Hey,

I recently noticed my car was leaving small puddles of oil and upon further inspection discovered it was coming from around the valve (rocker) cover. I bought a new gasket (cork replacement from Halfords) and some of that silicone paste stuff, used a gasket scraper to clean up the head of the engine so it was free of any muck. I also checked the hoses attached to the rocker cover for any blockages, and cleaned up the oil cap itself.

I noticed when i took the rocker cover off that there was no gasket in place! I think a previous owner had used some sort of instant gasket which had perished.

I carefully positioned the gasket, loosely tightened the bolts down (replaced some washers too as some had snapped) on the cover until finger tight. I haven't got a workshop manual so don't know what torque settings the valve cover bolts need to be, so I just gave them about 1 full turn and some little tweaks until it felt reasonable. I gave the silicone sealant time to set, cleaned the oil off the head and then ran the engine.

The problem - the gasket seal seems to have worked and no oil coming out here! BUT, oil has started to seep out under the bolt-heads holding the cover down. I don't want to overtighten them and ruin the cork gasket which appears to be holding.

I checked the oil level, topped it up slightly and took the car for a run around to get it warmed up. When I got back I saw that more oil had seeped out from under the bolt heads.

Has anyone else experienced this problem? Is it worn bolts, or are they not tightened up enough? I've checked the hoses, but could too much pressure be building up because of some other problem?

I don't really wanna take it to a garage if i can help it.

Its not majorly leaking, but its not a minor seep either so I'd like to get it sorted if possible.

Any advice on what could be causing this?

Cheers! (sorry for the long post)

James M, November 2008

Thanks for the reply Chicks Fan.

It might be too early to tell but I think I've fixed it. I went round a mates house today and borrowed his torque wrench, turns out I had the bolts far too loose, so we tightened them up to about 5lb and the leaking has stopped!

I also checked the hoses for splits and they all seem sound. Gonna keep an eye on it over the week and see if it holds.

I may flush the engine through too as it's due an oil change. I have a feeling the oil drain holes might be gummed up as its taking the oil awhile to drain back down out of the valve cover.

Thanks for the help!

James M, November 2008

I think you've already overtighted the screws. About 7 lb.ft. should be about right.

Sounds like back to square one. Buy another new gasket.

Also the hoses, don't just check for blockages, check for splits too at 12 years old. Undo breather pipes at the top and blow down them to check there is clear airflow right through. Replace perished ones with new.

Chicks Fan, November 2008