Valve cover leaking

DUN3DUN4DUN

MEMBER
2003 NISSAN MAXIMA
3.5L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
160 MILES

I am trying to fix my roommates car. It was sitting for 8 months because of a drain on the battery. A mechanic removed some fuses and that seemed to help. However it died an hour after she drove it home. Right before it started jerking. All she did was add oil into the car before driving it. There is also a severe oil leak from two sources one from the oil pan. When I checked the spark plugs they had oil on them, were to tight, not super tight. Whoever had replaced them last left the rubber spark plug remover you put into a socket on one of the too tight spark plugs. The valve cover seems to be leaking its outside is covered in an oily grit. When I removed the valve cover it was reddish and had gritty oil inside. Can clean this? If so, how? What other damage might it have caused that I should look for? Would anyone suggest a full gasket kit over haul, i'm willing to do the work and take my time on it, but i'm not very experienced.

1 Reply

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Can you get a picture of what you found in the valve cover? This sounds like sludge. If it is then that is not a good sign. That is caused by lack of maintenance and is the first sign of a failing engine. Clearly we need to change the oil and check the oil pressure and listen for knocking or tapping. If you are seeing oil on the plugs then I would go ahead and replace those as well. Change the oil and drain it into a clean pan and then check for metal as you pour the oil slowly through a coffee filter or something that will not allow metal flakes to go through it. You can use a paint sprayer filter.

As for cleaning the gritting oil, just scrap it, wipe it, or spray the cover down with parts cleaner. We don't want to get cleaner in the engine so don't use it on the internal engine parts like the valve train.

We don't need to worry about the oil leaks right now. If there is no knocking and there is not a lot of metal in the oil when you change it then it would make sense to tackle the leaks. At that point, you want to just change the gaskets that are leaking so that sounds like the oil pan and valve cover. Again, that is secondary to ensuring you have a sound engine because if you don't then fixing leaks is a waste of money.

Let me know if you have questions.