I've about had it with this ridiculously simple yet hard to pinpoint problem.

The scoop is I can't seem to properly seal my valvecovers. I have ball milled aluminum covers, with some really beefy rails so I don't need load spreaders. I use T-Bolts along with the fel-pro metal impregnated rubber gaskets. I made sure both the valvecovers and the heads were clean as a whistle where they mate to the gaskets by wiping the surfaces with acetone prior to installation. I installed the gaskegst bone dry since that's what fel-pro says to do. I ensured the "Push-Rod Side" marked side of the gaskets were actually on the pushrod side of the head. I put the valvecovers in place, hand tightened all the T-bolts then turned each one another 3/4 of a turn and guess what, THEY STILL ******* LEAK!

Am I missing something here or should I just revert to RTV and cork gaskets?

 

Have you tried using one of the silicone style gaskets like they use on the centerbolts? Ive been using the same set of silicone felpro gaskets for the past 10 years, over and over and over again, and they always work perfectly. I think they have them in perimeter style as well. MUCH better than anything else available. If they leak with that type of gasket, then you either need the support rails, or something is tweaked.

 

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FEL-1628/?rtype=10

You said you had the rubber ones. Are they the ones above? If your getting leaks with those, then theyre either not seating right, or something is tweaked. Ive never had a set of gaskets of that style leak.

Also, how does the gasket compare to the valvecover gasket surface and cylinder head? Is the gasket getting pinched or otherwise not seating properly? Get an inspection mirror and carefully inspect around the entire valve cover. These gaskets can be hard to get in place since they flop around. I temporarily tape them (have center bolt VCs) at each corner while I install them so the gasket stays seated and doesnt slip in behind the gasket surface on the head, which will cause an instant leak.

 

Those are the gaskets I have. Before we suspect it might be the covers themselves though, take a look at the valvecovers I have:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chevy...Q5fAccessories

I couldn't bend/tweak the rails on those things if I wanted to. Believe me. They are very thick and solid rails.

 

Just to insure my valve covers didnt leak(Also centerbolt) I used some RTV Gasket maker from Auto Zone. Give that a try as well

 

I was debating RTV'ing the silicone fel-pro gaskets to the valvecovers and installing them that way.

 

Yeah thats what i did when i finished my engine swap and rebuild. After all that work i wanted to be 100% sure nothing happened

 

I went out and tightened the bolts a little more. It took another half turn and they were snug to the point where I would have had to apply a generous amount of force to tighten them further. Let's cross our fingers...

 

My hunch is that it's not the valve covers that are leaking. Unless you are talking about such a small amount of oil, I would look elsewhere.

I've seen way too many cars where the owners were told it's the valve covers, or the oil pan and the shops replace them, put lots of silicon and the vehicle still has an oil leak.

 

Its unusual for the silicone style gaskets to leak. Ive used them on VCs and oil pans and have never had a leak. Shouldnt need RTV to seal it unless the valve cover and cylinder heat gasket surfaces arent parallel.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, I have fixed the leak. What was it you ask?

Drum roll please...






Wait for it...







I didn't have the bolts tightened enough. Another half turn past the initial 3/4 turn I first mentioned did the trick. Rookie mistake. Carry on...