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Learned something today

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Old 11-20-2010 | 05:51 PM
TiggerDX's Avatar
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Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 230
From: Lost Wages, NV
Default Learned something today

So I have been fighting an oil leak for about 3 weeks. Narrowed it down to a leaking head gasket.
Pulled it apart and replaced the gaskets, had the head milled, cleaned up the engine and reassembled everything with new gaskets.

Figured I would leave the upper timing belt cover off to make sure the belt was tight enough and there wasn't noticeable slack when running.
After I installed the valve cover, I realized that the timing belt cover goes underneath it and I couldn't put it back on without pulling the valve cover back off which I didn't want to do after the engine had run. So I pulled the cover off since the Hondabond hadn't had time to set and put the timing cover back on.
Started the car, everything looked OK and took it for a quick 20 minute drive.
Came back, popped the hood and there was oil running down the front of the engine. Coming out to the left of the valve cover around the dizzy. New gasket on the valve cover and new O-ring on the dizzy. Running the car, I can see the oil dripping down, but can't tell exactly where it's coming from since the oil is so clear.
There is oil all along the head around the VC gasket.
So I decide to pull both and redo them. I go out and buy another VC gasket, clean the VC very good with brake cleaner making sure the oil is gone and everything is dry. Put the new gasket in, a dab of HondaBond on the corners and start to install it. That is when I realize the sparkplug tube seals are still attached to the head. Pull them off, reinstall them on the VC, more sealant on them and reinstall the VC on the head. Leak is gone.

What I figure happened is when I pulled the VC back up to install the timing belt cover, the sparkplug tube seals stayed attached to the head and when I dropped the VC back on, they didn't seat back into the rings. So no matter how tight I tried to make the valve cover the seals wouldn't allow it to seat correctly.
And they said I couldn't be trained
 
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