Replaced Valve Cover Gasket - Still Leaking ! and still leaking - FIXED

[gmbroy]

That sounds like a plan . It is worth a try . Ive never had any trouble with the right stuff . But try the ultra copper it might do the job for you . The best of luck with this .Keep us informed .

 

[Watchman]

Well. Found some pin holes in the valve cover near one of the bolt holes that was leaking ... trying to find a replacement for the drivers side valve cover .. no luck here in Southwest VA junk yards

 

[Watchman]

Found one on Ebay for $65 from Atlanta Ford Super Store. Hopefully here by next Tues. Can't find any locally. I'll update after installation. The old one had too much rust and after wire brushing I found 4 pin holes .. one was almost 1-2 mm wide. I'm not going to take the chance and try to clean it up and use Permatex Right Stuff even though some folks have fixed oil leaks with it.

 

[Rhett]

It just hit me that you said threads on the cover. The bolt holes on the cover are not threaded on my valve cover. Are they supposed to be ? Also, I do not have an inch-lb torque wrench. I just tightened until the bolt head was flat to the cover surface.

Yes, threads in the head, sorry. That's too bad about the pin holes -- but you may have found the source of the problem. That may solve it, if you install the new covers you mention. Please post up what you find.

 

[Watchman]

Cancelled Ebay purchase yesterday and then ordered a cover from local Ford dealer who was able to get a cover the next day (today). Only $5 more than Ebay ! Picked it up this am. Also ordered (from the dealer) a PVC grommet which should be here by noon. . Using the Fel Pro perma dry plus gasket ... which by the way says to use no chemical sealants except a dab of RTV at the intake-head junctions. So, will get these in after lunch and install per Fel Pro instructions. They also warned about over torqueing. I will update tomorrow with results. Thanks to all for your help.

 

[gmbroy]

you should be good to go . i do use a little bit of permatex to hold the gasket to the cover . hope it goes well for you . if you need us we are here .

 

[Watchman]

Actually, the Fel Pro instructions say to put the gasket onto the cover and place your bolts thru the holes to "hold" it into place. So, I hold the cover right side up, holding the gasket to it underneath, then push the bolts thru the holes and then place it onto the engine. I'll update after installation. Thanks again

 

[2stroke]

Wow, rust was the first thing to come to mind, but I figured it was a slim chance considering you are in virginia. My 94 explorer, 94 b4000, and my dads 2000 explorer all have/had rusted through valve covers on the drivers side. I had to look for quite some time to find one in good shape. No way I was paying $60+ for a crap steel stamped cover, but as luck would have it an explorer from down south made its way to the junkyard. That was the last first gen explorer our local junkyard had, and got crushed about 2 years ago. Even the 2nd gens are slim. This is a junkyard that I'd bet had a thousand cars or more pre-cash for clunkers and the scrap market crash. Last time I was there they might have a few hundred cars, mostly really old ones they don't want to crush. Scrap is up to $70 a ton so I'm hoping things turn around soon.

 

[Watchman]

Well, this area is in the Appalachians ... we are at 2000 ft plus in this area. My house is at almost 2900 feet. We can get snow in the winter and below freezing. I know it is not like Minnesota .. I was born in Wisconsin but my older siblings were born in Minneapolis. My father has told me about your winters. Anyway .. they spray brine solution here a lot. The under carriage of my Ex looks pretty bad and I am going to scrape and paint it. The junk yards I have called locally have told me most of the 1st gens they get, the valve covers are almost always rusted out. I was glad to get this from the dealer (by the way it is made in Germany). I have installed it without using any Permatex except at the intake-head joints. I was very careful not to over torque. I will check again after lunch tomorrow and then put things back together. Then will start up the motor and see if this perma-dry-plus works. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Watchman]

Put the valve cover on Thurs... Let it sit till Friday after lunch. Carefully checked bolt torque ... no over-torqueing ...Put everything back together .. Started up just fine.. No leaks .. ran it about 60+ miles ... still no leaks. I believe that the valve cover metal around the bolt holes was too thin from rust and couldn't seat firmly against the gasket. Also, I followed Fel Pro's instructions to the letter and added no sealant. Thank you for all the help !

 

[HulkVTX]

Glad to see this conversation, as I'm considering replacing my valve cover gaskets too. There sure is a lot of crap to detach before even getting to the valve covers.