Valve cover woes

[Pathyj1]

I’m really discouraged right now. I’m here for consoling. Spent 12 hours replacing the leaky valve cover gaskets, a couple water hoses and sensors near the firewall, and the spark plugs.

Valve cover is leaking worse. Ugh. Passenger side. think I was too weak tightening up the bolts so I tightened up the 4 lower bolts that are easy to reach. I fear the upper and side bolts need tightening.

I guess I don’t really have a question and just need a little sympathy! I’m gonna have to go back in there.

[mdmellott]

I feel for you man! Be sure to get the tightening sequence pattern done right and apply sealant only in the two corners of each cover where it is supposed to be applied. I had to apply a very sparing amount of sealant in the gasket grooves of the covers as well, just to keep the gasket from falling off when I installed mine. If yours dropped out of place when you were installing it, that could explain why it's worse now. I wish you all the best of luck and patience to deal with this over again.

[Pathyj1]

I had to apply a very sparing amount of sealant in the gasket grooves of the covers as well, just to keep the gasket from falling off when I installed mine.

I’m guessing this is why mine are leaking. I may have put too much sealant in the groove. I put a little pretty much at every bolt hole.

I need to let my lower back and hands heal before going in there again. Feel like I’m preparing for battle.

I guess one consolation is I now know how to take things apart, so it should go faster, even those annoying parts along the firewall. Wish Nissan could have given us an extra inch there!

[mdmellott]

Passenger side. think I was too weak tightening up the bolts so I tightened up the 4 lower bolts that are easy to reach. I fear the upper and side bolts need tightening.

Be careful, only to tighten the cover bolts to the wimpy torque specified. Shoulder bolts on the plastic covers and stand-off spacers in the grommets on the aluminum covers allow the covers just enough compression on the gasket to seal it. Overtightening does nothing to change this because the cover face and the head do not actually flush up to each other completely. The shoulder bolts and stand-offs prevent that. Overtightening will only crush the stand-offs for aluminum covers and distort the cover at the mounting holes and possibly break these small M6 bolts or strip out the aluminum threads in the head for either type of fastener. If the sealant you put in the cover gasket groove had time to cure, even a little bit, before you installed the cover, that will prevent the gasket from seating properly. Be sure the head faces are cleaned up to remove all hardened oil and varnish residue. Even a thin film of hardened residue in various spots will cause a leak from a new gasket even if everything else was done right. With surgical precision, a razor blade can be used to remove this residue but beware not to gouge the head face and create a leak pathway out of the engine.

[Pathyj1]

Be careful, only to tighten the cover bolts to the wimpy torque specified… Overtightening will only crush the stand-offs for aluminum covers and distort the cover at the mounting holes and possibly break these small M6 bolts or strip out the aluminum threads in the head… If the sealant you put in the cover gasket groove had time to cure, even a little bit, before you installed the cover, that will prevent the gasket from seating properly.

Very helpful details. And you called it… after finding the leak I think crushed the stand offs and now I probably have to buy new ones. Fortunately nothing has stripped out yet. I will be careful next time.

And the dollops of sealant were probably big enough and cured enough to be the problem. Thanks again.