88GTBlack

My valve cover gasket is leaking perfusively. Its going to be the 4th time i tried to fix it. I bought a cork gasket, it leaked. I bought the felpro more expensive one, it still leaks. I tried crankin em down tight, leavin em hand tight every time ive done it i pulled the valve cover off. I dont have a torque wrench, what would 34ish lb of torque feel like.

Both gasket surfaces are spotless. It only leaks on the spark plug side of the motor all 3 times i did it. what gives what could be the problem? my valve cover isnt cracked anyone else have this issue that could also know any tricks?

dougy_fresh

pcv stopped up? this can and will cause oil to be blown out

ken72

I would say to go buy a torgue wrench...

I know thats not the answer you are looking for... but honestly you could spend more time and money on trying to guess your way through it. Its better to just do it right once.

Tural

yeah, torque wrench is your geenie in any automotive repair. takes the guesswork and rework out. and X2 on the pcv. i bet you your intake manifold and your intake ports look like crap. check my album out and you will see what i went through this weekend because of a leaking valvecover.

halmotors

Just don't do what I did and buy a torque wrench with pound/inch measurements on it, instead of pound/feet. You'll rarely need to know pound/inch measurements when working on your vehicle. Spend the money to get a good one; it'll save you a lot of headaches down the road.

93gc40

Oil pressure switch leaking? Could be spraying the cover making it Look like its leaking.

Borego

busted valve cover

5-90

Wow! "Thirty-four-ish" pound-feet of torque is way too much - you're crushing your gaskets!

Purchase a new valve cover gasket and LocTite #518 Gasket Eliminator (if available) or RTV black (if not. The 518 is better for this job.)

1) Remove valve cover.
2) Clean both mating surfaces thoroughly. (You can use a brass wire wheel on the head, use Scotch-brite pads or discs on the aluminum cover. Rinse both surfaces thoroughly with carburettor cleaner, you can rinse the head down the drainback holes, and the particles will get caught in the filter. They should not cause any trouble with the oil pump proper.)
3) Let both mating surfaces dry thoroughly.
4) Lay a bead of sealant around the valve cover rail on the cylinder head.
5) Lay the gasket on the bead.
6) Lay a beat of sealant around the valve cover perimeter.
7) Lay the valve cover on the gasket, and align.
8) Install the screws finger tight only!
9) Go have a sammich and beverage of choice. Come back in a half-hour.
10) Tighten screws to 84 pound-inches (7 pound-feet) and stop. If you don't have a torque wrench that goes that low, tighten them finger tight and then use a wrench to go about a half-turn past that.
11) Let gasket set up for another half-hour.
12) Return to service. Examine and retorque PRN the following day (there are often a couple of screws that work loose. It is sometimes helpful to use LocTite #222 - or equivalent - or clear fingernail polish on the threads of these screws.)

Again, that torque figure you want is 84 pound-inches or 7 pound-feet! Anything over 120 pound-inches/10 pound-feet is likely to crush the gasket, anything over 180 pound-inches/15 pound-feet damned sure will crush the gasket! Treat this point as Important...

5-90

A pound-inch torque wrench can be useful - there are quite a few places where the screw torque can be measured in pound-inches, and that can save you trouble. Which places?
- Valve Cover
- Engine Oil Sump
- Transmission Oil Sump
- AW4 NSS Collet Locknut

And those are the ones I can think of offhand. I'm sure there are more. Overtorquing the first three can net you loads of headaches - which is why I have a pound-inch wrench and a pound-inch screwdriver (I also work on small electronics and small mechanisms.)

You can use a "torque angle" method to guesstimate torque in pound-inches, but it's better to use a proper wrench.

JeepingDan

Check the cover for straightness might be warped.

SWC custom

dude its a jeep tey all leak after a while!!! if u keep trying to fix it it will just get worse, leave it alone and just make sure to check ur oil everynow and then..

halmotors

Like what? Out of morbid curiosity, of course.

96Cherokee113

If I were you, I'd pull it one more time and lay it on a flat surface to make sure it isn't warped. Get another nice felrpo gasket and instead of just putting the nuts on the studs and cranking them down, use some hold downs to apply even pressure. If you don't know what I'm talking about, this is what they look like.

Tural

here's a good pointer. say you're turning the bolts with a 3/8 drive and about a 10 inch extension. turn it snug, then grab the wrench with 4 fingers and put your thumb on the center pivoting section and turn it a little bit more. drive on that and check after about 40 miles. if it's leaking, turn it a LITTLE BIT more. don't keep tightening it until you get it hiney hole tight. if it needs more than two adjustments, it's probably bent or warped and no amount of gasket sealant is gonna seal it. go to a JY and get another one.

fishtaconc

dont forget measuring (with gauge) bearing preload