Wondering if anyone else is having this problem with the front (radiator side) valve cover leaking oil? I removed it and the thick rubber gasket looked great, i cleaned it up and even put some blue RTV sealant on it but it still continues to leak or seep oil. Its mainly on the corner right above the alternator. I just replaced my alt and I don't want oil seeping down into the new one

The bolts are tight and the gasket is fine, why would it continue to leak there I did find the cam position sensor o-ring was hard and letting oil run down from there, i got that fixed with a new o-ring. Has anyone else had issues with this?? Seems like a simple fix but Iam having no luck

 

its a common issue. When you pulled the VC did you scrape the old sealant off and put more RTV in its place? The VQ30 is notorious for leaky VC's in the corners. If you re do it use RTV grey and be sure to replace the gasket

 

 

I'll pick up some RTV grey and give it a shot. Yeah i cleaned it up good before but still got the leak, there was only a thick black rubber gasket in it though. Is that the only one it has?

 

Yes.
Put the cover upside down and put a line of sealant all the way around before you place the gasket in. Push that gasket in good and let it set for about 15-20 minutes then, on the passenger side where the cover goes up then back down, put about a 1.5 inch line of sealant on each side going up and then put the cover on. Make sure you take your time and tighten in sequence.

Also remember the torque specs are in inch lbs, not ft lbs.

Basically hand tight and you should be fine. There really isn't a great deal of pressure right there but don't skimp out on cleaning before application.

Oh yeah, use a new gasket. ~$60 for both sets, including six spark plug grommets. Worth it even if you use just one. Keep the other for backup.

 

 

This is not recomended, and can actually cause leaking due to uneven pressure on the gasket. Just a couple dabs to retain the gasket is ok.

Good advice here, and the ONLY place you should apply RTV. Do get the kit with tube seals and grommets. Your old gasket is still leaking because the gaskets and grommets are compressed just enough, that there is not sufficient pressure applied to the gasket surface.

 

I have to do the same thing. I have RTV black. Will grey be any better?

 

they are one and the same

 

Thanks for the advice guys

 

I don't understand your uneven pressure claim, I would think it would only help things but I guess we all have our own way of doing things.

Any sources for your claim?

 

I would say don't skimp out on the cleaning. I never had to use RTV for any of mine. That bolt over the alty the previous owner stripped so I put in a bigger bolt and I clean the surfaces with Throttle Body cleaner and Rubbing alcohol to remove all traces of grease and oil. The gaskets are OEM and I clean those down before even putting them on.

 

read this as this is very involved and everything is discussed here

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generat...pair-info.html

 

Thanks.

 

Nissan FSM and four years experience.

 

Might as well replace both rear and front gaskets. I did mine both at once. i actually added rtv also when i replaced the gaskets.

 

Well I didn't see any leaks when I changed my knock sensor last night, almost 1,000 miles since I replaced the gasket. I hope it stays that way...

If not, at least I know how to do it now, and probably about a third of the time it took the first time.

 

From the FSM. I only see four dabs on each VC, above and below the gasket in two spots. X in the black circle indicate "always replace after dis-assembly".

 

I know about the front and rear VC gaskets, are there other places on the engine which have rubber seals that need to be replaced in event of a leak?

Sorry if this is a stupid question, I had both front and rear replaced but can still smell burning oil from the engine bay.

 

The burning will not stop unless you wash the oil off the exhaust manifold. Also, check to see if oil is running from the oil pan onto the exhaust y-pipe.

 

take a look in haynes or ask any tech, you only put it in corners. your seal will fill the gap and also if it has to come apart its a *****.

 

Do you guys actually have proof that it would cause problems? I rode 5k miles like that and I just pulled my VCs to take care of something else and they came apart easy (all I had to do was pull them up no struggle) and there wasn't the slightest problem. And as I put them back (tomorrow) I will apply rtv just as comingup said, as it was done before. I only see it helping not harming. Don't see how it causes uneven pressure

Stating something with no actual proof or a simple answer to why makes your statement worthless IMO.

 

I agree, that's why there is a tightening sequence and torque specs. If there existed scientific proof then I'd be on board with the idea of not applying in multiple locations.

 

because its fact, its not necessary. look at the diagram above straight out of the fsm, nuff said.

 

That just proves that placing it there prevents leaks not adding in other locations will cause leaks. your argument is in the opposite direction as to what is being said big guy.

 

There are several reasons not to use so much RTV. These are my thoughts, I can not prove them to you.
They just influence the way I do things.

1 Its not necessary.

2 It compresses the gasket further than intended, and accelerates
the eventual leakage.

3 Uneven amounts of RTV can cause uneven pressure on the gasket,
causing spots to be more susceptable to leaking.

4 RTV could break loose inside the VC and plug the oil pump pick up
screen and oil passages.

5 I'm not a hack, I dont use RTV, duct tape, and bailing wire to fix mycar.
I am a former tech, trained and experienced enough to do things properly.

 

Also, the VC bolts are shouldered, anf the grommets have steel sleeves. This is designed to apply a predetermined amount of pressure on the gasket regardless of torque values. Adding rtv into the VC groove fu<ks with this. See#2 in my list above.

 

asand1, that is excellent reasoning as to why not to use it extra RTV on the VC's. Thanks for reading thoroughly and giving your knowledge.

 

When I replaced the valve cover gaskets 6 months I applied a small amount of RTV sealant all around the head. I got a valve stuck in bank 1 causing a clicking noise so I had to remove the rear valve cover again. Carefully removing RTV sealant off the entire bank 1 head took more time than removing all the parts. After I dropped oil onto all 12 lifters I only applied RTV sealant in the left corners as the FSM suggest. The valve clicking stopped 20 seconds after starting the engine.

After driving 6,400 miles with these new gaskets I noticed oil was leaking from the front valve cover in front of the dipstick. The front valve cover still had RTV sealant all around the header because I didn't have to remove it to fix any valve clicking. There was no leaking in bank 1 were I only applied RTV sealant in the left corners. Also when I replaced the OEM valve cover gaskets 6 months ago oil never leaked from the front valve cover. It was only leaking from the rear valve cover.

When I replaced the front valve cover gasket 2 weeks ago I only applied RTV sealant on the left corners as the FSM suggests.

Where did you get this diagram showing to apply RTV sealant on both sides of the gasket in the left corners? Page EM-36 of the A32 has a different diagram showing only to apply the RTV on the bottom side of the gasket?

 

Em18, timing cover assembly.

 

And EM34

 

'96 A32

 

Looks like the SEC 111-118-130-140-220 diagram changed for the 1998 FSM because it only shows to apply the RTV sealant on the bottom side of the gasket in those left corners. That's how I applied it on the rear valve cover 6,400 miles ago so I'm sure it'll hold.