vq35 Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Howdy folks heres a little update on my little nightmare..... started with a repeating knock sensor code, after trying everything else, decided to take the plunge ....literally, as this thing is under the fuel rail fast forward a few hours and all new gaskets (including valve cover since i was there) came back out and went for a spin. SMOKE, lotsa smoke.....looked and oil was dripping onto passenger side manifold followed tightening sequence on the fsm ...... frustrated, went back in but had access to the valve cover without removing fuel rail and retightened thinking I didnt tighten it enough...same leak, same smoke any special procedure with valve cover/gaskets??? any direction appreciated ps the gasket fits into a groove in the valve/rocker cover, would it not show if it was not placed properly, I was pretty thorough ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 Are you certain that the top of the head was clean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vq35 Posted July 29, 2012 Author Share Posted July 29, 2012 (edited) Are you certain that the top of the head was clean? I cleaned the valve cover - didnt do anything as I did with the intake plenum/manifold (light sanding of residue), but the actual head I just covered with a rag while I replaced the gaskets on the cover .....I dont know, may have dropped some specs of dirt but nothing I could see.... what should I do because this sounds like I am going back in and taking a small shower with the fuel rail?? once I take the valve cover off, what like just wipe it down some more>>>>???? Edited July 29, 2012 by vq35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted July 29, 2012 Share Posted July 29, 2012 I used a 3M Scotchbrite pad to lightly scrub mine. I then used a shot of break cleaner on a clean rag to remove any residue that was left. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vq35 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 (edited) have break cleaner thank god on a frkn sunday ....... hope this solves the problem, but now that it has leaked, does this mean I have to re use my old gaskets (which I have saved), could they have been damaged I wonder ....anyway, will post results hey thanks for the guidance slinger...... Edited July 30, 2012 by vq35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devonianwalk Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 If it was just some left over gunk make sure to inspect and wipe off the new gasket. You should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vq35 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 that I did when I first went in - but the big issue was when it was put back together and I saw the smoke, it was ACTUALLY dripping from the valve cover gasket as the engine was running i thought it was just in need of burning off, but upon further inspection with a light, you could actually see the dripping of oil onto the mani.... @!*% was pretty scary and i am scared it might be something else, but your point seems the most logical as i did not clean the exposed head and something must have also went in ..... wow, this at least reduced my 'lap' times going in from 3 to 1.5 hours ...... I am going in tonight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clkindred Posted July 30, 2012 Share Posted July 30, 2012 Aint that the truth, when this is done you will be able to change a valve cover gaskit on your lunch break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vq35 Posted July 30, 2012 Author Share Posted July 30, 2012 yeah ..... sadistic but yeah ..... really enjoyed it though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vq35 Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 ok folks so here are the results went back to the valve cover and took it off - new gasket I put in got torn on its way out so luckily i had the old gasket....thoroughly cleaned the valve cover with brake cleaner ...... applied a little bit of silicone to the gasket grooves next cleaned the head thoroughly and ensured it was smooth and clean slapped everything together and old leak area cured but now leaking in the centre.....pretty frustrated will go to dealer tomorrow to get a new gasket and new cover bolts and redo everything for the third time - any suggestions welcome and encouraged .....tricks tips etc much appreciated - driverside is leak free from first round of cleaning and replacing gasket (without silicone) ...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted August 1, 2012 Share Posted August 1, 2012 Are you applying liquid gasket in the proper areas illustrated on EM-39? What type of liquid gasket are you using? You should be using Loctite Ultra Grey. Could you snap some pictures with the valve covers off, just out of curiosity to see how things look? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vq35 Posted August 2, 2012 Author Share Posted August 2, 2012 (edited) I am getting pass gasket from dealer and i will post pix going in ...... no time to dive back in now but will post results asap also, I initially just put the silicone on the corners (all four) but the second round, i was a little more liberal with it although still not covering the whole of the head. That had an affect on the initial leak, although it might have been the more thorough cleaning of the surface, as it stopped leaking in the corner, I am now inclined to cover the whole area (lightly but more thoroughly) once I get the new gasket .... the other thing is that the drivers side has no leaks although I only cleaned it and put new gasket in - no leak at all but also no silicone, so inclined to redo that before it ends up leaking also .... Edited August 2, 2012 by vq35 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vq35 Posted August 6, 2012 Author Share Posted August 6, 2012 driver side valve cover off fuel rail and lower intake off - best way to access valve covers ONLY way to access KNOCK SENSOR KNOCK SENSOR AND DIRTY GUTS EXPOSED Will post more later but NO MORE LEAK for now - boy, this was more babysitting than brain surgery .........Prayed the last and 3rd time I went back in .....it helped, matter of fact, I thank God for this ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Towncivilian Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Glad to hear you've finally got the leak fixed. Looks pretty clean under the valve cover, looks like there's a decent amount of varnish but it's harmless. If you'd like to try to clean some of it out, use a synthetic oil marketed for its cleaning ability such as Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra. Don't use any engine oil additives ever. You can extend oil change intervals to 6-7k if you'd like with synthetic oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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