I have a honda civic and i took it to get an oil change and they told me that i had an oil leak because my valve cover needed replacing. I did not let them do the work. I called my personal mechanic and he's out of commission for a little while, so he referred me to a friend of his. He said he cleaned all of the built up oil and replaced the valve cover. I noticed yesterday that my car looks like it is leaking oil really bad. I'm wondering, could this be from him washing the old oil that was leaking? My belts seem to be squeaking, like they do when it rains. Any ideas? could this just be excess water that he cleaned it out with?
if he replaced the valve pan gasket then it could be from where it was leaking at in the first place and he did not clean it off after he got done. if your oil don,t keep going low then you know he got it fixed.
if the gasket was replaced then there may be other problems. take it to a dealer or reputable mechanic.. what kind of oil do you use, have seen this problem with plugged oil return holes. builds up pressure in valve cover and pushes it out the gasket. penz and quaker are noted for this problem.
To determine If the valve cover-gasket is leaking again, take the car to a wand-type car wash. Shut the motor off, open the hood and thoroughly wash the engine and compartment down with hot water and soap. Concentrate on the valve cover itself and the mating surface between the valve cover and cylinder head. Rinse with hot water spray. This is the only way to clean-up the previous mess so everything will be dry and clean. Use a flash-light if you have one to inspect all the way around the lip of the valve cover to look for any bright, shiny oil that could be leaking again after a short drive. Having been cleaning engine compartments for 45 years at car washes, don't worry about electrical connections, cracking or breaking anything. There are quite a few tricks to make valve covers seal properly. To start with the cylinder head has to be clean and dry, the valve cover had to be clean, *flat and dry and use only premium Felpro, silicone impregnated valve cover gaskets.
