[Bigboytoys]

I recently replaced a set of valve cover gaskets for a buddy due to an annoying oil leak. The passenger side was obviously leaking because of the brittle and cracked state that it was in. The drivers side looked not as bad and was replaced. We sat back cracked one and fired it up to check our Sunday afternoon job. The valve covers are sealed but we still got an oil leak on the drivers side. At the back of the block just above the oil cooler lines. It is coming from between the head and the block. If you take off the oil filler cap it almost stops. It appears to be only oil and can't smell any fuel, no external anti freeze leaks and nothing in the pan. The CDR tested OK with a manometer. The engine runs fine and a comp test didn't find any dead/low cylinders. Is this a good sign to pull the heads or some thing that's not to worry about?

 

[bbbadboy]

Seems to me that if you had excessive crankcase pressure, it'd be pushing oil out other places as well, especially the front crank seal. If its not leaking other places then I would have to say you have a weak seal in that gasket. The fact that there are no other issues suggests there isn't a major problem...I guess what I'm getting at is...how much of a problem is the leak for you? I probably wouldn't worry about it till it developed into something more serious...but then again...as long as I'm working on customer vehicles, mine get put off for longer than they really should.

 

[MrBanjo]

let the eng cool and then take the rad cap off, start her up. do you see bubbles. if you do i bet it's a head gasket problem

i had the same problem, replaced the head gasket, no more issue. BTW i ran it like that for 6 months before fixing it.

 

[Bigboytoys]

There were no bubbles in the rad and anyway it's not my truck so I don't mind putting this job off for a while just as long as it's not a fatal problem.