[cv70chall]

Believe it or not, I'm STILL wrestling with the oil leaks on both sides of my engine's valve covers. This next time will be the 7th attempt- and I'm frustrated mainly because this is such a simple thing to do!
What I'm getting to is possibly the exhaust manifold gaskets that I used- specifically the Mopar gaskets with the heat shields on them.
The shields are apparently preventing the valve covers from completely seating on the head rails without the gasket tabs being forced/ bent upwards- thus causing the gasket to "roll" outward or forward away from the inner valve cover railing.
Short of unbolting my HP manifolds and changing out the gaskets- which is a pain in the ass with the engine in the vehicle- I will try to alter the heat shields where the gasket tabs would normally sit- so as to prevent any contact between them and the heat shield in seating the valve cover.

Has anyone experienced this issue- specifically with these exhaust manifold gaskets?

Ugh!

[cv70chall]

OK, so I purchased ...another set... of valve cover gaskets, and took the car out for an average cruise- 40-50mph around town and stopped at NAPA to get my gaskets.
On the way home, I was smelling the usual oil from the leaking passenger side- which I had planned on fixing the next day after modifying the heat shields on the exhaust manifold gaskets.
Upon pulling into the driveway, I noticed a steady drip of oil and pulled the car in the garage and shut her down.
The oil seemed to be coming now from the driver's side, so my first impression was that that gasket had gone as well.
After letting the car cool off, I removed the air cleaner and took a real good look around, and found that the valley pan had been "popped" upward under the intake and there was some oil pooled on top of the valley pan.
I started the engine and checked the PCV valve, which at first seemed "stuck" which could explain the pressure which obviously caused the valley pan to pop up. I'm hoping that this is all it is/ was.

Anyone experience this before?

[Adrian Worman]

The big blocks breathe really heavy Chuck, so that could be a real possibility.
I've seen a Chally gasket balloon before & they always are hard to seal at either end of the block.

[Adrian Worman]

I don't like PCV's, I'd much rather use a decent pair of valve cover filters.

[cv70chall]

Valve Cover Filters? Do you have a photo?

[Adrian Worman]

http://www.knfilters.com/mobile/vent.htm

Scroll to the bottom of the page

[dave-r]

Yes ballooning of the intake gasket is common without any crankcase ventilation.

In the past I have been in two minds about using a PCV system or just breather filters.

But I always came down on the side of PCV for the following reasons;

1. Slightly lower pressure than atmospheric in the crankcase is probably a good thing for power and far outweighs the loss of power sucking fumes into the intake system.

2. Allowing oil fumes to vent under the hood makes things stinky. Adrian wouldn't notice this because he has strange eating habits and never changes his shorts.

[cv70chall]

So, if I decide to stick with the PCV, which is the MOST RELIABLE unit out there? The one I currently have may have jammed- which would explain my pressure build-up and subsequent popping up of the valley pan.

[Adrian Worman]

Fit a new PCV to the cover, maybe be ok as the motor isn't tuned.

Daves right it stinks, u put up with it but I also use a light weight fibreglass hood which doesn't have engine compartment seals either .

And yes the Haribo have put me on a mad sugar rush

[dave-r]

I would soak the valve in thinners to clean it out. Probably full of tar.

If you can hear it rattle when you shake it then it should be OK.

[dave-r]

Adrian you owe me one. I have ended up going to see Motorhead with Pete in January because of you.

If lemmy is still alive they will probably have to wheel him on by then.

[Adrian Worman]

Adrian you owe me one. I have ended up going to see Motorhead with Pete in January because of you.

If lemmy is still alive they will probably have to wheel him on by then.

Haha yep I thought you were gonna get a call!

I'm already goin to 2 Motorhead shows that week, Swindon & Hammersmith

[Eddie]

What kind of valve covers are those,,aftermarket? Did you try another set of VC's? Stock Iron heads on big blocks have the valve cover bolt holes drilled at a very slight angle,,which is why only a few aftermarket covers work well. I don't use any 'gasket sealer' on any gaskets,,either silicone or the gasket itself,,some hi-tack to keep it in place sparingly is fine. Good Luck

[dave-r]

Adrian you owe me one. I have ended up going to see Motorhead with Pete in January because of you.

If lemmy is still alive they will probably have to wheel him on by then.

Haha yep I thought you were gonna get a call!

I'm already goin to 2 Motorhead shows that week, Swindon & Hammersmith

I hope he is a bit better than this;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX7P6c0VwBQ

[Adrian Worman]

Errr......... sorry no he isn't, his vocals are awful, I still love goin to see em tho the gigs are good fun

[cv70chall]

After more research, I found that there was an increase in crankcase pressure, which resulted in a portion of the valley pan being pushed upwards under the intake.
I noticed some oil residue- not much- but enough to explore further.
One culprit I discovered was the PCV valve was apparently seated deep enough that it was against the inner baffle on the valve cover- causing a seal that prevented it from venting pressure. I think this has been my problem the whole time- with the crankcase pressure being responsible for part of the valve cover leaks. I think as I re-did them- the seal was better- and the result was pressure having to find another way out- hence the valley pan issue.
I am gently pushing the valley pan back into place- so far- no sign of leaks at the areas where it bolts down to the block- and I'll examine it better.
If I find a crack, I'll either put some JB Weld on it- or- if it's large- remove and replace it.
We did a compression test after the build- so I know it's not a ring issue or valve issue.

Any thoughts?

[cv70chall]

I've begun to check the valley pan, and we sealed both sides of it VERY well with Ultra Grey and seated the side gasket clamps well. They are not leaking at all.
The leak seems to be from either a hole or tear in the valley pan from when it popped up. I'm going to have to remove the intake (crap!) so I can really examine it- and will most likely replace it, although re-sealing that valley pan again will be a pain. *#%$$^&
It's been a bummer- not being on the road for over a month now- which is mainly due to not having the time to tear everything down.
This should typically take one of you pros how long to do?

[Adrian Worman]

Valley pan on an RB should only take you an hour Chuck, it is really pretty straightforward, honest

Quick tip, when you order the new pan get the Felpro one that blocks the exhaust crossover passages.