Leaking oil from Cam cover after valve check

[MBanks]

Hello experts, it's me again

So i've recently adjusted my valve clearances and now have oil leaking from my cam cover. It's a fresh gasket, but even after a short run there is oil running down the front of the block and smoking up. Is this just a matter of my bolts not being tightened down enough? Is there any particular order you folks like to tighten the bolts in? I know my gasket is facing the proper direction and seems to be seated properly, but I'll give it another look.

[tkent02]

Do not over tighten the screws!
Find out what's wrong with the gasket!

[MBanks]

Do not over tighten the screws!
Find out what's wrong with the gasket!

Is there any way to know that the gasket is seated properly just by looking at it? Taking the tank on and off is getting a bit annoying.

[dr_fosg8]

I don't know if seated is really the right word, but no, there is nothing you can do to stop the leak without removing the valve cover again. Well, provided the bolts are torqued down correctly and none of them are loose. When I did the first valve check on mine I had the same problem, new OEM gasket and the sealing surfaces were cleaned of all old gasket but the dam thing just wouldn't seal completely. Went to the real gasket and no problems since.

[MBanks]

I don't know if seated is really the right word, but no, there is nothing you can do to stop the leak without removing the valve cover again. Well, provided the bolts are torqued down correctly and none of them are loose. When I did the first valve check on mine I had the same problem, new OEM gasket and the sealing surfaces were cleaned of all old gasket but the dam thing just wouldn't seal completely. Went to the real gasket and no problems since.

I'll go back and make sure that all of the old gasket is thoroughly scraped off. I thought I had got it all, but perhaps not. Do those silicon gaskets really work that much better? And can you really reuse them indefinitely? Sounds neato, I hate scraping off the old cork ones, especially since the PO neglected some maintenance and some of those gaskets may be decades old

Also, I couldn't actually use my torque wrench for the bolts as the torques were too low. Is just getting it pretty tight with a wrench good enough? I tried using my torque wrench and ended up shearing one of the bolts.

[tkent02]

I'll go back and make sure that all of the old gasket is thoroughly scraped off. I thought I had got it all, but perhaps not. Do those silicon gaskets really work that much better? And can you really reuse them indefinitely? Sounds neato, I hate scraping off the old cork ones, especially since the PO neglected some maintenance and some of those gaskets may be decades old

You or a previous mechanic may have gouged the gasket surface while cleaning it, look for gouges across the sealing surface.
The silicone gaskets work well, unless you have the tach drive in the valve cover. They gaskets are too thick, the gears don't mesh well, it will ruin the tach drive and it's corresponding worm gear on the camshaft. I can't remember if the tach drive on an 850 is in the head or in the valve cover.

Also, I couldn't actually use my torque wrench for the bolts as the torques were too low. Is just getting it pretty tight with a wrench good enough? I tried using my torque wrench and ended up shearing one of the bolts.

A torque wrench, unless it is a small one calibrated in inch pounds, will strip the 6mm bolts. Torque wrenches are only accurate in the middle of their range, using a big one on a light torque won't work. Even the right torque wrench is dangerous, as it's easy to miss the tiny click at the low settings required. If you screw them all in as tight as you can with your fingers, then get a SMALL wrench and go just a little bit more, that's tight enough. Is the one you stripped at the location that is leaking? One more thing, over tightening will squeeze the gasket out of shape and cause a leak, even if you don't strip any threads. There are fairly easy fixes for stripped threads.

[BassCliff]

Hi,

Are you sure it's the valve cover gasket? Other common leak prone areas are the tach cable send gear and cam chain tensioner. You'll find a tutorials for those on Mr. bwringer's site (http://www.bwringer.com/gs).

I seem to recall that the factory torque on an OEM-style valve cover gasket is something like 6 or 7 foot-pounds. Both mating surfaces must be clean, smooth, and free of leftover gasket debris. Spraying the OEM gasket with WD40 or coating with a bit of grease will help the seal. It will also help with removal too.

The http://www.realgaskets.com parts for the GS850G are perfect, when properly installed. I've had to buy only two valve cover gaskets in the last five years, and only because I over-torqued the first one.

The silicone rubber gaskets use much less torque (12-15 inch-pounds), need to be installed when everything is extra clean, and uses no sealant or lubricant of any kind.

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Real Gaskets in any way, just a satisfied customer.


Thank you for your indulgence,

BassCliff

[1948man]

If you snapped a bolt, you probably messed up the threads also. Steel bolts into aluminum threads=be careful. +1 on cleaning up the old gasket surface and not gouging.

[7981GS]

A torque wrench, unless it is a small one calibrated in inch pounds, will strip the 6mm bolts.
Torque wrenches are only accurate in the middle of their range, using a big one on a light torque won't work.
Even the right torque wrench is dangerous, as it's easy to miss the tiny click at the low settings required.

Eric