![]() ![]() It can be difficult to find any hairline cracks or pinholes through a visual inspection, but you would be able to notice larger imperfections. Visually inspect the housing for cracks.In fact, a visual inspection can tell you a lot about the integrity of the cover. You don’t need a lot of fancy equipment to diagnose a bad valve cover. However, if you need to replace the gasket, you still have to remove the valve cover, so it’s wise to replace it if it looks worn. The gasket fails more frequently than the valve cover itself, although it’s possible to get cracks in the cover. With most vehicles, there’s a gasket that seals the valve cover to the engine. It’s made from metal or hard plastic and it protects the valves and engine components. The valve cover is found on top of the engine. There are also some GM covers that contain an integral PCV orifice. However, some cars don’t use a gasket at all but seal the cover with RTV silicone. To create this effective seal, there’s a gasket located between the valve cover and the cylinder head. Additionally, the valve cover helps to keep the oil where it belongs. Not only does it cover the cylinder head from the elements, but it also keeps debris from getting inside. It’s made from plastic or metal that covers the camshaft and other components.īecause of where it sits, the valve cover offers superior protection to the engine. The valve cover is otherwise known as the camshaft cover or rocker arm cover. For example, if there’s a misfire, you are likely going to see stored faults for this problem. You may also see the Check Engine Light depending on what problems the valve cover is causing. This oil warning light tells you that there’s not enough pressure for the engine. If there’s a leak, the low oil level light may come on. Newer vehicles have warning lights for the oil level. The dashboard warning lights are designed to tell you when there’s a problem. Either way, you want to have a misfiring engine looked at immediately before you become stranded. In extreme situations, the engine may not start at all if the spark plugs can’t be ignited. Plus, you will notice a rough-running engine. With the inability of the spark plugs to ignite properly, misfiring is sure to follow. If oil is leaking into the spark plug wells and fouling occurs, you are going to notice some performance issues. If there’s too much oil on the plugs, the contact between the spark plug and the ignition coil can get weak, resulting in engine misfires which we will talk about now. When the valve cover or gasket is bad, oil seeps into the cylinders below, leaving behind oily plugs. The valve cover sits on the cylinder head to prevent oil from getting into areas where it doesn’t belong. You want to stop driving and figure out what’s going on, so you can prevent a car fire from occurring. The oil could be sitting on the hot engine itself or have leaked to the exhaust.Įither way, a burning smell from under the hood should always get your attention. If the oil starts to leak out on any of these parts, you may notice a strange burning smell. The engine compartment is filled with hot components working hard. If you do, the engine could seize and you would need to replace it. In this case, you should also be able to spot the leak with ease.īecause your engine needs motor oil to remain lubricated, you don’t want to ever run out or drive with it too low. Depending on how severe the leak is, you may notice the oil level get lower fairly quickly. With an oil leak comes a natural drop in the fluid. We will discuss more about this inspection in a few minutes. There’s also the chance that there’s a crack in the valve cover, which would have oil coming out of it. However, instead of pooling below, it’s likely going to be spraying from the cover.ĭuring a visual inspection of the valve cover, you want to pay special attention to any area that may be missing a bolt or screw. If the valve cover has a large crack or hole in it, you could see much more oil coming out. Instead, you may only see a small amount of oil seeping through the valve cover, but it’s enough to demonstrate that there’s a problem. There are some problems that cause huge puddles of oil on your driveway, but this may not be one of them. The biggest issue with a bad valve cover is the chance of oil leaks. This problem can also cause oil in the spark plug wells, a misfiring engine or dashboard warning lights.īecause these issues can occur with other malfunctions as well, it’s important to look at them in greater detail. Depending on where the oil is leaking, you may also smell something burning. This would also lead to a lower oil level than expected. When a valve cover is bad, you may notice an external oil leak. Conclusion Symptoms Of A Bad Or Leaking Valve Cover ![]()
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