oil leaks

[RagingPanda]

Alright, another problem for me to tackle. Sigh. The engine bay is a mess because there's an oil leak. I'm assuming it has something to do with the valves cover gasket because the leak is only on the top front portion of the engine. The bottom, side and against the firewall seem clean. If so, how easy is it to do it yourself? Any other problem you guys think might contribute to the oil leak?thanks a lot.

[jollygr33n]

where exactly does it appear the oil is coming from?? it may be the distributor o-ring

[RagingPanda]

When you're looking at the engine bay from the front head on, the top portion has oil all over. so much that the power steering belt has oil on it too. But the later half is clean and so are the sides.Kinda hard to explain...I wish I have a camera right now

Like the oil is leakin from the valve cover since that spot has the most oil. But how can it just leak at that part but not other parts of the valves cover....o.O?

[jollygr33n]

it probalby is your valve cover gasket. in the front and in the back there are two half circles that the gasket fills in where it is very likely to leak. it's really easy to take the valve cover off and check the gasket for cracks or dry rot, i think a new one is only $10 from a parts store. sometimes the the valve cover will get hung up on the fuel injector wire cover but it's not really an issue. also make sure you don't over tighten the valve cover bolts, i did that and had to heli-coil the threads it wasn't very fun.

[RagingPanda]

How much do you tighten it? I always have a problem with over tightened bolts because i'm so paranoid it's not tight enough.

[skinnay]

isnt there a specific amount of ft/lbs it needs to be at? i need to do the same thing

also, anyone know where i can get new bolts for the valve cover? every friggin bolt on my car seems to break or strip when taking it off, i would eventually just like to replace all the bolts as i replace/maintain parts.

[navysnail]

look in my members rides profile, i have a page with the specs to tighten things to and the order to do it in

[fantabulous]

valve cover gasket is really easy to do. replacement is the opposite of removal. just make sure your mating surfaces are clean. should you have to scrape anything off. make sure the particles dont fall back into the top of the head. if you have a good quality gasket, you shouldnt need any sealer or anything.

[Shazoo]

7-11 ft/lbs