin, this time nothing happend for about 2 hours. Then i was on it and it popped out again. I dont know where to go from here either. I have heard so many different things it could be, from piston rings, to bad turbo, to bad turbo seals, to pcv, to bad head. I'm not sure where to go from here, ill continue trying things to hopefully find the problem. Thanks EBOY0 for starting this thread

 

[romeen]

Check your oil cap. Even though it might feel tight, it still might be leaking. And for your dipstick poping out you need to change your pcv, but you already did that. Try a little filter on the side of the valve cover. That will release pressure to the oil and stop the stick from poping out. You also might want to crimp the top of the dipstick tube, and if that does not help get a new dip stick.

The valve cover breathers are actually less effective at relieving crank case pressure than the factory setup. The only benefit is keeping oily residue out of your intake, but now it's going into your engine bay. The stock setup allows crankcase vapors to be actively "pulled" out of the crankcase under boost.
Make sure your inline filter between VC and intake isn't clogged up.

 

[romeen]

Did the fuel filter mod on the breather a while ago. From what i hear, crimping the dipstick is just a band aid, and doesn't solve the real problem, which i dont know what it is at this point.

You're right about the crimping. It will work but unless the problem is a worn rubber ring on the dipstick you may just be masking a much more serious problem.

Removing PCV and blowing through it will not tell you if it is leaking. You must pressurize it with a compressor. If you have a boost leak tester, remove PCV from VC but leave it hooked up to IM, then perform test and check for leaks. My experience with DSM PCV valves is that the majority of them leak to some extent.

AS for the oil in your spark plug valley, it may be a long shot but make sure there are no cracks in your VC if everything else has checked out.

 

[eboy0]

Well I have 3 PCV valves in my possession, one was from the old valve cover i cracked, one from new one i bought, and the new one is from JNZ Tuning... I tried them all, none of them leak air one way, and blow fine when i blow from the other end.

I am positive there aren't any cracks in the valve cover, as i babied this one since the I cracked the old one.
Oil pressure reads 24-26 psi idle once car is warm, and 75 @ startup.
I know when the oilstick blew out because I can smell it inside the car..