Beginner question: I recently changed the valve cover gaskets in my '76 98 but i am still getting a few oil drops on the ground. I've been told they need to be retightened sometimes 2 or 3 times. Is this so?

Thanks.

 

I had the same problems.

I could never get the cover gasket to seat right. I when thru 3 sets before I just bought the reuseable ones on Summit.

They are $25 which is 2.5 times more than cork, but like I said I when thru 3 sets before

 

Are you sure the oil leaking on the ground is from the repair you did? Best way to check is to check the valve cover area for leaks.

If you have oil dripping on the ground, look under the car to see where it's dripping from. If you have a 1976 98, it probably has a 455. The rear main seals were a noted leak problem and could be the cause of your leak.

If you can see the oil is clearly leaking from the VCs, you might not have installed the gasket properly, OR your valve covers may be warped from "overtightening", OR you might have missed some of the old gasket when cleaning your head or valve cover.

If you just keep tightening the cover bolts, you can end up distorting the edge of the valve cover. These bolts don't require a lot of torque (around 7 ft/lbs) but do have a tightening pattern. If you just tightened them without following the pattern, that might be part of the problem.

Start from the middle and work your way out to the ends (alternating from top to bottom in a X pattern) so you are applying even torque to the cover. If you want them to stay relatively tight, just clean the bolt before you put it in and add a little dab of thread lock. You shouldn't have to redo the VC bolts after they are installed. BTW, if you use neoprene gaskets, they are a better product than cork, and are more reliable + there's no need to retighten anything. Let us know what you find out.

 

Did you hammer flat where the bolts distress the valve cover ..?

 

FelPro PermaDry.....a hard plastic frame with an o-ring. Reuseable dozens of times, and never leak.

Expensive.