Valve Cover Gaskets

Tractor Dan · Sep 6, 2012

Checked my oil the other day and found i was a quart low. I changed the oil around April sometime and i plan to change it in the near future just gotta wait for money. So i bought a quart and put it in. The problem is i'm trying to figure out where a quart of oil went over the course 4 to 5 months. There are no puddles at all of oil. The ground is bone dry. Looking at the motor only thing i can think is the valve covers are leaking and its dripping onto the exhaust manifold and burning off. I get a whiff of burnt oil now and then but have never been able to tell if it was me or a car next to me. So i'm thinking the only places it could be leaking are the valve cover gaskets or the oil pan? Looking at the underside of the engine there isn't any signs of leaks other then the oil pan gasket may be leaking some. I did look at the drivers side valve cover gasket and see it leaking at the front and rear corners. Looks like at the rear it's hitting the manifold for sure.

So do yall think it's safe to bet on the valve cover gaskets? Also if i do those i looked in the haynes manual and was confused on what they mean by the fuel rail stands. Does that mean the rail and injectors have to be pulled? I wouldn't think it would and i hope it doesn't mean that. Another thing since money is so tight right now would i be fine to use RTV red instead of a gasket? If i can scrounge up the money i'll just buy the gasket but right now we are tight as can be. Also is there any other things i should be looking for or at while i'm trying to figure this out or if it's the valve cover gaskets when i go to replace them?

It's a 97. 3.0 L. Automatic. 2wd. Has around 151,000 miles on it.

James86 · Sep 6, 2012

How many miles are you driving? Does it fully warm up? Are there spots where you park? I drive about 2900 miles in a 3 month period and lose just about half a quart or so between changes. Every vehicle I've owned lost between 1/2-1 quart every 3,000 miles. I've always considered it normal. If you're losing one quart in nearly half a year, I honestly wouldn't worry about it, but maybe someone else has a more educated opinion than I. If you're wondering, I also have a 3.0, with about 132,000 miles.

AngryLepercon · Sep 6, 2012

I was losing a half quart a week for a month with shot valve cover gaskets until I got around to replacing them.

My oil pressure gauge went ape sh!t on my way home is the only reason I noticed. No ticking, or knocking just very low oil.

jhammel85 · Sep 6, 2012

I'd fix the valve covers regardless if it's burning it or not. Mine are leaking and I need to change them (hopefully this weekend). I lose about the same amount as you. Before they were leaking, I wasn't burning much at all.

Tractor Dan · Sep 6, 2012

James86- It varies from week to week and day to day. Some weeks i can throw 300 miles on in a week other times like this last tank of gas it took 2.5 weeks to put enough miles on to burn through a tank of gas. So generally i would say i'm pushing anywhere between 4 or 500 a month. Never really kept track. I do a mixture of intown and country road driving. It's rare i'm on the interstate. Either way to get to the nearest big town from where i am it's 15 minutes or more so it gets up to full operating temp. As for losing oil being normal, i have only had two vehicles do that. My dads 95 Neon simply because he abused it and it burnt a quart a month. Or my grandmas 96 S series saturn which are notorious for leaking oil pans and valve cover gaskets. So for this truck to lose a quart in that time it has me worried because it has never lost that much in the 4 years i have owned it.

Also another reason i'm concerned is since the last oil change i have been doing a lot of towing. So i'm thinking the extra load on the engine may have made the issue manifest its self. So i'm thinking it may be best to do the valve cover gaskets to be safe. I figure it's better to fix them before they go completely bad. Also no one has given their thoughts on the red RTV. :dunno:

Also i will be changing the oil hopefully in the next couple weeks when i have the money.

William Spitzer · Sep 6, 2012

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,carcode,1138159,parttype,10710

13$ and probably like 5 for shipping, use the code in the rock auto vendor forum for 5%, i personally dont like using RTV when there is a gasket avaliable, especially when it could cost me alot more money down the road if i got too much on, or didnt get it sealed quite right.

Rearanger · Sep 6, 2012

Tractor Dan said:
James86-So for this truck to lose a quart in that time it has me worried because it has never lost that much in the 4 years i have owned it.

Have you checked color/condition of plugs?

Tractor Dan · Sep 6, 2012

Rearanger said:
Have you checked color/condition of plugs?

Not yet. Planning to do that when i go to do the gaskets. It had new plugs put in end of 09 or early 2010. Put motorcrafts in it. Since then i'm not sure quite how many miles i have put on it. I would have to have my mechanic pull my file as he done it that time. It was middle of winter and i had no where to do them. I guess i could pull one tomorrow. I have nothing on my agenda but watching the livestock auction on tv. I'm guessing the plugs are in good shape because it's running nicely and i'm getting between 18 and 20 mpg out of it. I have 31's on it and 4.10's in the rear. I'll check it out though.

Here are some pictures i shot today of the valve covers.

http://s816.photobucket.com/albums/zz87/97Ranger/valve cover/?albumview=slideshow

Wasn't able to get the best angles with my phone but it done the job. The leak on the drivers side has gotten worse. It used to be just wet on the cover and now it's onto the manifold.

As for the RTV i'm seriously considering using it. I have done it before and never had an issue. I'm sort of on the fence about it. I really don't have the money for it. I would replace my cougars headlight but don't have the money for that seeing as those are $100 from a yard.

Rearanger · Sep 7, 2012

Tractor Dan said:
I'm guessing the plugs are in good shape because it's running nicely

Just suggested as you may see signs of oil burning.

Tractor Dan · Sep 10, 2012

Haven't pulled a plug yet. Spent 5 hours helping my dad change plugs and wires on their 04 Monterey. That was a job for sure. Doesn't help dad has a bad shoulder and i have a bad back so trying to reach that backside of the engine wasnt easy. Honestly i think it would have been worth the $115 for labor my mechanic wanted. So by the time i was done i hurt too much to pull a plug.

However i checked the oil today before heading into town and it was within the hash marks on the dipstick but about a 1/4 inch below the top of the hash marks. I just filled it up about a week ago. Is this a sign it's burning or leaking. The spots on the manifold aren't getting bigger in size but are staying wet.

Also i'm going the gasket route whenever i do these. Had returned a tool to autozone and between sunday and monday my mom lost the recipet so they gave us store credit. So it's $16 for the gasket and we got credit for $13 so might as well use it for that.

Valve Cover Gaskets

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