Valve Cover gasket won't stop leaking!!!

So, I thought I'd do the right thing and replace the old, cracked valve cover gasket, because it was leaking at the front of cyinder #1.

Well, no good deed goes unpunished!

I bought a new gasket, torqued her down and she leaks, a lot, from the cam ends over cylinder 4.

OK, thought I got a bum gasket, so I bought another one, and it too leaks a lot, from the cam ends.

The old cracked one did not leak from the cam ends...

I tried to put some Grey Permatex around the half moons, but no dice.

I tried to use gaska-cinch around the half moons, no dice.

What's the magical fix to get this thing to quit "spraying oil all over the head, #4 carb, and my jeans??

 

How well did you clean the mating surfaces?

 

spic and span! Not much cleaning had to be done. Previous old, cracked gasket came out in small chunks, and left behind a nice clean surface inside the cover.

The head side was nice and smooth. No rubbish at all!

It does not leak anywhere else, just at the cam ends...

 

Just a thought, but, if you didn't replace the donuts around the bolts, maybe it's torqued down too tight.

 

You probably need to replace the whole set of Rubber Donuts on the Cam Cover Hold-down Fasteners.

The heat and years takes the resilience right out of those Rubber pieces and does not allow the Cam Cover to get enough hold-down torque.

People try Sealers of all kinds which can sometimes make the situation worse.

Replace the Rubbers.
Cut the off the fastener.
Install new ones.

Press-on the New Rubber pieces.
You'll need to advise your family and neighbors to disregard the screaming and colorful language they'll be exposed to during the new Rubber Parts installation.

 

Awesome thinking! Didn't even occur to me. I will do that and report back!

 

+1. The "donuts" are the key to the whole shebang; they are what actually apply the downward pressure to the cover, since the bolts get stopped by their collars. I put a comparison photo in "airhead valve adjustment" to show how they become compressed over time.

Rick is absolutely right about the reinstallation process; a bit of silicone grease helps as does making sure the new ones are nice and warm first.