QuestionI have a 90 Talon AWD, manual transmission.
I am having oil push through the oil cap and onto the valve cover. i tried a new oil cap, and gasket and that didnt work. I also tried a new pcv. Still no luck, and oil still on the valve cover. If you have any suggestions or ideas about the problem please let me know. Thank you!
Ryan
AnswerRyan,
I, along with several other DSM owners, have had this problem. Oil accumulation on the valve cover (VC) can be caused by a bad oil cap and gasket. Sometimes replacing the cap and gasket are not enough. You may want to try a second gasket to get a very snug fit. This fixes most leaks caused by a bad cap or gasket.
Another cause to oil on the VC is worn out spark plug seals. These seals sit between the spark plug well opening and the VC. When they wear out, oil can leak onto the VC and in the spark plug well. You can pull your plugs and look to see if any are oily. The spark plug seals are usually replaced when you have your VC gasket replaced.
One other common cause for oil accumulation on the VC are hairline cracks around the VC bolts that attach it to the head. Many of these are so small, you cannot see them. The VCs on the Eclipses were notorious for cracking, especially if the VC was removed and installed with the bolts being overtorqued. The aluminum VCs would crack very easily.
The method I used to finding out where my leak was coming from was to first clean up all the oil as best I could. Then, take wadded up sheets of clean paper towel and cover the top of my VC where the oil collects. Put the spark plug cover on so the paper towel does not fly off. Then, just drive your car around normally for a few days. After a couple days, remove the spark plug cover and take a look at the paper towels. You'll quickly see where the oil leak is coming from. If you find that the oil is coming from a crack in the VC, you'll either need to replace the VC or remove the cracked one and try to patch the crack with some JB Weld or equvilent.
Good luck!
