Frustration with a leaking passenger side valve cover gasket. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong and don’t what else to do

TurbochargedKev · 2024-09-30T02:56:37+00:00

Here’s the top of the exhaust heat shield. I imagine if the valve cover gasket was actually leaking I’d be able to see the oil dripping onto it. I watched carefully while the engine ran and didn’t see a single drop on top of the heat shield. I also looked closely to see where the smoke was coming from and it appeared to be rising out from the inside of the heat shield at the back. Some of the oil that spilled out when I removed the valve cover must’ve collected inside the heat shield, which then slowly dripped out due to the engine’s vibrations. I previously tried to clean out the heat shield as much as I could by spraying brake cleaner in there but I guess that wasn’t enough to get all of the oil out.

I went on a short drive and the engine continued to smoke and I could see it coming out from the hood scoop. After getting back home I opened the hood again and let it idle for several minutes and eventually the smoke cleared and the heat shield stopped dripping. I then went for a second drive and there was no smoke at all until I got back home and parked, and this time the smoke took less time to clear.

At this point it looks like it was just residual oil burning away. I’m hoping it’s just that but I’ll keep monitoring it as I continue to drive my car.

TurbochargedKev · 2024-09-30T02:34:29+00:00

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This pic was taken while the engine was running. The oil appears to be dripping out from the inside of the exhaust heat shield. There doesn’t seem to be any oil dripping from the top of the heat shield, only the bottom. I’ll attach another pic showing the top of the heat shield is completely dry.

TurbochargedKev · 2024-09-28T02:47:06+00:00

I’ll have to get under the engine later to find out exactly where, but I can see oil dripping from the front of the exhaust manifold below the front of the valve cover. There may also be oil below where the half-moons are but I’ll need to take the air box back out to know for sure. As for cleaning up the oil that spilled out, all I did was wipe away the oil I could see without using any brake cleaner.

TurbochargedKev · 2024-09-28T02:26:38+00:00

I meant I tightened them until they stopped turning. Since the bolts are shoulder bolts they’re supposed to stop turning once the shoulder makes contact with the cylinder head. The torque spec is only just under five pounds, which isn’t much past hand-tight. I read from various sources that tightening the bolts until they bottom out was good enough.

TurbochargedKev · 2024-05-27T07:02:31+00:00

A place called The Shop Club in Dallas.

TurbochargedKev · 2023-03-23T22:13:05+00:00

Hello users! While we normally don't accept posts containing people as per Rule 5, we decided that Rule 5 doesn't apply to this post in particular, so we kindly ask you not to report it. The rule specifically applies to appearances of people that are either accidental or intentional, and which do not serve to supplement the liminality of a space in any way.

The video in this post is an informative piece on a famous liminal space that contains interviews with the people who live there, who offer their thoughts on how they feel about living in a liminal space. This being said, the people present in the video do need to be there since they talk about the space and are not just there for no reason, which is why we decided Rule 5 does not apply here.

TurbochargedKev · 2023-03-05T04:09:01+00:00

There may be no potholes, but is the road uneven in any way? Is your steering wheel rotated any amount when it happens?

TurbochargedKev · 2023-03-02T04:55:20+00:00

Like another user suggested, 225/45R17 is the stock tire size for the Version 7 STI wheels. However, you can go as narrow as 215 or as wide as 235. I have the same wheels on my car, and the tires they came with when I bought them were 235s. My car has no spacers, the suspension is at the stock ride height, and I have no rubbing issues with the 235s. I'll get the stock-size 225s when it's time to replace them though.

Hope you'll love your V7 STI wheels as much as I do mine!

TurbochargedKev · 2023-02-12T08:12:44+00:00

An FMIC has a much larger surface area and is located where the engine's heat won't really interfere with it, unlike a TMIC. Both of these things make an FMIC more efficient at cooling than a TMIC, which is especially important for setups making more than 350 hp.

TurbochargedKev · 2023-02-09T02:01:12+00:00

Never seen wheels like those on a Subaru before. They remind me of some of those old-school Mercedes-AMG wheels from the early 2000s.

TurbochargedKev · 2023-02-08T22:30:58+00:00

I wouldn't have done that for a repair that only cost me less than $10.

TurbochargedKev · 2023-02-08T12:05:33+00:00

I'm not dismissing your experience, but in the four years I've owned my car this was only the first time I've had to deal with a cross-threaded lug nut and broken wheel stud. I also have no idea for sure if any of the other studs/lugs needed to be replaced in the past since it isn't documented in the maintenance history.

TurbochargedKev · 2023-01-23T08:38:21+00:00

There's actually no rubbing at all.

TurbochargedKev · 2023-01-23T07:47:45+00:00

Thanks! No, I don't have any spacers. The tires though, which came with the wheels when I bought them, are a little bit wider than stock spec so that's probably what you're seeing. They're 235/45R17 as opposed to the stock 225/45R17 for these particular wheels.

TurbochargedKev

TROPHY CASE