oil leaking from valvecover

[Grease Monkey]

I have an h23 vtec and there seems to be oil leaking from one of the grommets on the valvecover..what is causing this?

Topic

[johnzcarz]

It could just be that with time the grommet rubber became hard/brittle and it’s not sealing right. The h series was pre-1998, right? The other option is there is pressure building up in the valve cover because of a faulty PCV system.

[college man]

sounds like you need a new valve cover gasket.

[Grease Monkey]

I changed the grommet so i dont think its that..i also noticed that the stud holds the acorn is stripped…so the bolt doesnt tighten all the way…maybe its that and a combination of a faulty pcv system..would it be expensive to replace pcv system?

[johnzcarz]

The only thing to replace would be the pcv valve & maybe check the plumbing to make sure all the hoses are not blocked in any way.

Another thing would be if the sealing surface under the grommet was not smooth.

[dreamer2355]

If your valve cover bolts are not able to be torqued down to the correct specifications or wont even fasten at all, that would also give you some evidence of why you have that leak.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Don’t overcomplicate it, if you have a stripped stud replace the stud (and possibly the fastener if it’s also stripped) and also any old gaskets, clean the area, torque it to spec, and then recheck for leaks.

[college man]

can the stud be replaced? as dreamer stated. if the valve cover can’t be properly tightened then you will always have a leak. you might be able
to get a die on there to clean up the threads.good luck and keep us posted.

[Author]

Replies