Valve Cover Gasket Burning Oil
There are a few common symptoms that will indicate a potential problem with a bad or failing valve cover gasket. If you recognize any of these warning signs, contact a mechanic as soon as possible so they can replace the valve cover gasket if needed. Burning oil smell. Jan 13, 2016 There are a few common symptoms that will indicate a potential problem with a bad or failing valve cover gasket. If you recognize any of these warning signs, contact a mechanic as soon as possible so they can replace the valve cover gasket if needed. Burning oil smell. There are a few common symptoms that will indicate a potential problem with a bad or failing valve cover gasket. If you recognize any of these warning signs, contact a mechanic as soon as possible so they can replace the valve cover gasket if needed. Burning oil smell.
When it comes to sealing an engine, the gasket is the hardworking soldier that takes a tremendous amount of abuse but is typically never recognized for its effort. One of the most important gaskets that keep cylinder head hardware protected from the elements and keeps oil from escaping your motor is the valve cover gasket. Most valve cover gaskets are made from plastic or cork and are used as a seal between the cylinder head and the valve cover itself.Although the valve cover gasket is well protected from the top and bottom, it is very delicate and prone to damage from the sides. The gasket becomes brittle and will crack due to exposure to dirt, debris, heat and other elements.
When this occurs, the gasket can lose its integrity and leak, potentially causing cosmetic issues like leaking oil, or drivability problems and reduced engine performance. If not replaced by an ASE certified mechanic in time, a bad valve cover gasket can lead to complete engine failure.There are a few common symptoms that will indicate a potential problem with a. If you recognize any of these warning signs, contact a mechanic as soon as possible so they can replace the valve cover gasket if needed. Burning oil smellWhen a valve cover gasket is pinched, worn out or cracked, compressed oil from underneath the valve cover will find a way to escape. When this happens while the engine is running, the excess oil will drip on the cylinder head, fuel intake or in some cases, the exhaust pipes. These are all hot components that will burn the oil and produce a that is easily recognizable. If you smell burning oil, contact a professional mechanic so they can properly diagnose the cause of the oil leak and fix the problem.
Valve cover is dirty and leaking oilDuring most oil changes, the technician will inspect the valve cover to see if there is any. The quickest indication of this problem is when the valve cover/cylinder head is very dirty. Oil collects dirt and debris under the hood and will appear to be 'caked' on the valve cover or cylinder head. If you have the oil changed, or look under your hood and discover that the valve cover is dirty, it's most likely caused by a bad valve cover gasket.
Engine is low on oilAs oil leaks from the valve cover gasket, it leaves the oil pan. When this happens frequently, it can cause the Engine Oil Light to appear on your dashboard. If the, it will reduce its ability to properly lubricate internal engine components.
This can build up excessive heat inside the motor and cause serious engine damage. If you notice the Engine Oil Light is illuminated at any time, don't delay repair or assume it will turn off on its own. Contact a qualified mechanic to diagnose the problem and repair what is causing the oil leak. Engine is running rough and misfiringSometimes when oil leaks from a valve cover gasket it leaks all the way down to the spark plug well and eventually seeps inside the spark plug tubes. This will cause a or reduce engine performance. It can also cause a fire under your hood if it goes unrepaired.In all of the above scenarios or warning signs, the root issue is typically caused by a valve cover gasket that has broken, is pinched, or has been improperly applied if new. When you notice these symptoms, contact a mobile mechanic from YourMechanic to diagnose the problem and correctly.
BlueDevil Products Auto Blog!Got car issues? Well, we've got the answers! Welcome to the BlueDevil Products Auto Blog!
Easily search thousands of entries to find exactly what you're looking for. Need advice on a dealing with a blown head gasket? Cracked block or leaking radiator?
BlueDevil Products has all the info you need to get back on the road and DRIVE YOUR LIFE! Be sure to leave a comment or question on anything that may interest you. You can also send an email to our pro for direct assistance! Your valve cover gasket may be leaking for a variety of reasons.
It could be shrunken, cracked or rotten, or your valve cover itself may be cracked or broken or one of the valve cover bolts may just be loose, allowing a little leak.Your car may have 1 or 2 valve covers depending on its configuration. A straight 4 or 6 cylinder engine will have 1 valve cover, while “V” configured engines like a V6 or V8 will have 2 valve covers, one on each side. The valve cover sits on top of the cylinder head and does just what its name suggests, covers the valves. The valves in your engine are opened and closed either by a rocker arm that is moved either directly by the camshaft lobs, or by pushrods that ride on the cam shaft lobs. The valves, rockers and pushrods or camshaft all need to be lubricated with engine oil to stay cool and not wear out.
The oil pump draws oil out of the oil pan and pushes it through the oil filter, then up into the engine head where it can lubricate all the moving components and then it drains through small holes back into the oil pan through the block.This means that there should not be any high-pressure oil around the valves, simply oil flowing around them. The lack of high-pressure oil under the valve cover gasket means that most valve cover gasket leaks will be very slow, or more of a weep rather than a stream or a squirt. This can make them difficult to diagnose as there will be less evidence of the leak.
Even though they can be slower leaks, fixing a valve cover gasket leak quickly is important for a few reasons. First, the oil can leak onto the exhaust manifold causing fumes and the possibility of a fire.
Also, a slow leak can still deplete your engine oil quickly, causing premature wear or even catastrophic damage to your engine. How to identify a valve cover gasket leakFirst, let’s make sure you actually have a leak coming from your valve cover gasket. Nothing is more frustrating than putting a lot of time and energy into solving a problem, only to find out all that work was for nothing and your problem was actually something else. Luckily valve cover gaskets can usually be pretty easy to diagnose. The valve cover gasket is almost always the highest seal in the engine. Your job is to find the evidence of the leak, or dripping oil and follow the drip higher and higher on the engine until it disappears. This can be pretty easy if it is on the front or side of the engine, but if the leak is in the back near the firewall it can be difficult to do without a flashlight and a mirror.
The best way to check for a valve cover leak is to move enough things out of the way that you can check the whole perimeter of the valve cover from the top side. This may involve removing spark plug wires, throttle linkages or even the intake manifold.Once you have the entire perimeter of the valve cover gasket visible, you need to check for a few things: Valve cover inspection:.
Loose or missing bolts or screws. Cracks in the valve cover.
Part of the gasket sticking out from under the valve cover. Evidence of a leak in the form of oil or black residue around the edge of the valve cover.Once you’ve proved you have a valve cover gasket or another type of oil leak (if so, you may want to look at an ), you need to decide how to move forward.
If you have a missing bolt or screw, it should be replaced immediately. The easiest way to do that is to remove a second bolt and take it to your local hardware store and ask them to match it. When replacing both, make sure to use a torque wrench to torque the bolts to the factory recommended setting.
If you tighten them too much, you can risk breaking the valve cover, and if too loose, they can fall out again or cause a leak. If the valve cover is cracked or broken, get a replacement valve from the dealer, a junkyard, or even try eBay. How to fix a valve cover gasket leakIf you find evidence of a leak, the best solution is to use BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak. Of BlueDevil oil stop leak to your engine oil is guaranteed to permanently seal any oil leaks in your vehicle’s engine.
BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak is not a petroleum distillate like other stop leak products on the market today. That means BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak can act as a valve cover gasket sealer and stay in your engine oil until your next oil change and will not clog or harm your engine in any way. BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak will restore dried, cracked or shrunken seals to original size and shape, allowing them to reseal and stop your leak.Pick Up BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak today at any of BlueDevil’s partnering auto parts stores:. O’Reilly Auto Parts. Pep Boys.
CarQuest Auto parts. Bennett Auto Supply. NAPA. AutoZone. Prime Automotive Warehouse. Advance Auto PartsYou can also purchase BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak, and other BlueDevil products directly from BlueDevil online here:Pictures courtesy of: www.automedia.com and www.siennachat.com127 responses to “ Why is My Valve Cover Gasket Leaking?”. I have a 1992 dodge shadow with a headgasket leak.
I bought a bottle of your Blue Devil headgasket stop and go sealer. I flushed the cooling system out througlhly, filled it with water and flushed it again. I replaced the anti freeze coolant with new coolant after allowing the engine to cool down. I then started the engine, turned on the heater and added the Blue Devil product according to the directions. The car engine did stop smoking, however it has a miss.
Valve Cover Gasket Burning Oils
I replaced the sparkplugs, however the missing would not go away. I took the car to a mechinac and he said that two of the cylinders had low compression. He recommended replacing the head gasket. Since the engine is not leaking coolant and the engine is not overheating, but it has the missing. Any suggestions.
Hi, I’ve just been informed by the dealer service dept that my 2008 Mini Cooper has a Valve Cover Gasket Leak. Actually, they left me a msg stating the leak they found in April was still there; however, I didn’t own the car until May–meaning, they sold me a car with a known maintenance issue. Not amused.The dealer obviously suggested replacing the part. However, rather than replacing it, your BlueDevil product sounds like it would do the trick.
This a “stupid question”, as I am by no means a mechanic, butwhere would I add this product, and is this something I could do on my own without mechanic tools?-Just a girl who doesn’t want to get swindled (more) by the dealer. Collene-First off, we are sorry to hear that you are having to deal with an oil leak. Fortunately, the BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak will stop leaks coming from the valve cover gaskets.
You will add the full 8 ounce bottle into your engine oil; it should be added directly through the cap where your oil is normally added.The product can be purchased locally through a number of automotive parts stores such as: Advance Auto Parts, AutoZone, O’Reilly Auto, NAPA, etc.Feel free to contact us at 888.863.0426 with any further questions.-BDP. Martha-As long as you are not losing fluid too quickly, you would be able to use the BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak. Based on your previous post, it seems like the oil leak you are experiencing is more severe than the power steering leak, so we would recommend bringing the vehicle to an ASE certified mechanic to have the oil leak repaired first before trying to deal with your power steering leak. Feel free to contact our technical support line at 888-863-0426 with any questions.Thank you!-BDP.
Mohammed,Thanks for your question, and we’re sorry your Audi is giving you problems. It sounds like you have quite a few things going on. Without being able to see the damage it’s hard to give you an idea of the problem so it would definitely be worth taking your car to a mechanic. If your car shutting off on the highway is related to the cracked metal cover and oil leak you probably have a pretty major problem on your hands like a blown timing belt or chain. Hopefully they are unrelated and you simply need a new valve cover, gasket, and an oil change and your starting issue is indeed electrical.
If your oil leak is due to a cracked valve cover unfortunately BlueDevil products won’t be able to help. Latanya-There is a very small possibility but it is unlikely. Starters are designed to be liquid tight so that they work in all weather conditions. As such, I wouldn’t think oil would penetrate the case any more than rain or other road chemicals thrown up onto the starter. With that said, the oil leak is costing you money in wasted oil and when mixed with road debris over a period of time can cause your engine to run warmer than it should.For the oil leak, we recommend that you add a bottle of BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak.
It can be seen here:Thank You,BDP. I have a 2003 ford escape and recently took it in to a ford dealership for an oil change (its not under warranty or anything just near where I work.) They told me there was leak that they said is from the valve cover gasket. They gave me a lengthy list of repairs and damaged components due to this leak totaling $3400. (power steering pump, oil pan gasket, alternator, front timing gasket)I would like to know if its accurate or I’m getting jerked around. What could be damaged by a leak/crank case empty of oil? Nate,Thanks for your question about your 2003 Ford Escape. I’m sorry you got such a high repair bill the last time you took it in.
If your Escape was run low on oil it could have done a significant amount of internal damage to your engine, but none of the components you listed as needing repaired by the shop are internal engine components. Also, if those types of things were damaged your Escape would be making a lot of noise and probably running poorly.If your valve cover gasket is leaking oil it will drip down over the rest of your engine and can make it difficult to identify any other leaks, such as your oil pan gasket and timing cover gasket. Our recommendation would be to seal your valve cover gasket leak either by replacing the gasket or using BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak as described in the article you read. Once the leak is sealed, use engine degreaser to remove the old oil that has leaked from the valve cover gasket and clean up your engine. Be careful around your alternator as you cannot get that wet or use degreaser on it. Once your engine is clean, you can look to see if any other gaskets are leaking.Using BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak will seal the leaks you have coming from any of the gaskets so it should be a one-stop fix to all of your engine oil leaks.
It is possible that the leaking oil damaged your alternator, however if this is the case you should have a battery light illuminated on your gauge cluster. I was taking my 2004 jeep to a mechanic and I had to have a whole new transmission put in. As soon as I got it back It smelled like exhaust everytime I would drive it.
It was really bad. The girl in our office took her car and her mothers car to the same mechanic. After he worked on both of her cars her and her mother smelled the same thing. I drove mine for awhile thinking it was something to do with the transmission from him working on it. I started have some smoke come out of the hood when I would drive it.
So I took it to the auto dealer to check it out. He told me I really need 2 new Valve covers. That was the smell and the smoke problem.
After talking with my about my jeep she said that was the same thing wrong with both of her cars. Could that mechanic have done something to the valve covers so we would have to come back in? Pam,Thanks for the question about the valve covers on your jeep and your co-worker’s cars. There would be no reason to touch the valve covers during a transmission replacement on a jeep. However, depending on how he removed the transmission, it is possible that the motor shifted enough that the valve covers rubbed on another component or the firewall of your jeep which could have loosened them enough to leak, but it certainly would have been accidental. There is really no way to sabotage a gasket, the only possibility would be if they loosened the bolts on the valve covers, that could cause a leak but could easily be checked and fixed by tightening the bolts again.
Mike,If your car is smoking and you’re having to add oil then it sounds like you are burning oil. Car’s usually burn oil either from leaking valve stem seals or worn piston rings. Fixing either of these problems requires disassembling a significant portion of the engine or rebuilding it entirely. Also the big noise you are describing could be many things but usually is a sign of a worn bearing somewhere in your engine. Worn bearings also usually necesitate an engine rebuild.
It is possible that you can still get more miles out of your engine, but it sounds like significant repairs will be needed to stop the oil leaks and noise. I recently experienced fumes coming out of my vents and my SUV losing ant-freeze. I assumed it was the heater core and also I was experiencing some missing firing. So I took my 2001 Lincoln Navigator to the local shop to get my heater core replace and to change the coils that where misfiring.
While the shop was changing the coils they notice that there was anti-freeze on the coils and told me that it was cause for the misfiring. The shop told me that my was head gasket is blown. I checked around for different options and a friend told me about the BlueDevil Pour-N-Go. I went to my local auto parts store and ask the clerk which size to use since I have V8 either white label or yellow label (the bigger bottle).
He told me the yellow label is better than the white label, but the yellow requires you to be mechanically inclined. The clerk told me the white label will work too, so I purchased the white label. I went to do further research on the BlueDevil and notice that the white label is for use in 4 or 6 cylinder engines. Do BlueDevil Pour-N-Go (white label) work on V8 engines?
Gerald-You may use either Head Gasket Sealer. The “Pour N Go” (16 oz./white label) is a less concentrated formula that does not require the removal of the thermostat or a flush of the cooling system prior to use. Whereas the “Mechanic Approved” (32 oz./yellow label) requires both the removal of thermostat and a flush before applying the product; the 32 ounce is the more concentrated formula.The product with the yellow label will give you best overall results as long as you can remove the thermostat and flush the system prior to use. However, if the thermostat is difficult to remove or you would rather not then you can always use the “Pour N Go”.
With the use of either product, be sure to follow the guidelines for the proper amount to use. Based on your capacity, you will be using 32 ounces either way (if using Pour-N-Go you would need 2 full bottles).Feel free to contact us at 888-863-0426 with any questions.Thank You!-BDP.
Joseph,Thanks for your question about your 525i. If the only oil you see is around your oil cap it could simply be that your oil cap was left a little bit loose when you had your last oil change done. If your oil cap is on tight, then the other possibility is that you have a leaky valve cover gasket. Try removing the top engine cover to see if you can find further evidence of a leak.
What Is A Valve Cover Gasket
If it is a gasket or seal leaking you can use BlueDevil Oil Stop leak (Available here: ) to seal the leak.Thanks again for your question!-BD Auto Pro. Julia,Thanks for your question about your Ford Econoline. If your valve cover gaskets are still leaking even after they’ve been replaced then your valve covers may be warped from old age and you may consider replacing those as well.It doesn’t seem likely that your van dying is related to the leaking valve cover gaskets. You might start with a regular tune up including new spark plugs, distributor cap and rotor and adjusting the carburetor. Since you mentioned it dying when you push the brakes you may have a vacuum leak that is causing the problem and a good place to start would be in the hose going from the intake to the brake booster.Thanks again for your question!-BD Auto Pro.
I have a 2006 Fusion with 46,ooo miles Its been a good car until I started having a engine light come went to auto zone and bought a new battery once I told them the trouble.after that I noticed a watery substance not oily substance dripping on the under the right side of the car. Called them and they said its the a/c.
A week later I saw more drrips but now they looked and felt some oily. I took it for a check up and they want to change timing cover gaskets oil pan gaskets and oil pan gaskets.What should I do? Help Damsel in distress! Hi,I have recently bought a 1995 BMW 325i, I’ve noticed an oil leak on my driveway. I asked the previous owner if they have been any leak underneath, he said that we should keep driving the car and not let it sit for long time.
He also mentioned me that he had a guy who looked into it and think that the top gasket needs to be replaced. If the top gasket need to be replace, is this the reason why the car is leaking oil? If I use your product, will this stop the oil leak?
Is the top gasket same as head gasket? I’m a girl and I don’t know anything about cars! Please I need help! I have a 2005 Chrysler Crossfire that has had a problem with a small oil leak somewhere on the valve cover. It is just enough to occasionally get the burnt oil smoke smell while driving and then is gone.
They replaced the seal about 9 months ago, but it started again. The car only has 43,000 miles on it, but this appears to be a common Crossfire issue.Will Blue Devil seal this?
Replacing A Valve Cover Gasket
Can I add it to synthetic oil? Will it harm the engine oil viscosity at all and harm the engine?Thank youOne more thing I forgot. Do I have to drain any of the oil out, or can I add Blue Devil with the oil level just about at the full mark? Ray-Thank you for asking about your Chrysler Crossfire. Based on your description, we recommend using the BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak. The product is compatible and can be added with synthetic oil.
The product does not contain any petroleum distillates, so it would not affect the oil viscosity. Also, it does not harden or thicken in anyway, so it would not adversely affect the engine or the system itself. Bottle will treat 4-6 quarts of oil. If you are at the full mark, you may want to allow for enough room to add the 8 oz.
Of the product.Thank you!-BDP.