valve cover gasket leak st184

[Nixon_GT]

hi, having a problem with oil leaking on the fire wall side of my 5sfe, had changed the valve cover gasket twice, first time for road worthy including the dizzy o-ring and again just recently and still having leakage, lol. Quite certain its leaking from the gasket cos the highest point of oil residue can be seen and felt under the dizzy and on the top side of the intake where it bolts to the head.

durring the first time i changed it, it lasted bout 3 weeks before i noticed that it started to leak again, so i continually tightened the bolts that hold the valve cover down till the bolts started to bend (it did help with lessening of the oil leak, but still gets persistant leakage even though its very minor). So second time round with a new valve cover gasket i used the bolts from 3sfe camry, they seem to be of higher grade metal and hasnt bent or buckled under tension between treads and valve cover.

has anyone had this experience of continual oil leading from the valve cover gasket after changing the gasket and o-ring?

by the way the valve cover on the fire wall side isnt entire straight, it has less than a mil difference between the corner edges and centre of that back side, could that be the problem?

(have seen similar post but i think my situation is more specific and sorry for lengthy read but trying to cover all angles before any silly questions evolve)

Thanks in advance and any helpfull opinions or advice is much appreciated.

[Guest]

it probably dosent help its not straight.

Also, oil can leak *through* the dizzy, if the seals inside it are gone. mine has that issue.

[Keisari]

it probably dosent help its not straight.

Also, oil can leak *through* the dizzy, if the seals inside it are gone. mine has that issue.

Second that, I have same issue as this. The distributor assembly has two gaskets from memory, a big one that fits straight under the dizzy cap and a small one that seals under the rotor on the distributor side (if that makes sense).

I don't know why the firewall side of the valve cover would be leaking, though.

[Nixon_GT]

Cheers, im pretty sure that oil isnt leaking through the dizzy cos when i changed the o-ring that sits around the dizzy shaft connected to the intaked side cam shaft, there was no oil inside the dizzy when i removed the dizzy cap.

i also think it leaks on the firewall side cos the engine slightly tilts to that side, but when the oil does reach the ground it drips closer to the right front wheel than to the left. But at the highest point of evident oil leak is on the top side of the intake at the first cylinder and underneath the dizzy where it sits before drippin else where.

Like i said before, the leak is very minor but stil an oil leak which is never a good sign.

(any you guys from brissy? is there much of a celica scene round here?)

Q. for mick.wheelz - has your leak been fixed or you drivin with that leak and just toppin up every now and then?

[Guest]

I am from brissy,

and no i have not fixed it as yet, I am in the process of turbo-ing, so i spose i will fix it while its apart.

[Nixon_GT]

I am from brissy,

and no i have not fixed it as yet, I am in the process of turbo-ing, so i spose i will fix it while its apart.

Aye cool, would like to have a cruise with you guys sometime. Also had a look at your project, fair bit of work but im sure the end result would be a pretty serious ride.

(what type of exhaust do you currently have on your celica? if you removing an aftermarket sports system for an n/a, to be replaced by a 3 1/2" in your list, would you be interested in selling? just a thought)

[Guest]

I am from brissy,

and no i have not fixed it as yet, I am in the process of turbo-ing, so i spose i will fix it while its apart.

Aye cool, would like to have a cruise with you guys sometime. Also had a look at your project, fair bit of work but im sure the end result would be a pretty serious ride.

(what type of exhaust do you currently have on your celica? if you removing an aftermarket sports system for an n/a, to be replaced by a 3 1/2" in your list, would you be interested in selling? just a thought)

dude definitely. we meet up every thursday at 8ish, pm me for the location. Would be good to have some ST184 repping, since mine is currently in the shed.

as for my exhaust, i have a zetti twin tip 2.5in system, sounds nice. and yeah i am looking to replace it.

[Rolla Boy]

When you replace the rocker cover gasket, you need to use some of the Toyota Oil Sealant for the cam cap gaps and did you also reseal the half moon pieces??? Could be leaking out there (if they have them on this model???)

[Nixon_GT]

When you replace the rocker cover gasket, you need to use some of the Toyota Oil Sealant for the cam cap gaps and did you also reseal the half moon pieces??? Could be leaking out there (if they have them on this model???)

i did use some sealant that was recommended when i purchased the valve cover gasket (Permatex Ultra Blue), i used it on about 70-80% of the area where the gasket sits (more than what Haynes repair manual indicates) , prior to that i did clean that surface thoroughly carefully with razor blade and some turps, pretty sure didnt scratch or damage surface.

not sure what the cap gaps are or what the half moon pieces are either, just did everything by the repair manual.

after the engine is at operating temp, the norm is bout a 5 or 10cent coin size of oil drip on the ground when parked. but the wierd thing was within the same week on different occassions i drove to sunny coast and gold coast, when park down GC the drip expanded to bout 10cm in diameter and couple days later drove up SC and again when parked the drip was bout 10cent coin. Hasnt happened since but that was a bit confusing cos now that the oil is at the low line on the dip stick the leak has been consistant. just waiting for the oil light to switch on, then i will top up with a few 100mil of oil. is that wise? using shell plus high mileage 15-50, oil still staying clean after over 1000kms, not like my old nissan, it got fairly dark after few days of daily driving (apparently they do that).

[Hiro]

just waiting for the oil light to switch on, then i will top up with a few 100mil of oil. is that wise?

Not wise at all, dude. The oil light is a low oil-pressure warning, not a level indicator. So if you run the car low enough on oil for the oil pump to starve and turn the warning light on, then there's a good chance that the oil circuit (especially big ends) will be devoid of oil, even for a microsecond. This is bad, as it will lead to spun bearings or even a thrown rod, both of which are expensive to fix.

Keep the oil level above the "low" on the dipstick and you'll be fine. The difference between low and high on the dipstick is usually only about a litre or two, compared fo the 4-5L (depends on the car) that it takes to fill the sump from dry when doing an oil change.

[Keisari]

Keep the oil level above the "low" on the dipstick and you'll be fine. The difference between low and high on the dipstick is usually only about a litre or two, compared fo the 4-5L (depends on the car) that it takes to fill the sump from dry when doing an oil change.

My guesstimation on the ST184 would be ~500 ml; it's a really narrow range.

[Nixon_GT]

Not wise at all, dude. The oil light is a low oil-pressure warning, not a level indicator. So if you run the car low enough on oil for the oil pump to starve and turn the warning light on, then there's a good chance that the oil circuit (especially big ends) will be devoid of oil, even for a microsecond. This is bad, as it will lead to spun bearings or even a thrown rod, both of which are expensive to fix.

Wow. could of been a disaster. Thanks for the heads up!!

Ive had this oil problem for bout 2months now and so far its not a pain but it is annoying, having to check fluid levels every second day or so. So any further suggestions that can lead me to rectifying this issue myself would be greatly appreciated (as mentioned in original post), or the other option is to send to mechanic. But thanks heaps to those that have been helpful in responding to my problem so far, didnt think this subject would have this amount of replies in such short time. Cheers pplz

[Guest]

what year model is your ST184?

if its Oct 91 + i might be able to help you with a new dizzy...

[Rolla Boy]

If you're engine isn't really leaking oil anymore but the oil level keeps dropping then you're engine is burning oil, most likely the valve stem seals or rings...

Best off taking your car to a honest mechanic in the area (ask around for feedback) and ask him to check your car for oil leaks and also oil consumption test along with a compression test - wet and dry...

This should help you clear up your dilemmas and know exactly whats going on with the car...

[the_random_hero]

Girlfriends ST184 chews through oil like no tomorrow, I found out the non-linear dipstick the hard way (it was almost empty, put about 1L into it then it was super overfull). Doing oil changes on the side of the road with servo tools sucks :P

[Hiro]

Girlfriends ST184 chews through oil like no tomorrow, I found out the non-linear dipstick the hard way (it was almost empty, put about 1L into it then it was super overfull). Doing oil changes on the side of the road with servo tools sucks :P

It's not non-linear, it's just that "empty" on the dipstick isn't empty in the sump (the dipstick doesn't go all the way to the bottom of the sump) - the oil circuit should always contain a certain amount of oil for the engine to function (this is the "low" level when the car has been turned off and all the oil settled to the sump), and then the gap between low and high is only a litre or so.

If you do an oil-change on a car which has started to flash the oil-pressure light, you'll still get 3L or so out of it - you have to remember the capacity of the system is sump+circuit, but when you do an oil change or check the dipstick you are only looking at the sump itself. When the car is running, all the oil in the sump will be distributed throughout the engine rendering the sump near empty, thus starving the oil pump and causing the warning light to trigger - however when the car stops all that oil drains back to the sump leaving the circuit roughly empty (apart from the oil filter, which retains oil to help on startup).

In short, a VERY good practice to think of is that "LOW" on the dipstick means LOW, not EMPTY. OR a dipstick which says "LOW" when the car is stopped and settled will equal "EMPTY" when the car is running. Either way, letting oil level drop below LOW is a very bad idea.

[Nixon_GT]

If you're engine isn't really leaking oil anymore but the oil level keeps dropping then you're engine is burning oil, most likely the valve stem seals or rings...

Best off taking your car to a honest mechanic in the area (ask around for feedback) and ask him to check your car for oil leaks and also oil consumption test along with a compression test - wet and dry...

This should help you clear up your dilemmas and know exactly whats going on with the car...

when it was leaking at its worst, i measured that it droped one diamond or square in between the high and low lines from the dipstick, thats driving approx 150kms in a day (mentioned earlier that noticed oil patch on ground bout 10-15com in diameter when parked, driving to GC and back).

Atm the oil level is sitting at the last diamond/square on the dipstick, on average the oil patches on the ground are the size of a 10cent piece, also havent been going for any decent drives and the oil level hasnt decresed noticably on the dipstick (checking at the same spot i park at in the morn). Also cant say if it the does or doesnt burn any oil but have never seen any smoke or abnormal smells from the exhaust.