Valve Cover gaskets making me angry..you dont want to see...

[mazdaspeed23]

very true jamestakay especially when theyve got alot of money into them

[MrMazda92]

It never hurts to closely examine your gaskets prior to install either. There could be excess material that doesn't allow it to properly seat in the Valve Cover, or elsewhere even.

I don't have a torque wrench that adjusts low enough for the VC, so I've been doing it by feel. It's on the shopping list, but I've never had a problem to date.

[Ryan]

You can do it by feel rather easily.

torque is linear, so 60 inch lbs is 5 lbs on a foot, and you have a better muscle-wise guesstimate on 5 lbs than 60.

Range in in-lbs from the manual is 43-78, which translates to 3.58-6.5 lbs on a foot... if you can't feel that, then idk, you need to handle more groceries! lol.

[MrMazda92]

I've said that for a long time Still, I need a lower range torque wrench... Sometimes it's comforting to know you're spot on.

[Josh]

You should do them exactly as the manual says, it works every time. There is a torque pattern to follow as well.

I put the dabs of RTV (use black or gray RTV) in the required places and place the VC down and lightly finger tighten the bolts, let sit for 20 to 30 minutes and torque down..

[jamestakay]

Yeah, torque it with the right tools and with the right pattern, mine has been good for me on my mx6 and sometime soon i'll be doing one on the mx3. Not sure yet though, lol, too cold now. Plus if you buy from napa, they come in a nice package saying made in japan if you care. lol.

[MrMazda92]

Not following the torque pattern is stupid, I agree on that wholly. I guarantee my front VC on my '92 is torqued to between 8-10 ft-lbs and hasn't given me trouble for 15,000 hard driven miles.

[jamestakay]

Same here, I've driven mine probably 10,000 miles since my thermo block spacers were thrown on my 6 and it looks nice and dry. I'd hate to take off the mani just to redo it all. lol

[MrMazda92]

Ahh, the most commonly overlooked benefit to ITB setups. You don't need to remove the IM to service the right head, how nice would that be?

[jamestakay]

lol, true, but would suck if radiator leaked coolant causing itbs to suck it up. lol, you win some, you lose some, no risk no reward. lol

[mitmaks]

I've bought $12 gasket kit off of ebay, got a torque wrench from Harbor Freight. Used RTV sealant on the gasket, and between gasket/valve cover, let it tack up. Gently put it on there, not to smear sealant. Torque down according to manual and torque settings. No leaks. Before my spark plugs would be covered in oil, spark plug wells were full of oil

[fowljesse]

Another thing to look at is your PCV system. If it's blocked, excess pressure could be blowing them.

[RX8SE3P]

Hmm my rear one is a b---- to get leak free. Don't agree with the less torque is more idea though.

You really have to tighten them down in a few steps. Use some gasket goo and torque down finger tight, then after goo has dried for a couple hours. torque down some more. And then the next day when your goo has cured 100% torque down to spec.

The best luck I actually ever had was when my Dad used Hylomar spray and that was it. Then we torqued it down and it was fine. It only leaked after that because I took them off looking for stupid things....

[Josh]

The only problem with over tightening is that it is a rubber gasket and if you over torque it the rubber will bunch up instead of seal properly.

Another thing to always check too is make sure your surface is clean. Use carb cleaner or gas on a rag, thinner will work too. But you want a dry clean surface.