Synful

** Skip to end if you don't really want an indepth of what I've done so far **


First I had a major oil leak. It ended up being the china walls (where the V in the block meets the intake manifold). I replaced everything inbetween The top and there with new gaskets and plenty of black RTV.

Things sealed up and cleaned up:

Intake manifold
Distributor
Valve Covers
Oil pressure sending unit

Now I have a leak. It appears to be on the passenger side, as the passenger side of the block, or what I can see of it from underneath, is wet in comparison to the driver's side. It appears to puddle directly above the third spark plug wire from the back of the engine. It then drips onto that wire, and then drips down onto another tube or something. However, it looks like that is only one place where it is going. It also appears to leak all the way down to where the Y-Pipe touches the suspension part that runs from left to right on the bottom of the car. Dunno what It's called....it's directly infront of the exhaust pipe and I use it to jack up the car.

At this very point, where the Y-Pipe touches the car or nearly touches the car, smoke emerges from the bottom from it burning up

on the driver's side looking underneath there is very very little oil. trace amounts if any, 99.99% of that side is dry....but there is SOME...which is not normal







Here's what I'm thinking and correct me if I'm wrong. I bought brand new edelbrock elite series valve covers. they are thick...really thick...and due to this thickness the stock hold down tabs did not fit with as short of studs i had. so I thought the extra thickness of the covers would be enough to not need the hold down tabs. I put them on without those.

Ever since I fixed the major oil leak, it has been leaking a very small amount. and only recently has it been smoking from it burning up....

Do you guys think I need the hold down tabs?? I don't think I overtightened the valve cover bolts....because when I went to check them with the ratchet tonight they were a good amount of tightness...not loose at all either. But I gave them a good 1/4 turn more to see if they were too loose. not the case.


help me out here guys I need to fix all of my leaks before I put in A/C.....so that can start leaking too

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

What valve cover gaskets are you using?
Just RTV on one side of cork gaskets sorta thing?

I'd make sure your lash is good, then put RTV on both sides of the gaskets, and set it in place. Wait an hour until it's good and dry, then put on your bolts.

Hold down tabs (if i'm thinking of the right part) distribute the load right? So if these valve covers are really thick (aluminum?) then they may not be needed.
It certainly sounds like a valve cover gasket leak though.

Synful

im using fel-pro composite (cork and other misc materials) with metal core gaskets

RTV on both sides

what the hell is lash.

when I put them on I didn't wait an hour for anything to dry. I just tightened it up

hold down tabs do distribute the load. ya I was thinking I didn't need them with the new thick valve covers but wanted to make sure. yes they are thick polished aluminum.


oh btw when I said it was puddling up above the spark plug, i meant that it was puddling up on the heat shield right above the plugs.

passenger side valve cover is just about my least favorite thing to do. =(

Tobias05

I think sonix ment valve lash.

Synful

ya i don't really know what that is either sorry lol

all I know about the heads is that they leak and there is very minor smoke at startup due to this.

Viprklr

iTrader: (5)

Valve lash is setting the rockers and valves. I'm sure he's saying make sure that's correct due to RTV'ing everything closed.

You do not need the hold down tabs with those valve covers. Tighten up your hold down bolts gutenteit.

Slayre

It is possible you over tighten the valve covers and pinched the gasket. I dont know what actual torque specs are, but it isnt much.Tabs will help reguardless the thickness of the cover because the do help ditribute the load as you said. Did they come with tabs? Either way they cant hurt. I always prefered the rubber style myself, they seem more durable and are a little more forgiving if you do snug them to tight compared to cork style.

Supervisor42

Throw those damn cork gaskets away. If they don't leak when you first install them, they will leak later.
Here's some facts about cork:
1. it shrinks over time. Always has, always will.
2. it will not tolerate heat. Fine for an oil pan, does not belong on a cylinder head. Ask anybody that has scraped off a few hundred. After a few years and thousand miles, they are about as much of a gasket as melba toast.
Back in the 70's the factory couldn't get the stamped sheet metal valve covers and the cast (non-machined) surface on top of the cylinder head flat withing 1/16". Cork was the only thing "mushy" enough to seal it. "Gap filling capability" is what it is called.
In the '80s they figured out that the gasket WAS more of a problem than the misalignment and they started putting them on with only a bead of high-temp RTV just like the "china wall" gaskets that went away. It worked.
(later they went to a captive gasket in a plastic valve cover because it was cheaper and could be installed by a robot)
Unless you plan to be under the valve covers a lot (like adjusting a solid lifter setup) you should put them on with a 1/8" bead of high-temp RTV that has had 2 hours to cure.
If you need to be pulling them off, use a rubber gasket glued to the cover with RTV that has set up for atleast 2 hours and chassis grease on the head side. Expect a little "seepage" but nothing that equals a drip.

Sonix

iTrader: (1)

I used a cork gasket with RTV on the cover side, and nothing on the base. It's the only thing on my engine that HASN'T leaked... yet.

Yes valve lash. With hydraulic lifters you should never have to reset them, just make sure they're right, then glue on the valve covers.

Maybe try to find a set of longer than stock valve cover studs so you can use your hold down tabs, but with the thick AL covers I wouldn't bother.

Synful

the ones i used are not cork though they are composite with a steel core

they were the best ones available from fel-pro lol. if one of you knows a better one could you direct me to it on summit with a link please?

also....do the heads themselves ever leak oil? I'd like to pin this down before I go through the trouble of pulling the passenger side valve cover....not a fun job.

i'll check it out again today while it's still on stands and cooled down...see if I can find a source. I was thinking it could only be valve covers due to the leak starting so high...however, now that I think of it the heat shield for the plug wires is about 1/2" below the manifolds, so it might be possible that they are leaking from the bottom of the heads themselves if that is even possible.


Also...what is this the proper procedure for valve cover gaskets:

1. non-cork gasket with steel core
2. RTV on the cover side, then apply gasket. allow that to dry for 2 hours
3. grease on engine side (why not rtv?) apply valve cover
4. tighten with very low torque tool and be gentle


I did all of those things except i used RTV on both sides and didn't allow dry time. I don't understand why you need dry time for those....I didn't need dry time for the intake manifold and it's not leaking at all.

Supervisor42

Yep. Nice thick ones that are almost 1/4" thick? They are half cork.
Keeps them from sticking when covers have to come off and go back on multiple times. Lets you reuse the gaskets.
Uncured RTV on both sides of thick gaskets acts like a lubricant and the joint will "spit out" the gasket. That's why the gaskets you have have a steel core in them, to try to keep the middle part from shifting when it's tightened down.

Synful

fantastic.

i super tightened the valve covers and there is no more oil leak....who knows if i ruined the gaskets now or not....but it sounds like they were no good to start with....so I tightened them in a fit of rage.

i see no drip under the car and no smoke coming from under the hood, but I didn't open the hood and check or put it up on stands.

while I was driving it I noticed my oil pressure gauge dropped to zero....i didn't see exactly when it happened....somewhere midway on my 5 mile trip to the burger king. turned it off and back on, no oil pressure on the gauge.
the car didn't just dumped 5 qts of oil in that timeframe so I'm pretty sure something is screwy with the sending unit or the gauge.

no tranny leaks either now....yet...