mstrhiei Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 My car has been seeping oil out of the 2 rectangular covers on both sides of the engine. Im not sure if they are gasket covers, or manifold covers, but the line around these rectangular covers where the bolts tie it all together to the engine is seeping oil and has been for years. It does not leak oil when parked. Oil seeps out from these long lines along these covers and gets onto my exhaust pipe and I have smoke from burning oil at stoplights. After shutting down the vehicle it smokes for a few minutes, im guessing residual oil burning itself off on the exhaust. I must admit there is alot of caked up grease and grime on and around the engine. Took a paint scraper to the oil pan one time when I had the car up and the grime was a little less than 1/4 inch thick. The car requires 1 quart of oil every 500-700 miles. I dont drive it very far or for very long, but I do use the car daily. So what I need is some advice on what to do to alleviate this problem. Is it some seals that need to be replaced? The previous owner had the same problem and had the seals replaced before . It helped for a bit but recurred as you can see. Is this something I can do myself. Does the engine have to be pulled out in order to diagnose or fix this? Im pretty good with older cars having only had 1986 models and earlier in my life time. What kind of cost should I expect and what type of shop should I take it to if it has to be repaired professionally? All help is appreciated. THanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanmannino Posted December 17, 2009 Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 From what you describe this would be valve cover leaks. I am no expert, but it sounds like the gaskets around those need to be replaced. I think this is a fairly simple process. Unbolt the covers scrape off the old gunk and replace with fresh seals. I think there is a torque spec on these but not sure. I have heard several people in the car industry say there is... Hope this helps! Also looks like if you go to www.rockauto.com and look for FEL-PRO Part # VS13403R you should be able to get them fairly decent in price. But I will also let the pros chime in here. Sean M. 1997 Cadillac DeVille Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrhiei Posted December 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 17, 2009 From what you describe this would be valve cover leaks. I am no expert, but it sounds like the gaskets around those need to be replaced. I think this is a fairly simple process. Unbolt the covers scrape off the old gunk and replace with fresh seals. I think there is a torque spec on these but not sure. I have heard several people in the car industry say there is... Hope this helps! Also looks like if you go to www.rockauto.com and look for you should be able to get them fairly decent in price. But I will also let the pros chime in here. Ok thanks. Ill look into that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texas Jim Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 My car has been seeping oil out of the 2 rectangular covers on both sides of the engine. Im not sure if they are gasket covers, or manifold covers, but the line around these rectangular covers where the bolts tie it all together to the engine is seeping oil and has been for years. It does not leak oil when parked. Oil seeps out from these long lines along these covers and gets onto my exhaust pipe and I have smoke from burning oil at stoplights. After shutting down the vehicle it smokes for a few minutes, im guessing residual oil burning itself off on the exhaust. I must admit there is alot of caked up grease and grime on and around the engine. Took a paint scraper to the oil pan one time when I had the car up and the grime was a little less than 1/4 inch thick. The car requires 1 quart of oil every 500-700 miles. I dont drive it very far or for very long, but I do use the car daily. So what I need is some advice on what to do to alleviate this problem. Is it some seals that need to be replaced? The previous owner had the same problem and had the seals replaced before . It helped for a bit but recurred as you can see. Is this something I can do myself. Does the engine have to be pulled out in order to diagnose or fix this? Im pretty good with older cars having only had 1986 models and earlier in my life time. What kind of cost should I expect and what type of shop should I take it to if it has to be repaired professionally? All help is appreciated. THanks It kinda sounds like you are describing the valve covers, but I am not sure. You say you are "Pretty good with older cars"...but don't know what a valve cover is ???? Have you tried tightening the bolts on the valve covers? Assuming that is where the leak is coming from. The 350 engine is known for leaking valve covers. The bolts work loose over time and periodically need to be tightened again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanmannino Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Here is the Torque info that I have located for the 350: Valve Cover 3 ft-lbs. Taken from http://www.boxwrench.net/specs/chevy_bb.htm Sean M. 1997 Cadillac DeVille Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Valve cover gasket leaks where pretty common on those older cars. As mentioned, try snugging down the bolts first. You just might be amazed at how loose they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mstrhiei Posted December 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 My car has been seeping oil out of the 2 rectangular covers on both sides of the engine. Im not sure if they are gasket covers, or manifold covers, but the line around these rectangular covers where the bolts tie it all together to the engine is seeping oil and has been for years. It does not leak oil when parked. Oil seeps out from these long lines along these covers and gets onto my exhaust pipe and I have smoke from burning oil at stoplights. After shutting down the vehicle it smokes for a few minutes, im guessing residual oil burning itself off on the exhaust. I must admit there is alot of caked up grease and grime on and around the engine. Took a paint scraper to the oil pan one time when I had the car up and the grime was a little less than 1/4 inch thick. The car requires 1 quart of oil every 500-700 miles. I dont drive it very far or for very long, but I do use the car daily. So what I need is some advice on what to do to alleviate this problem. Is it some seals that need to be replaced? The previous owner had the same problem and had the seals replaced before . It helped for a bit but recurred as you can see. Is this something I can do myself. Does the engine have to be pulled out in order to diagnose or fix this? Im pretty good with older cars having only had 1986 models and earlier in my life time. What kind of cost should I expect and what type of shop should I take it to if it has to be repaired professionally? All help is appreciated. THanks It kinda sounds like you are describing the valve covers, but I am not sure. You say you are "Pretty good with older cars"...but don't know what a valve cover is ???? Have you tried tightening the bolts on the valve covers? Assuming that is where the leak is coming from. The 350 engine is known for leaking valve covers. The bolts work loose over time and periodically need to be tightened again. I said I was pretty good, not an ASE certified Mechanic, lol. I can't change an engine out but I can pretty much dis-assemble , repair, and or replace parts with ease. THanks , it is the valve covers. Be working on em today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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