ok i have the old style valve covers and i cant get them to stop leaking for the life of me. ive had them off at least 3 times. im using the rubber gasket with the metal in the middle too. now the question i have is this: the very small lip that hangs over the gasket pointing down is slightly bent. im not talking about the part that sit over the gasket but the part that is on the outside edge of the gasket. is that whats causing mine to leak? both sides are leaking from the rear of the covers next to the firewall. i noticed it really squirts it out whenever i flog the engine. then i can really smell the oil coming out and burning. under normal easy driving i dont smell it. would i be better off just getting new covers?

 

Make sure the sealing surface on both the heads and the valve covers are perfectly straight. Perhaps try a small bead of RTV where the lip is bent out. Also, be sure you're not over torquing the valve covers and bending them. All you need to do is form a seal.

 

i know the heads are fine; they were checked out while at the machine shop. as for the torque on the valve covers; i dont have an in/lbs torque wrench and i was just tightening them to when the torque braces get flat. and i was doing it with a socket on the end of a screwdriver type handle. is there a better way?

 

Try ditching the gaskets all together, clean the surface on the head and valve cover, lay down a healthy bead (1/8" wide or so) of gasket silicone, set the valve cover on it, and just snug up the bolts. Come back in an hour or so and snug it all up a little more with a nut driver.

Always works for me

 

hmmm never thought of that one... i might try that. wouldnt it be a bitch to get the covers off again though? thanks btw!

 

Not really, but it depends how much you use... more silicone makes it harder to peel off. Sometimes, if you get it just right, the silicone stays on the valve cover and works like a reuseable gasket AND seals, lol.... I only did it once though

 

Ive found the rubberized gaskets work well if their properly prepped and the valve covers arnt distorted. You have to be really careful not to overtighten the VC bolts or it just mashes the seal around the bolts and doesnt seal anywhere else. Obviously they also spew like hell when this happens.

The way i did it was to lightly torque the valve cover bolts to what felpro recommended, and a week later retorque them to the same torque after the seals pressed down a bit. Also make sure to straighten out the lip of the cover so its nice and flat.

Even still, though, they always seemed to seep a very little bit, and form a goo around the rear of the covers. The later center bolt ones never leak a drop, even when you just slap them on there. Almost makes it worthwile to upgrade to newer heads.

 

Of course, the best way to get VCs to seal is to get a set of cast aluminum ones... they dont ever warp