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Car Forum / Mazda / Mazda Miata / November 2009Valve Cover Gasket - Where to buy?
All, When I did the WP, hoses, belts...all that stuff on my 97 a few months back, I got all my parts from Rock Auto. The valve cover gasket I used was a "Fel Pro VS50364R". The box clearly stated to install the gasket dry, which I did, with the exception of putting dots of sealer at the six bearing cap corners. I torqued all of the bolts to spec, whatever the factory service book called for. 7-10 ftlbs maybe? Fast-forward 700 miles or so. I have leaks from both side of the valve cover, but no leaks, ironically, at the front or back where the sealer was placed. I cleaned everything meticulously, and when I took the VC off to do all the work, it had not been leaking and was, as best I could tell, the factory gasket. Needless to say I'm a little miffed. Anyone else had this happen? Do I need to get a dealer gasket to chase the drips away? Or maybe I should send a letter to Fel-Pro and complain. Chris (....does not like oil leaks.....) > All, > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Chris > (....does not like oil leaks.....) Chris, I would go back and retorque the cover. See the Miata.net Garage section: "Valve Cover Gasket Replacement" info. to do it. At 700 miles, it should not be leaking. Bruce >>I torqued all of the bolts to spec, whatever the factory >> service book called for. 7-10 ftlbs maybe? 44-78 inch pounds - just over 1/2 that guess. > All, > [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > the exception of putting dots of sealer at the six bearing cap > corners. I torqued all of the bolts to spec, whatever the factory i just replaced mine as well...seems better now. maybe i got a poor gasket to start with shrug, i like it not dripping. peter Hal, Did you follow the proper sequence / pattern for tightening the bolts? That's critical in this situation along with the actual torque spec. Chris 99BBB > All, > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Chris > (....does not like oil leaks.....) I guess I've been lucky. Reused the same factory valve cover gasket and front cover gaskets several times. The secret has been to put a very thin layer of the almost universal liquid silicone rubber "gasket maker" down after cleaning the mating surfaces. > Hal, Did you follow the proper sequence / pattern for tightening the > bolts? That's critical in this situation along with the actual torque [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] >> Chris >> (....does not like oil leaks.....) Chris, I agree that it sounds like the gasket is leaking. With my prior experience with oil leaks, at the dealer, I would suggest using a spray sealant similar to this: http://www.amazon.com/Permatex-80065-Gasket-Sealant-Aerosol/dp/B000HBICK2 that is the exact product that we used at the dealer and have never had a problem with leaking gaskets. While torque specs and tightening sequence are important, quality of gasket and use of a spray sealer will provide a better result. I Will post torque specs and sequence later today..... I know you said it was leaking out of the sides of the gasket but a VERY common place for it to leak is from the Cam Angle Sensor (cas) while the valve cover is off it's pretty simple to replace this common problem....... Justin Morrow www.UndisputedAutosport.com Justin@undisputedAutosport.com (703)509-2584 rod's miata 1.8 enthusiasts says 55lbf in and done in the same spiral pattern as this fellow uses... http://markspizz.net/?p=211 rod notes that if you don't have a torque that read in inches "moderate finger pressure against a wrench is sufficient and will compress the rubber seal enough to seal the cambox." fwiw, mine started to leak a few months after a shop did a timing belt replacement. tightening helped a litte but still leaked. ultimately i repalced it with oem from www.finishlineperformance.com ($26). > All, > [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Chris > (....does not like oil leaks.....) > rod's miata 1.8 enthusiasts says 55lbf in and done in the same spiral > pattern as this fellow uses... [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > replacement. tightening helped a litte but still leaked. ultimately i > repalced it with oem from www.finishlineperformance.com ($26). Bicycle mechanics/suppliers should have low range torque wrenches for bolts on derailleurs etc. Local auto shops and hire places don't seem to have them in stock here. I happened to buy one by mistake, as the seller advertised it making almost the same error you have above - "55lbf" - I thought I was buying a 20-120 foot pound wrench. The FSM instruction (Nb) is here: http://i37.tinypic.com/6z6a2f.jpg |
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