Hope some of the pros here can tell me where I messed up !!

My 300CD (1985) was leaking oil and my driveway was looking really bad, so I decided to buy a valve cover gasket at discount autoparts and take care of the problem.

Did the whole thing yesterday in one hour or so, and after a quick drive everything seemed fine.

Today after taking my wife to work I noticed a bigger oil stain on my driveway so i decided to check the engine just to find that there is oil still coming from the top of the engine through the gasket.

I tried Tightening the 4 bolts more but I'm afraid to mess them up.

Please can somebody give a clue of what could be wrong? I checked all around and it seems to be tight against the engine and i installed it with a lot of care and making sure no dust or debris got between the gasket and the metal, but since it was the first time I did it I may somehow messed up.

Thanks a million!!

A cheap gasket may be just that. Even good ones are easy to slide off when installing and get turned a bit, inspect carefully.
Perhaps your can cover is warped.

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

Isnt there a specific torque spec for valve cover bolts? My m103 engine requires 15 nm

__________________
Eugene

10 E63 AMG
93 300te 4matic
07 BMW X3
14 Ford F-150 Fx2

Thanks for the quick answer guys...

I would like to high lite that now I have a worst leak than before so...

inspecting the gasket carefully and I don't see anything wrong, at least with my untrained eyes.

Based in you guys experience....should I re do the job?

Again thanks for your time trying to help this newbie here!!

I didn't mention this earlier because you stated you started it and seemed fine, but the metal part of the fuel line clip at the top goes as in the pic as opposed to under the cover.
Feel around all the way, you should be able to tell if the gasket got turned under.
And yes, it would seem you need to re do something.
There are no torque values on this engine, just snug 'em up tight.
Good luck.

Attached Thumbnails

   

__________________
83 SD

84 CD

What needs to be done before giving the valve cover a "smack down" is to make sure every bit of oil is wiped from the matting surface of the head.

__________________


1985 Euro 240D 5 spd 140K
1979 240D 5 spd, 40K on engine rebuild
1994 Dodge/Cummins, 5 spd, 121K
1964 Allice Chalmers D15 tractor
2014 Kubota L3800 tractor
1964 VW bug

"Lifes too short to drive a boring car"

Don't know if it helps but...voila!! some pictures of the mess I put myself in

Attached Thumbnails

         

For the time it takes make sure your crankcase breather hose does not have a lot of internal buildup. This might increase the blowby pressure in the engine and contribute to leaking past the gasket.

You should be able to see if the gasket looks normal around the base where it contacts the head. There is no reason to expect you have experienced sudden valve cover warpage.

Another thing that might help If you decide to redo the gasket is put a SMALL bead of pematex sealant around the valve cover then set the gasket on that. That way the prematex holds the gasket in place while you flip it over to install. also make sure you dont slide the valve cover at all while installing it.

__________________
86 300SDL. 250,xxx on #14 Head. One eye always on temp gauge.. Cruising towards 300K

It is really easy to accidentally pull the gasket a little bit off the valve cover when installing it. If i cant seat it to the engine in one clean move, i pull it off and start again. If its caught on something before fully seating and you had to pull up on it, it might have unseated and pinched itself.

__________________

1979 240D with a 617 turbo diesel.

I believe the torque value is 10 ft. lbs. Not much.

The previous observation of the fuel line clip in the wrong location seems like it may keep the cover from not reaching the head, thereby causing the leak. It looks like the cover is not fully seated in OP picture #2.

I found cleanliness is next to godliness when I did mine ... errrr... well the SECOND time I did it, well...errr...the THIRD time.

First time I failed to carefully scrape off all the crap and corruption from the mating surfaces before installing the new gasket. Second time I managed to pinch a wire on the firewall side of the valve cover where I couldn't see it. Third time I learned to be patient and take my time. Three times the charm I guess...hope yours is sooner!

Kindly read the following posting guideline before posting again on this forum:


http://www.peachparts.com/shopforum/showthread.php?t=127342