When the seat is good and contacts the valve all the way around at the same time, the valve will “bounce” back if a spring isn’t installed. So to test the seat, take a new valve–or one that you are certain is good–install it in the guide, give it a good push and see if it bounces back off the seat.

Common types of valves include:

• Ball Valve. Predominantly equipped with quick-acting 90-degree turn handles, these valves use a ball to control flow to provide easy on-off control.
• Butterfly Valve.
• Check Valve.
• Gate Valve.
• Knife Gate Valve.
• Globe Valve.
• Needle Valve.
• Pinch Valve.

Either way, the engine is going to have problems.

• There are three types of valve guide seals: umbrella, positive, and O-ring [ see Figure 4 ].
• The umbrella seal, used on many older engines, fits snugly over the valve stem.
• The O-ring seal was used on many millions of older General Motors engines.

Cylinder compression tests are performed to identify any cylinders that have poor compression. If a cylinder has low compression, perform a wet compression test to indicate whether it’s a bad valve, head gasket, or worn piston rings causing the problem. The oil fills the gap between the worn rings and cylinder wall.

Is it safe to drive with a valve cover gasket problem? Yes, as long as the amount of oil leaking is small, and there is no leak onto hot engine parts such as the exhaust manifold, it is safe to drive your car until you have an opportunity to fix it.

Replacing a valve cover gasket is fairly basic but the procedure varies by engine. The toughest part is usually getting to the valve cover itself. Step 1: The first step may be the last step. Before tearing everything apart, first try gently cinching down the valve cover bolts or use a torque wrench.

1-3 hours

the valve cover is just that, a cover, no need to break out the torque wrench. Just dont over tighten it, it will crack. when life throws you a curve; brake late, accelerate earily. The whole point of a torque wrench is Not overtightening something.

Tighten until your hand can’t tighten anymore (which SHOULDN’T be too tight) And that should be just tight enough. Any tighter and you risk busting a bolt. I learned the hard way and have been doing it this way ever since. 75 in-lbs, according to the FSM.

Torque the valve cover bolts to 5-6 ft/lbs, making sure gaskets do not slip out of position. Proper torqueing will help to ensure that your covers do not leak oil.

Re: torque specs for valve cover bolts? It’s exactly 7 foot pounds or 83 inch pounds, which ever is on the torque wrench you have, and never use guesstimation when it comes to your car.

four

Your valve cover gasket may be leaking for a variety of reasons. It could be shrunken, cracked or rotten, or your valve cover itself may be cracked or broken or one of the valve cover bolts may just be loose, allowing a little leak.