See full version: Why is My Valve Cover Gasket Leaking
Your valve cover gasket may be leaking for a variety of reasons. It could be shrunken, cracked or rotten, or your valve cover itself may be cracked or broken or one of the valve cover bolts may just be loose, allowing a little leak.
First, let’s make sure you actually have a leak coming from your valve cover gasket. Nothing is more frustrating than putting a lot of time and energy into solving a problem, only to find out all that work was for nothing and your problem was actually something else. Luckily valve cover gaskets can usually be pretty easy to diagnose. The valve cover gasket is almost always the highest seal in the engine. Your job is to find the evidence of the leak, or dripping oil and follow the drip higher and higher on the engine until it disappears. This can be pretty easy if it is on the front or side of the engine, but if the leak is in the back near the firewall it can be difficult to do without a flashlight and a mirror. The best way to check for a valve cover leak is to move enough things out of the way that you can check the whole perimeter of the valve cover from the top side. This may involve removing spark plug wires, throttle linkages or even the intake manifold. more
Once you’ve proved you have a valve cover gasket or another type of oil leak (if so, you may want to look at an oil leak sealant), you need to decide how to move forward. If you have a missing bolt or screw, it should be replaced immediately. The easiest way to do that is to remove a second bolt and take it to your local hardware store and ask them to match it. When replacing both, make sure to use a torque wrench to torque the bolts to the factory recommended setting. If you tighten them too much, you can risk breaking the valve cover, and if too loose, they can fall out again or cause a leak. If the valve cover is cracked or broken, get a replacement valve from the dealer, a junkyard, or even try eBay. here
Are you sure it's the power steering whining? These V8s tend to have whiny pulleys. Make sure you take care of that ASAP, as the idler pulleys can seize up and damage the timing cover. As far as your valve cover leak, I would also recommend taking care of that soon. If your rear valve cover is leaking, it can soak the alternator and cause that to fail. more
Could a leaking valve cover gasket cause a whining in my
power steering? Reservoir and power steering hose all look
good.
Oil pan was just replaced and car is still leaking oil and the water is leaking. What could this be? Also when I pushed down on the gas to accelerate the speed there was a lot of smoke rolling ou. [links]
A leaky valve cover gasket will not cause a whining. A low fluid level in the power steering reservoir will.
When a valve cover gasket is pinched, worn out or cracked, compressed oil from underneath the valve cover will find a way to escape. When this happens while the engine is running, the excess oil will drip on the cylinder head, fuel intake or in some cases, the exhaust pipes. These are all hot components that will burn the oil and produce a burning oil smell that is easily recognizable. If you smell burning oil, contact a professional mechanic so they can properly diagnose the cause of the oil leak and fix the problem. more
When it comes to sealing an engine, the gasket is the hardworking soldier that takes a tremendous amount of abuse but is typically never recognized for its effort. One of the most important gaskets that keep cylinder head hardware protected from the elements and keeps oil from escaping your motor is the valve cover gasket. Most valve cover gaskets are made from plastic or cork and are used as a seal between the cylinder head and the valve cover itself.
Sometimes when oil leaks from a valve cover gasket it leaks all the way down to the spark plug well and eventually seeps inside the spark plug tubes. This will cause a misfire or reduce engine performance. It can also cause a fire under your hood if it goes unrepaired. [links]
Although the valve cover gasket is well protected from the top and bottom, it is very delicate and prone to damage from the sides. Over a period of time the gasket becomes brittle and will crack due to exposure to dirt, debris, heat and other elements. When this occurs, the gasket can lose its integrity and leak, potentially causing cosmetic issues like leaking oil, or drivability problems and reduced engine performance. If not replaced by an ASE certified mechanic in time, a bad valve cover gasket can lead to complete engine failure.
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