5 SYMPTOMS OF A BAD VALVE COVER GASKET -

A problem with a bad valve cover gasket is pretty rare on an engine. It usually happens due to material fatigue, overfilling engine oil, and other causes.

For those less familiar with cars, the valve cover gasket is located between the valve cover and the cylinder head. Its main function is to keep engine oil within the engine and keep any kind of filth out of it.

In this article, we’ll show you how to recognize a bad valve cover gasket on time so you can avoid possible bigger problems.

Besides this website, you can also watch videos on our YouTube channel, where we have many car-related videos that may help with maintenance, driving, etc.

SYMPTOMS OF A BAD VALVE COVER GASKET

1. OIL LEAKS

The first and most obvious symptom of a bad valve cover gasket is oil leaks between the cylinder head and the valve cover.

These leaks are at first barely noticeable moisture marks on the valve cover, engine head, and else, but later they become a very visible, greasy leak.

2. SMELL OF BURNING OIL

Accompanied by the leaks may be a smell of burnt engine oil when the engine heats up.

Since engine oil is leaking onto the engine block or even the exhaust manifold, the oil heats up and causes a bad smell.

3. A LOW OIL LEVEL

Another very important symptom you must notice on time is a low engine oil level.

The oil loss doesn’t happen that quickly in this case, but over time, the level will surely go down.

If the oil level goes below the minimum, it can cause major engine damage, so you must check and add oil on time.

4. AN ENGINE MISFIRE

Some engines, besides the valve cover gasket, also have gaskets for the spark plug tubes.

If these gaskets get faulty and start leaking, it can cause oil leaks onto the ignition coil and spark plugs and cause engine misfires.

5. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARS

If there are engine misfires, the check engine light will probably also appear.

In this case, you can try to reset it, but until you change the gasket set, clean the coils and spark plugs, the light will probably reappear all the time.

CONCLUSION

A bad valve cover gasket, in most cases, is not a serious problem and can be easily solved on most cars.

So, the moment you notice leaks, especially more serious ones, replace the gasket mainly because of the possibility of major loss of engine oil, which then causes engine damage.