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

[Nighthawk01]

now loosing 0 oil since the new valve cover.

 

[VexRacing]

I just noticed it but It looks like my valve cover gasket might be split or cracked. Im curious if anyone else has had this problem or if it might be coming from somewhere else. The turbo and everything is dry. Its on the front by the timing belt cover. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[ASZRAEL1266]

check your oil dip stick they tend to pop up and spray oil. Also a leaky valve cover is common with dms. The little half moon thing likes to leak alot.

 

[bluesnow]

I changed my oil cap and it helped a bunch. Machv has then for like 5 bucks or something like that.

 

[ASZRAEL1266]

if you want to be cheep you can buy a new one from a parts store change the gasket on the oil cap reuse yours then return the one you bought.

 

[bluesnow]

not a big deal but that was a good idea. I didnt think they made the gasket for the oil cap.

 

[stuffy1256]

i took off my spark plaug cover and there is a good little pool of oil. I cleaned it up and a few days later there was oil again. I have no idea where all this oil is coming from. Anyone know where it could be from? thansk for the help.

-Elliott-

 

[Spln_Hrd]

could be oil cap, or hairline cracks in the valve cover pull it off and clean it up real good and look.

i would do a search i think theres alot about this

just type in cracks valve cover

 

[98RedGs]

There was a thread that just discussed the same exact spot that the leak was coming from. Turned out that it was "the oil cap".
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=95427

Theres you a link.

 

[MyRidzPhucked]

Any way you look at it, its a cheap fix.
1) replace oil cap gasket. main problem usually.
2)oil still there? spend the money and pull the valve cover off and replace the gasket there and the spark plug gaskets. Its acutally the spark plug gaskets that are the problem, but you need to replace the valve gasket anyways.
3) be sure to kill the problem and do all 3 things (dont forget the half moon plug a the same time) and you will be happy, no more leak. if there IS a leak, then you will be mad. time for new valve cover. Basically, CHECK THE HELL out of it when off. carb cleaner will clean off the brown, and check like a mad man. dont want to pull the valve cover off again after replacing all that.

 

[Vinnie]

I had the same thing happen to me, it turn out it was the oil cap that was to old and was leaking oilunder pressure.

 

[the_jester]

i have the exact same problem

 

[jiggaman]

I had the same problem and it was my valve cover. You had to look real hard to see the crack..

 

[VBGSX]

Mine was the oil cap also.
Just make sure you get a mitsu OEM oil cap. I bought one from a local parts place first. That didn't work. Then when I posted a thread about a year ago about it, someone suggested the OEM one. I swapped to an OEM one and BAM the problem went away.
NOTE: I also replaced the PCV valve while I was under the hood.

 

[HyperGSX]

I replaced the Valve cover gasket, spark plug gasket, oil cap, and half-moon gasket on my car and tightened and sealed everything down. I popped the hood today and noticed that oil is leaking from around the majority of the inner and outer valve cover bolts. What could be causing this problem??

 

[Moosh]

Did you silicon the gasket first?

 

[billdo_83]

Your valvecover itself could be cracked.
If there is a little bit of oil dont worry about it. Its not that big of a deal. My car does that and so does everyother DSM that I know of. There is always a little bit of oil on the VC itself.

 

[TSi90Awd]

Bro, an easy fix is jb-weld quick set. Take the valve cover off and use carb cleaner or some degreaser and clean the top of it(on the inside where the leak is). Flip it over and find the crack, but you have to look very carefully because it doesn't take much more than a hairline crack to cause a leak because of the pressure inside. When you find the leak just apply jbweld to the crack on the outside<------. Let it sit, preferrably in the sun to dry the best. Then put the cover in shade until it cools down( if you bolt it up warm it cracks easier). Then apply the cover back to the head. Remember only 2-3 lbs. of pressure. And there you have it, a quick fix.

 

[billdo_83]

Originally posted by TSi90Awd
Bro, an easy fix is jb-weld quick set. Take the valve cover off and use carb cleaner or some degreaser and clean the top of it(on the inside where the leak is). Flip it over and find the crack, but you have to look very carefully because it doesn't take much more than a hairline crack to cause a leak because of the pressure inside. When you find the leak just apply jbweld to the crack on the outside<------. Let it sit, preferrably in the sun to dry the best. Then put the cover in shade until it cools down( if you bolt it up warm it cracks easier). Then apply the cover back to the head. Remember only 2-3 lbs. of pressure. And there you have it, a quick fix.

That is what was done to my car when I bought it. I suggest just spending the 30 dollars on a new VC and putting that on your car. You can do what I did and paint it if you want to

 

[Defiant]

Originally posted by TSi90Awd
Flip it over and find the crack, but you have to look very carefully because it doesn't take much more than a hairline crack to cause a leak because of the pressure inside.

Pressure? What pressure?

 

[BUCK]

Did you torque it evenly - over & over until they all pulled 2-3 ft lbs? It takes a little while with a new gasket - & you don't put RTV on all areas of a new gasket - just around the half moon & cam areas.

 

[MyRidzPhucked]

Originally posted by BUCK
Did you torque it evenly - over & over until they all pulled 2-3 ft lbs? It takes a little while with a new gasket - & you don't put RTV on all areas of a new gasket - just around the half moon & cam areas.

Its up to you about the RTV
I went the safe route and did the whole gasket. I cant see any harm in this prectice, but i cant back it up too much because when i fixed my gaskets up there i havent been able to drive it since due to winter and not being registered and such.
Probably time for a new valve cover. Is it worse than it used to be before you first fixed it? If its an improvement i'd keep it for at least a while, make it somewhat worthwhile to buy and install all that stuff and then have to buy new ones cause of it.
If you re-top your oil, everything should be fine. Just tell your buddies they're jealous their crappy engines dont have signature problems

 

[95AWDGSX]

I read a post before about an oil cap gasket for this problem instead of buying a new oem one. Can I get that gasket at any auto parts store? Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[98RedGs]

Originally posted by 95AWDGSX
I read a post before about an oil cap gasket for this problem instead of buying a new oem one. Can I get that gasket at any auto parts store? Correct me if I'm wrong.

You don't HAVE to buy just the gasket, you can actually pickup a cap for about the same price+hassle of putting on the gasket itself. But call your local mitsu or parts store and tell em the gasket. They can hook yah up.

 

[95AWDGSX]

Originally posted by 98RedGs
You don't HAVE to buy just the gasket, you can actually pickup a cap for about the same price+hassle of putting on the gasket itself. But call your local mitsu or parts store and tell em the gasket. They can hook yah up.

Hey thanks for the help. But just one more thing for peace of mind. I had orignally thought (and still do) that the problem was from the oil cap since I've read so many posts on this topic. But the other day I went to a shop that does work on a lot of dsms and this dood told me that the oil cap wasnt the main problem for the little oil pool I get under the spark plug cover (that i have to wipe down all the time) but that he said something like the valve cover on dsms are weak against heat and therefore need to put some JB (or JD) Weld and have it dry for the day. Does that sound familiar or make sense to anyone?