Cam Tower Cover gasket leaks

[michaelj]

I have had it with these things. I am afraid to tighten them too much for fear of breaking the bridge in the cambox. But i do give them a good shove with the wrench. The gaskets are newer rubber types, i dont know if there is any better. And its only the exhaust side. Does anyone have any gasket suggestions? Should i use a sealer and mummify the cams? I do not have any type of PCV in play, just the vent tube on the drivers side of the block. Thanks amigos! Mike

[aj81spider]

I had leaking problems with the covers. I solved it by going to rubber gaskets (from cork), which you have - and by being very careful about not tightening too much. You should hand tighten the cover bolts, then no more than an additional 1/2 turn with a wrench. When I cranked them down it created leaks.

I would pull the covers off to make sure you haven't bent them. If they are still straight then try much less torque on the bolts. That's what did the trick for me.

[RRoller123]

If the covers are flat they shouldn't leak with the rubber gaskets, unless there are deep gouges on the covers, or the cam box itself is not flat (unlikely). Place the covers on a flat plate to check. A quality table saw top makes a really good test plate for flatness. I lightly sanded the mating surfaces of both the cam box and cover, checking for any gouges that would pass oil. And then assembled without any RTV sealant. Pre-clean the mating surfaces thoroughly with mineral spirits. Been quite a few years now with no leaks. And AJ is right, don't over torque them!

[riverdadd]

I too chased a cam box oil leak for a period of time. I would get 1 drip off the distributor boss onto the exhaust manifold. very frustrating after changing all gaskets and distributor seals...ect. it turned out to be a hairline crack in the distributor boss itself.
i finally found it with a small wire brush on my dremel tool. I went all over the oil travel path of the leak, and the crack revealed itself. so, long story short, it's not always the gasket or mating surface that causes a leak. BTW, a schmear of RTV over the crack has had me oil drip free for a while now, until it comes time to replace the timing belt. at that time i will change to the spare cam tower i have!!

hope it helps you, or someone else who reads it!!
riverdadd

[kilrwail]

Make sure it's not the oil filler gasket that's leaking. Then tape a large piece of coarse sandpaper to a sheet of glass (or table saw platform if you have one) and sand the cover flat on it, checking frequently for any warpage. Tighten the two bolts to 7 lb-ft only, with the rubber gasket. If the surfaces are dead flat, even the cork gaskets will work fine.

[michaelj]

Gents, thanks for all the input. The oil filler cap is part of the issue. I just noted the two tabs were not bent evenly so i leveled them both out to be a bit tighter. Its the aftermarket billet cap with a cork gasket.

I will pull the cam cover and check for flatness. That cover was from a different engine. I de-smogged this one and needed a cover without the scavenger port/fitting.

I cannot put a torque wrench on as i am using the aftermarket billet bolts up there, no head on them. But I guess i can try it with the old allen head bolts. Anyways, one thing at a time. I will run it out today with the re-tightened oil cap.

Im really leaning towards cork and sealer. But i know the cap has been leaking so maybe a quick run to the local diner will expose it.