Valve cover gasket still leaking!!

Roverfire

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2005
743
0
Casper,WY
I replaced my valve cover gaskets with the Felpro gaskets as recommended. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C2CN0Q/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00 Should I have used something else or some sealant with them? Here's a pic of where they're leaking. The gaskets did seem kind of stiff and not very pliable. I wonder if they were old?
IMG_0607.jpg
 
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p-dawger

Well-known member
Mar 16, 2011
84
0
.
Do you park your truck on an incline? I have found over numerous replacements that if you par on a slight, backward facing incline they will leak at the rear - no matter what you do in terms of gaskets or right stuff...they will leak.

You can stem the flow with the right gaskets and using the right stuff with the right torque on the bolts - but they leak if oil pools back in the rear.
 

braves6117

Well-known member
p-dawger said:
Do you park your truck on an incline? I have found over numerous replacements that if you par on a slight, backward facing incline they will leak at the rear - no matter what you do in terms of gaskets or right stuff...they will leak.

x2....I stopped parking on my driveway with an incline, haven't leaked since (replaced them again though when head gaskets were done, same as yours above). Although your leak appears more severe, and since the drip appears to be perpendicular to the ground, I'm guessing an incline was not involved.
 

Roverfire

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2005
743
0
Casper,WY
braves6117 said:
x2....I stopped parking on my driveway with an incline, haven't leaked since (replaced them again though when head gaskets were done, same as yours above). Although your leak appears more severe, and since the drip appears to be perpendicular to the ground, I'm guessing an incline was not involved.
It was parked on a flat surface. It was fine at first but once I drove it around it started leaking. Before I took the picture I washed everything down so the surfaces were clean. That's what they looked like after about a 1/2 mile drive. I might try the Beck/Arnley 036-1751 gaskets instead. They look like they're closer in style to the originals than the Felpro gaskets were. Oh well at least it will be a quicker install the 2nd time around.
 

psykokid

Well-known member
May 29, 2006
79
0
Pasadena, CA
Dont over tighten the bolts, they just need to be snug. Sometimes a little smudge of sealant on the mating surfaces can go a long way..
 

pdxrovermech

Well-known member
Jul 3, 2009
1,807
57
Portland, OR
i put right stuff along the inner edge on the valve covers, stick the gasket on, and then another thin layer on the bottom of the gasket. take off your oil cap while the vehicle is running and check for excessive blow by. if the case is building pressure then its going to force oil out somewhere.
 

Jake1996D1

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2011
3,363
1
West Des Moines IA
What the two above me said.. The crank case breather needs to be clear. Rightstuff is your friend in the battle against a leaky rover.. And The gaskets arent hard or soft. Id call then a medium stiffness however they are fairly flexible..
 

Roverfire

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2005
743
0
Casper,WY
My PCV valve was completely blocked and I had an extra on hand so I replaced it. The hose going from the valve cover(PCV valve) to the intake is clear. I ordered the new gaskets today so once they come in I'll post back on the results.
 

JohnB

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2007
2,295
12
Oregon
Bet that may be your issue. I always use the cheap gaskets either eurospare or the victor reinze that comes with the gasket kits.
If your leaking I bet you don't have the gasket seated correctly. Also I use a little dab of blue lock tight on the bolts. Those will loosen quick without some blue since they are just barely tight.
I would never use right crap on those gaskets. Overkill; plus the next time you will spend hours trying to clean that crap off.
Keep the brass spacers they are there so you don't bend your valve covers and really cause an oil leak.
 

Jake1996D1

Well-known member
Mar 28, 2011
3,363
1
West Des Moines IA
JohnB said:
Bet that may be your issue. I always use the cheap gaskets either eurospare or the victor reinze that comes with the gasket kits.
If your leaking I bet you don't have the gasket seated correctly. Also I use a little dab of blue lock tight on the bolts. Those will loosen quick without some blue since they are just barely tight.
I would never use right crap on those gaskets. Overkill; plus the next time you will spend hours trying to clean that crap off.
Keep the brass spacers they are there so you don't bend your valve covers and really cause an oil leak.

Hours? Really? So I take it you have never heard of a gasket scraper?
 

kennith

Well-known member
Apr 22, 2004
10,891
172
North Carolina
Be sure the spiral separator isn't clogged. Indeed, it's best to simply replace these every time the valve covers are removed.

If you replace it, though, be very careful. It's likely to break. Get the inside of the cover clean and dry enough so any broken pieces don't fall and stick in there, and can be removed with a vacuum.

As for the gaskets, go genuine and fit them precisely as noted in the manual. Thoroughly clean all the mating surfaces before installation. It should all look brand spanking new.

When cleaning them, avoid overly aggressive procedures. When using a scraper, go for a nylon model if possible. Use nylon brushes, as well. Any cleaning fluids should be carefully chosen. Some of them (including popular degreasers) will eat a solid millimeter of cadmium or nickle plating and pit the hell out of an aluminum wheel. You don't want something like that to happen to your aluminum.

Those are the kind of mistakes that lead to seemingly incurable leaks.

It's going to take a while, but we all have wasted time that can be put to better use.

Valve covers that aren't plain old stamped steel models can be tricky, as once the seeping starts, it's very difficult to completely eliminate.

Cheers,

Kennith
 

JohnB

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2007
2,295
12
Oregon
Jake1996D1 said:
Hours? Really? So I take it you have never heard of a gasket scraper?

I'm not in much of a hurry. Don't really like doing this job twice especially with a D2 since the top intake and all the other crap has to come off to do the valve cover gaskets.
 

jymmiejamz

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2004
6,010
362
35
Los Angeles, Ca
Jake1996D1 said:
Hours? Really? So I take it you have never heard of a gasket scraper?

Hours might be an exaggeration, but it is not fun cleaning Right Stuff off of valve covers. Any other RTV comes off easily. I've always contemplated using just Right Stuff and no gasket, granted I've never actually done it.
 

Roverfire

Well-known member
Jan 2, 2005
743
0
Casper,WY
When I had the covers off I cleaned the inside of them since they were so dirty. I noticed there is a inner plate or baffle that runs the whole length of the cover. It is held on by 8 screws I believe. Should I pull those off and clean under them? I guess I could use some blue loctite when I put the screws holding the plate/baffle back in so they won't come loose and fall out later. The RAVE manual doesn't mention loctite for the cover bolts. Considering it since the inside bolts under the intake manifold were finger tight when I pulled them out before.
 

Bosbefok

Well-known member
Jul 20, 2010
420
0
Orlando, FL
Remove the plates and clean them, loctite is over kill on the screws. If you read correctly in rave it says something like remove valve cover bolts and discard them. Then with the assembly is says something like use new patched valve cover bolts. "Patched" I assume is thread locker aka loctite, so use some blue stuff on the valve cover bolts.