We continue the story were we left off at bypassing the evap canister.

 

A week passes and I am able to drive the Brat again and I was quite happy until I noticed a unpleasant smoke entering through the vents. Got home and noticed a small amount of smoke coming from the engine. Took a look and noticed there was some oil leaking onto the exhaust pipe.

 

Two days later it got bad enough to about fog me out of the car and this morning I located the source/ The valve cover gasket.

 

As my only exp with valve covers came when I helped dad tear apart a 350 in my old Chevelle, this is a bit more unusual for me.

 

What do I need to know, do's and don'ts, and tips to get this repaired?

Get some new gaskets. The cork ones work well for me.

 

I think some people coat the new gaskets with some kind of sealent.I never have.I put them on dry.

 

There is no torque value for ea81 valve covers.Just tighten the bolts until they are tight.Don't over do it,of course.

Coat them in a thin layer of RTV and let them dry before installation. This makes them seal very well and prevents them from absorbing oil - which is their eventual demise as the oil breaks down from heat and turns the oil-soaked cork into brittle, crushed shoe-leather that doesn't seal anything anymore.

 

GD