Can you drive with a broken valve cover bolt?
Yep, you’ll be fine. I drove my Accord with a broken bolt for about 5 years and never had an issues.
What happens if you have an oil leak in your valve cover?
First, the oil can leak onto the exhaust manifold causing fumes and the possibility of a fire. Also, a slow leak can still deplete your engine oil quickly, causing premature wear or even catastrophic damage to your engine. How to identify a valve cover gasket leak First, let’s make sure you actually have a leak coming from your valve cover gasket.
What to do if your valve cover is cracked?
If the valve cover is cracked or broken, get a replacement valve from the dealer, a junkyard, or even try eBay. If you find evidence of a leak, the best solution is to use BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak. Adding 8oz. of BlueDevil oil stop leak to your engine oil is guaranteed to permanently seal any oil leaks in your vehicle’s engine.
Where are the valve covers located on a car?
Since most valve covers are located on the top of the engine, it takes a fairly large leak to drip oil onto the ground. Though there are many places that an engine can leak oil, the valve cover is one of the most common spots. Smoke coming from under the hood: Most valve cover gaskets are located at or near the top of the engine.
What are the symptoms of a bad valve cover?
Symptoms of a Bad or Failing Valve Cover Gasket. Over a period of time the gasket becomes brittle and will crack due to exposure to dirt, debris, heat and other elements. When this occurs, the gasket can lose its integrity and leak, potentially causing cosmetic issues like leaking oil, or drivability problems and reduced engine performance.
First, the oil can leak onto the exhaust manifold causing fumes and the possibility of a fire. Also, a slow leak can still deplete your engine oil quickly, causing premature wear or even catastrophic damage to your engine. How to identify a valve cover gasket leak First, let’s make sure you actually have a leak coming from your valve cover gasket.
If the valve cover is cracked or broken, get a replacement valve from the dealer, a junkyard, or even try eBay. If you find evidence of a leak, the best solution is to use BlueDevil Oil Stop Leak. Adding 8oz. of BlueDevil oil stop leak to your engine oil is guaranteed to permanently seal any oil leaks in your vehicle’s engine.
When to replace a valve cover gasket or sealant?
Once you’ve proved you have a valve cover gasket or another type of oil leak(if so, you may want to look at an oil leak sealant), you need to decide how to move forward. If you have a missing bolt or screw, it should be replaced immediately.
Where is the oil seal on a timing cover?
On top of that, your timing cover will also have an oil seal where your harmonic balancer is attached to the front of your crankshaft. Before you pull your timing cover off make sure your oil leak isn’t actually coming from this seal!