They just won't quit leaking! I'm on my third set now! The head sealing surface is straight, the valve covers are straight, I'm torquing them to specs, the surfaces are clean. I am using m6 bolts with 10mm heads. I can't figure out where they are leaking from, but this time its about a quart every five miles. I just purchased a mirror finish center cover.....and the o-rings for the allen head plugs in the middle. I put the new o-rings on, and no, the cover is not under the valve cover or anything like that. I don't know what it is. It filled up the entire spark plug valley in a matter of minutes of driving. Two mechanics have looked at it, and are clueless...... Anyone know? There are no visible cracks, and I can't see the leak. They are only leaking on the inside close to the valley....not a drop on the outsides.
valve cover gaskets....again.
- Thread starter gixxer750
- Start date
when i get home i'll post up a pic of what you should do. it works flawlessly for me. i've never had a leaky valve cover gasket since.
(gray rtv sealant all along the mating surface of the gasket to the head)
-shaeff
(gray rtv sealant all along the mating surface of the gasket to the head)
-shaeff
The valve covers could be warped. For me, had to tighten up the covers evenly, then finish tightening the inner hex bolts first to help ensure to seal that side of the covers.
I know you aren't supposed to because it could crack them, but I tightened them down to about 20ft./lbs, and the TSRM doesn't even call for half that. I haven't had any issues, and I thank the rubber grommets for that.
here's what you need to do, my friend. 
works like a charm. sorry about the HUGE pic. i'm new to the whole online hosting thing, and i pasted the wrong link, then when i tried to do a thumbnail, it was gone! it wont happen again, i swear anyway, put a nice little coating of RTV on there, in conjunction with the gaskets, and it shouldnt leak!
-shaeff
works like a charm. sorry about the HUGE pic. i'm new to the whole online hosting thing, and i pasted the wrong link, then when i tried to do a thumbnail, it was gone! it wont happen again, i swear anyway, put a nice little coating of RTV on there, in conjunction with the gaskets, and it shouldnt leak!
-shaeff
a common leaking spot is right be the CPS gear, where it goes from a flat to a curved surface. you need to put RTV in there, as the valve cover gasket will not seal into the corners. doing this, i have not had any leaks, and in my opinion, there is no need to use RTV around the entire cover like shaeff has done
well, do what you'd like, but i've seen far too many pics with people having leaky valve covers, and mine will never do that. it's ugly and messy! putting RTV around the entire thing wont HURT it, it helps guarantee a good seal.
in the TSRM it says just to put some FIPG (basically RTV) in the corners at the front, where the semi-circle of the cams are. i figure just do the whole damn thing. insurance.
see here, first picture:
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/TSRM/em/EM_56.html
-shaeff
it's ugly and messy! putting RTV around the entire thing wont HURT it, it helps guarantee a good seal. in the TSRM it says just to put some FIPG (basically RTV) in the corners at the front, where the semi-circle of the cams are. i figure just do the whole damn thing. insurance.
see here, first picture:
http://www.cygnusx1.net/supra/library/TSRM/em/EM_56.html
-shaeff
RacerXJ220 said:
your torquing them down that far? dont our valve cover gaskets actually leek when you OVER tighten them also. and how have you not stripped the alluminum?
get your valve covers pressure washed they may just be cracked a little bit and leeking from the crack. looked over my friends valve cover and it looked flawless, then we had the machine shop acid dip them and pressure wash it and we found like 4 cracks.
Hi all
I have the same problem on my N/A mk3 and was just about to ask about this how hard a job is it to remove clean and reseal could it be done in a day and would this leak cause exhaust to smoke on hard accelleration or not as i have only had minis before i am clueless to jap engines
thanks
I have the same problem on my N/A mk3 and was just about to ask about this how hard a job is it to remove clean and reseal could it be done in a day and would this leak cause exhaust to smoke on hard accelleration or not as i have only had minis before i am clueless to jap engines
thanks
I can change the valve cover gaskets (both of them) in 30 minutes from start to finish, but I also have had problems with them leaking. Then I figured out that my PCV system had a kinked hose and was mostly clogged and was therefore under a lot of pressure and destroying oil seals. check that little hose under the blow-off valve and make sure it isn't crushed/kinked/damaged. I put a plastic 90-degree bender thing there and it's been fine ever since.
I don't have a stock pcv system....I have a catch can... and nothing is stopped up..... I didn't use any rtv sealant on the corners though. I will redo them tommorow with ultra black.....damn these things are leaking a shit load. like 3 quarts in 10 miles.....
You just rebuilt the engine? How's the compression?
You throwing a code for fuel cut?
Does the oil come through the covers off boost, or on boost?
You throwing a code for fuel cut?
Does the oil come through the covers off boost, or on boost?
Just a quick question I wanted to ask. (didn't want to start a new thread so I'll tack on to the end of this one). Is there many people running without the 3rd (middle) spark plug cover. I think Dylan is running his off. Any negatives in doing so?
i'm bringing this thread back to life because my car is pissing me off and I want more people to comment on the rtv solution
I tried black RTV on mine, I just put a relatively large bead on the head mating surface... however, my O-rings were already oiled up a little bit and I didn't use any brake clean on them or the head surface, so I think the RTV didn't seal right... so I have to re-do it again
I've also heard of people putting RTV bead in the groove in the cam covers to help seal there too, should I do that as well?
I'm also going to be getting some hex bolts to keep the god damn things down I'm so sick of leaking oil... in a few hours my car basically ran itself dry thank GOD I don't have rod knock (i hope)
I tried black RTV on mine, I just put a relatively large bead on the head mating surface... however, my O-rings were already oiled up a little bit and I didn't use any brake clean on them or the head surface, so I think the RTV didn't seal right... so I have to re-do it again
I've also heard of people putting RTV bead in the groove in the cam covers to help seal there too, should I do that as well?
I'm also going to be getting some hex bolts to keep the god damn things down I'm so sick of leaking oil... in a few hours my car basically ran itself dry thank GOD I don't have rod knock (i hope)
I've just put RTV sealant in the grooves by the cam gears where it shows in the TSRM then torqued the bolts down to spec accordingly and I haven’t had a problem with that method. However I'm sure shaeff's method works equally well. It's a method used by Toyota, known as over engineering And it defiantly gets results. But it creates a mess upon disassembly and is unnecessary for me when a little dab does me just fine.
And it defiantly gets results. But it creates a mess upon disassembly and is unnecessary for me when a little dab does me just fine.ImUrTurboLover, are you sure that it's not your cam seals leaking? i popped a cam seal upon initial startup, and it pissed so much oil out it was unbelievable, and that was only in about 35 seconds. you might want to check those too.
as for over engineering by using lots of RTV on the valve cover mating surface? haha, yes, possibly, but how often do you take the valve covers off? so it's really not that bad of a mess because you're not takin those suckers off every day, right?
-shaeff
as for over engineering by using lots of RTV on the valve cover mating surface? haha, yes, possibly, but how often do you take the valve covers off? so it's really not that bad of a mess because you're not takin those suckers off every day, right?
-shaeff