Give it time!

This is the second VR valve cover gasket I've had leak. If they never sealed right, I would think there was something wrong with my valve cover, but they've both sealed just fine for a couple months before they start leaking. I think the material eventually compresses permanently instead of remaining pliable and resilient. As the engine heats and clearances expand, this lack of resiliency means it no longer expands to maintain a seal when the engine is up to operating temp.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

Do you have good wave washers under the bolts?

With a aluminum cover and iron head, the cover expands faster than the head so gasket compression is tighter and rubber softer.

Wave washers act like springs and keep the gasket tight when cold.

There is. Use an OE gasket. I posted a comment early on this thread. We do valve cover gaskets everyday, all day long. We've used VR brand for years. Same cars, same installation procedure. In about the last year or so we've seen about a 99% come back rate due to leaking. Especially on the 112, 104,and 119 motors. Not so much on the 617s. When comparing notes with other indies in the area, we've all been experiencing the same problem with VR gaskets. Something definitely changed with the make up and or quality. Instead of trying to analyze it to death, we just started using OE and moved on...

Aluminum valve covers are a common dress up item for lots of V8's with iron heads in trucks and hot rods. My second Nova had them, a couple of my trucks since then have had them, and even with plain CORK gaskets there were no issues, even after being reused a couple times.

The 617 valve cover rests directly on the shoulders of the mounting bolts, and this is what sets the compression of the gasket. In the 617 OEM setup and in my conversion both, the throttle linkages pivot on the valve cover and apply force to the valve cover. Heck, in the OEM setup the cruise control actuator is mounted on the valve cover. If any movement were designed in for expansion of the gasket, it would flex every time the throttle was used.

So no, no wave washers. Just a faulty gasket.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

Woops

I am curious. I looked at the Victor Reinz Gaskets I have and it has Victor Reinz a Holigraphic sticker and Victor Reinz Germany on the Tag. The tag also has the Victor Reinz part number for the Gaskt.

There is a smaller Tag that has the Mercedes part Number and the Victor Reinz Part number on it.
Victor Reinz Germany is not the same thing as saying made in Germany.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

After my post above, I ordered an Altrom valve cover gasket from Napa. When it arrived, it was Victor Reinz. I resisted the urge to swear, and accepted the gasket as I knew it would seal for awhile and I was dumping a lot of oil at the time.

It's now leaking. I've only placed half a dozen auto parts orders since then and not once did I remember to buy a better quality gasket. Guess I'll go do that now.

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617 swapped Toyota Pickup, 22-24 MPG, 50k miles on swap

My last attempt at sealing 2 engines (617) was to use a sealer per one of the earlier threads. Both covers are leaking at the driver's side front corner. They did last a few months. I have a couple of gaskets left and will do a valve adjustment before winter. I'll likely try OE gaskets next.

This remindes me of the old story where the guy was outraged at the price of a part and said "I can buy them for 1/2 price down the street." Of course, the response was "why don't you buy them there?" "Because they're out." "That's no deal. When I'm out, I sell them for 90% off."

OR:

When you want good quality oats, they can be bought for a (fair) price. If you can use them after they've been run through the horse, they're a little cheaper.

Now, how much are those re-useable leak free OE gaskets?

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

Odd. All of the Valve Cover Gaskets I have but one are Victor Reinz Gaskets. In the past I used Silicone Sealant on both sides of the Gasket and they have always seald for me.

I have never tried one without sealant.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I will try anything to stop the oil from leaking out of the valve cover gasket.

Which brand do you use?

Both SDs that I had tried installing the valve cover with Copper Kote were leaking. I've been working on the 84 suspension and decided to adjust the valves. The 1st attempt at sealing again with Copper Kote was a failure with a massive leak at the driver's side rear. I had used a new VR gasket, cleaned the head with brake cleaner and checked the head and cover with a machinist's straight edge.

Today, I took the cover off, cleaned it and reused the same VR gasket. I also made sure that the shoulders on the studs were extra clean and also used a caliper (the rod that sticks out when the caliper opens) to confirm that the shoulders are close to the same height. I then looked at the stops that bump against the stud shoulders on the valve cover in relation to the sealing edge. The stops are nearly flush with the sealing edge. The gasket sticks up above the stops on the VC but most of this is taken up with the shoulders on the studs. Note that grinding for example to flatten the VC edge would essentially mean less pressure on the gasket, not more.

One extra step with this install was to use the strait edge to confirm that the sealing edge of the gasket was flat. There was a low spot which really means that there were 2 high spots on either side of the low spot. I seated the gasket until comfortable with the flatness of the gasket and reinstalled. Now I knew that the head, valve cover and gasket were all flat.

The valve cover was torqued to specs in stages. There are only 4 studs that hold the VC on so the nuts were torqued in a cross pattern as if installing a head. I started the engine and - NO leak. I let the engine warm up, shut it off and retorqued. I also used lock washers under the nuts. For the record, torq spec is 15 NM.

Perhaps checking the gasket and measuring torq was the key and some of the other nit picking stuff isn't important. I'll turn the insurance back on and take it for a drive. Hopefully I'm done - at least with the suspension and valve adjust.

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85SD 240K & stopped counting painted, putting bac together. 84SD 180,000. sold to a neighbor and member here but I forget his handle. The 84 is much improved from when I had it. 85TD beginning to repair to DD status. Lots of stuff to do.

I have used only one OEM Gasket that came with a "lot" of some other parts I bought on eBay. All the reast have been Victor Reinz and I have I think 3 Victor Reinz Valve Cover Gaskets I have not used (all of those have the holigrapic ID).

As I also I never install them dry. I always use sealant; usually silicon sealant.

Part of the reason for the silicon sealant is to glue the gasket to the Valve Cover inside of the groove on the valve cover. In order for that to work you need to degrease the groove in the valve cover and the gasket with Brake Cleaner.

Then I put a thin layer of silicon sealant on the face of the gasket that goes against the Cylinder head. I wipe off the oil fromthe top of the cylinder head where the gasket seats but I don't degrease it as I don't want the Valve Cover glued to the Cylinder head.

But, I think that if the area where the Nuts that secure the valve cover have squashed the aluminum or there is small cracks are warpage of the valve cover it could still leak.

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

I've had lots of issues getting the VR gaskets to seal as well. Due for another valve adjust soon as I try to do it every 10k and I have never had one make it even a 1K without leaking. Going to try the sealant this time.

Add my name to the list. I have not been able to get a Victor Rienz valve cover gasket to seal the last two times. Never had a problem before.

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1981 300TD 310k miles
1970 280sel 172k miles
1966 230 Fintail 162k miles

"Where are we going? And why am I in this hand basket?"

I have 2 300ds and have replaced the valve cover gasket a few times on them while doing valve adjustments. I have only used VR gaskets because that's what was available. I haven't noticed any large leaks but both cars always drip a little and search as I may, I can't seem to find the source. I think I am going to do a better check on both cars, and see if it's that valve cover gasket after reading all this.