Valve cover leaking problems

Mini_Truckin_Brandon

So about a year ago i changed the valve cover gasket with a felpro over the weekend i noticed oil pushed out around the bottom of the valve cover ive had 2 gasket put on it and it leaks is this a good indication that the valve cover is warped?

MazdaMitch

Mini_Truckin_Brandon

Have you taken a look at this video and see if it helps?
https://youtu.be/LvNTNPMlyTo?si=nBzecAaZjlsIvBqg

Cusser

Or maybe you just tightened the little hex head screws too much and deformed the gasket.

Questions: are you applying any sealant to the valve cover gasket? And replacing the little rubber seals around the hex head screws? Are you using FelPro or some other brand of gasket/kit?

Axel-Breaker-Earl

So Felpro sells the VC gasket WITH or WITHOUT the seven rubber grommets for the VC bolts. I always grab the gasket with the grommets. No RTV should be used with the Felpro or Mazda VC gaskets.....EXCEPT for a small dab on the sharp 90° corners (4 locations) where the front and rear camshaft caps meet the horizontal head surface where the VC gasket seals to the head.

The Factory Workshop Manual, Chiltons and the Haynes manuals all show the 4 locations to use a small amount of RTV.

Mini_Truckin_Brandon

Axel-Breaker-Earl that the kit i got and we only used rvt in the corners as well

Axel-Breaker-Earl

With Grommets.......

Without Grommets......

Cusser

I use Fel-Pro with grommets on mine. And the factory valve cover bolts look like this.

OGMB2K

Cusser Is that your picture? If so can you get a measurement as to how long that bolt is?
I have a funny feeling I'm about to uncover the next rant about MY truck once I do the VC exchange.

Thank you Cusser ...

Cusser

OGMB2K Is that your picture?

Yes, I actually look like a valve cover bolt in real life !!!! Seriously, yes, I do believe that is a photo I took.

OGMB2K If so can you get a measurement as to how long that bolt is?
The threaded part of the bolt is 22mm long. There is an additional 5mm for the "turned down" section at the end which is likely for alignment.

So if you end up getting replacement from hardware store, I would get 6.0mm x 1.0mm x 20mm long. Too long and you could crack something trying to tighten up.

MazdaMitch

OGMB2K I wouldn't be surprised if someone used incorrect bolts there for the valve cover.

And some holes on the cylinder head for those bolts DONT go all the way through. I ran into that once.

OGMB2K

MazdaMitch I wouldn't be surprised if someone used incorrect bolts there for the valve cover.
And some holes on the cylinder head for those bolts DONT go all the way through. I ran into that once.

Now you're getting the hang of the approach I am taking to this truck .. assume the worst, be pleasantly surprised otherwise. Well my score card stands at; 847 worst / 1 pleasant surprise, which happened to be the carpet, which while thrashed, had all its clips and bolts .. lol

Thanks again Cusser

Cusser

My theory on vehicles has always been: buy something in pristine shape that's 4-6 years old, will look and run like new, and very few if any surprises from the previous owner.

That said, my 1970 VW was only 2 years old when I got it, the "newest" vehicle I've ever had. My '88 B2200 was 6 years old with 52K on it. My 1998 Frontier was 6, my 2004 Frontier was 7. My 1971 VW convertible was 5, and Mrs. Cusser's 2014 Yukon Denali was about 8.

MazdaMitch

As the years keep creeping by it's getting harder and harder to find these trucks that are unmolested.

So with that being said that's why I'm trying, well we all are, to spread good information on how to do things so that people try to attempt to do it correctly or whatever they're doing do it correctly.

There's always a better way to do something but I'm trying to provide resources here if people would only use them.

And then there's the YouTube channel where basically it's my home videos of doing repairs and I'm not the best mechanic but a lot of the things I do are better than what I've seen done out there....

And if people would just attempt to do modifications and rebuilds and such to these trucks correctly then they wouldn't be so bad to purchase off of places like marketplace and such.

OGMB2K

Thanks to you Mitch today I was screaming at the screen as a YouTuber added thick layer of form a gasket underneath a full Felpro valve cover gasket .. lol

Axel-Breaker-Earl

I don't know how many of these valve covers I've seen where someone has squirted RTV into the grooves for the VC gasket to sit in, and then placed the gasket in the VC grooves........I have soaked many a valve cover groove in Lacquer Thinner to clean the RTV out of the gasket grooves.

At least when they slather the RTV on the cylinder head side of the VC gasket.......you can just snatch it off and throw the skanky rubber gasket in the garbage can! LOL.