Valve cover gasket — Oil Leak from top of engine

[Mojoworkin]

So... Son comes home, and I describe that while he was gone I discovered oil was low, how I did the PCV but let's do an oil change, get some extra oill to keep in the van and keep an eye on the level to see there are any changes. Son goes out to car, and since the seat is up, he checks the oil - which mysteriously is now at a normal level.

Whaaa? I had not added any oil after I did the PCV, thinking I'd do it another day before the son came home, but didn't. The van NEVER MOVED but we got two VERY DIFFERENT readings when checking oil. One time about halfway down, the second time right on the button. Both times the van had been sitting with plenty of time for oil to settle into crankcase.

Am I haunted?

[Burntboot]

I have seen a few vehicles over the years that were incredibly slow to drain back.

I would do a couple of back to back crank case flushes with good oil and filters and see if that takes care of things.

I have also seen one that "made" oil, but that was due to leaky injectors, leaking fuel into the crankcase.
But if that is the case, the oil will smell strongly of raw fuel.

[blakebecker37130]

Once you have ruled out other factors like leaking injectors, I would also recommend that the oil level is checked and confirmed by one person, if you have not already done this? This would remove factors from the result, such as dipstick not fully inserted, which side of the dipstick is being read ( if van is on uneven/in level surface).

[Mojoworkin]

I have personally confirmed the dipstick reading. (In other words, I was the dipstick doing the reading.)

Vehicle was level. Oil smells like oil.

Thanks to EVERYONE that contributed! I hope I can give back a little sometime soon.

Ron

[benjammin_all_my_life]

You'll need to remove some vacuum lines and things before you can remove the valve cover. These will likely be brittle and crack, so it would be wise to have new ones ready. Also there's the PCV valve & the rubber grommet in the valve cover the PCV valve sits in. That grommet usually crumbles when messed with, and is best removed/replaced while the valve cover is removed. See picture below for part numbers:



The grommet (Dorman part shown above) is available at almost any auto parts store and is usually hanging on the "HELP" rack. There are also the 3 metal/rubber washers that help seal the valve cover around the mounting studs. These might come with the valve cover gasket (depending on where you get), but if not ask for them and they will have them (these are very common and used on many Toyota engines). Tim

PS: I looked at your link and it looks to me like the gasket you purchased comes with the metal/rubber washers.

Hi Tim, was inspecting my newly acquired 87' rwd van earlier today to prepare for replacing my valve cover gasket when I noticed that a large bolt is missing from the engine block. It is directly to the right of the Valve cover. I don't have the manual for the van and am wondering if you know what this bolt could be for, and what the part number is. The bolt hole is filled with oil (as well as most of the engine surface). I apologize for the limited view of the bolt hole, you can see my flathead driver pointing to it in one of the photos. Thank you in advance!

[timsrv]

Nothing goes there. It's just a hole that's likely there to aid in the manufacturing process. Once the manufacturing is completed these have no practical use. All vans have these and it's nothing to worry about . Tim

[MotoVlogMiller]

so ive recently replaced my valve cover gasket, I put in a new PCV. since, ive also also done the harmonic balancer that was leaking. im still getting a very small amount of oil on the lowest part of the transmission on the passenger side, im going to go take a look at the spark plug gaskets. my question is where did you guys buy the line that goes out of the PVC I couldnt find one anywhere. toyota told me they done make them. but since ive done that work it doesnt seem to be leaking much oil but after a 400mile trip I go from F to L so my guess is im also burning a lot. and I know the PCV can be an issue with that. its also been a little harder to start. so im a bit confused, I did use fuel like coming out of the PCV maybe thats my issue? ideas? symptoms are hard to start and burning oil, to me it sounds like a bad PCV but I just changed it...?

[Burntboot]

Oil consumption that is noticeably worse with highway driving, usually indicates an issue with stuck rings/worn cylinders causing excessive blow-by.
Continual chasing of oil leaks is an indication of excessive crank case pressure.
It also causes PCV systems to accumulate build-up of oily sludge, further compromising breathing.
Things usually go down hill from there.

One also needs to be careful with PCV valves, I have had (significant) trouble with A/M versions and will not use them anymore.
Nothing worse than beating your head against a wall for a couple of weeks only to find out its your "new" PCV at fault (BTDT)

Worth doing a couple of SeaFoam flushes first, then monitor consumption and proceed from there.
Even if you do compression and leak-down tests, you're still gonna want to try flushing, as the alternative is internal engine work.
If done correctly, a flush shouldn't cause any problems, now it may very well exacerbate existing conditions, but wont cause damage, in and of itself.
YMMV

[BelueJacques]

What is general consensus on which valve cover gasket to use?

Reading that others have not had great success with Felpro. OEM seems best but they are harder to obtain, more $ and don’t come with tube plug gaskets. Is it worth the extra time/$ for Toyota or has anyone been happy with an alternative?

[timsrv]

When it comes to valve cover gaskets I'm indifferent as to brand. I've even used the cheapest ones on rockauto.com (Beck Arnley 036-1292) and they also seem to hold up well. It's more of an o-ring than a gasket and once compressed they do a good job........as long as you're not under or over tightening. But yes, if you want the spark plug tube gaskets or the little metal/rubber valve cover washer/seals, you do need to purchase those separately. Tim