youve heard it....what my freaking mechanic did to my baby!!

SPEEDY88 · 04-16-2001, 09:56 PM

I took the car to get the oil pan gasket replaced because it was leaking a little bit of oil and I didn't want it to escalate further. Well he replaced the oil pan gasket and he also replaced the valve cover gaskets. I started to notice that it was leaking oil, I took it back and had him check it out. He tells me that I needed to wash the engine from the botom because it was drenched with oil. He looked at the oil filter and he saw that he didn't fully tighten it. He had to tighten it with 1 and a half turns!!!! that is crazy, all this time I am driving with a loose oil filter. So I said maybe it was that. It started leaking again. I looked under the hood and noticed the driver side valve cover had traces of oil on it. I noticed a valve cover bolt hanging on the header like if it popped off. I checked to see that the bolts are all there and they were. But get this, I check to see if they were tight, they weren't. I could literally take them off with one finger. So I said that is where the oil is leaking through. But it still freaking leaks!!!!! My friend told me that I had to get new gaskets for the valve covers. Is that true??? How do I take off the cam so I can take the valve covers off???? Is this easy or should I have someone do it for me??? Is it a weekend job??? Please respond as I am in dire need of help? Thanks guys I had to tell someone that knew what the hell they were talking about. I've had very bad luck with mechanics. They suck!!!!!!!!!! Well the ones here in my town ofcourse, no pun intended.......

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88GT-Bassani X-pipe,Two chamber flowmasters,3:73 gears, King Cobra clutch, Steeda clutch quadrant, pro 5.0, K&N, Hypertech chip, Underdrive Pulleys,High Volume oil pump....ALL POWERED BY MY FOOT!!!

vande97 · 04-16-2001, 10:05 PM

its is not that big of a job, you dont have to remove the cam, the cam is inside of your motor. You do have to remove the upper intake and that is not that big of a deal you could get the tappet cover gaskets on in less then one day(yourself) it will also be alot cheaper on your wallet if you do it yourself!

Mad Horse · 04-16-2001, 10:11 PM

Man, sounds like your mechanic doesn't know how to tighten anything he loosens. First of all, you don't need to take out your cam to replace the valve cover gaskets. I think you meant to say your intake instead of cam but that is alright. The job isn't bad at all. However, you will need to take off your intake so you will need to get the gaskets for that too. Anyone with just a little knowledge on cars should be able to change the valve cover gaskets without any problems. Just go to your nearest parts dealership and pick up some Fel-Pro Gaskets for you valve cover and your intake manifold.

------------------
88GT 5-speed
Mods: Cervinis Ram air hood 3.73 gears, King Cobra clutch, Pro 5.0, March alum. Pullies, DynoMax Cat-back, K&N, 9mm plug wires, PS91 coil, Accel Cap/Rotor, 190lph Fuel pump, 16" Ponies.
"Nip it in the Bud"
My Webpage

withamc · 04-17-2001, 12:28 AM

That's why, except for stuff like gears or welding or paint, nobody touches my car but me. Ford wouldn't know what to do with it if they got it anyway.
Same with my Jeep. I took it in to get a vibration diagnosed and they called me to say that there was something very wrong with my differentials. I couldn't get them to understand that Detroit lockers don't work like normal diffs.

Sideways LX · 04-17-2001, 01:07 AM

Try putting lockwashers on the valve cover bolts so they dont come loose again down the road.

white00GT · 04-17-2001, 01:20 AM

Talking about mechanics not tightening things back. Friday I took my car to have the A/C line replaced that my dad turned into a bow-tie when we put my blower on (only $734 for one little line, there goes my tubuler front end for a while anyway). Anyway when I was driving back home about 3 min. to home I noticed that my blower and by-pass valve were louder than usual. So when I got home I popped the hood to look at the installation on the A/C line to see how he did. As soon as I place my hand on the intake to my blower it popped off..I'm like WTF...Anyway I wasn't to worried about it because I had to take it off to get to my line lock to rebuild it. So I went ahead and took it off, and as soon as I took it off my by-pass fell off because none of the clamps were tight on that either.WTH!!! None of the things that he had to take off to put the A/C line in was tight, everything was lose. I'm just glade that I had to get under all that stuff to my line lock or else I would of never known that any of it was lose untill it was to late. Now what kinda poo is that?

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2000 Mustang GT

StreetStang37 · 04-17-2001, 03:24 AM

It's not only mechanics making mistakes either. My friend went to the dealership to buy an oil filter for his car and he gave them all the information they needed(V6 Camry, etc.) and they messed up and gave my friend the 4cyl one. He didn't know though and some how fit it on there (first time changing oil in his life) and it was leaking bad for a couple days till he took it to Jiffy Lube where they spotted the problem and they put on the right one for free. What kind of damage can that do, not having the right filter? I guess it was too much pressure for the smaller filter.

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1993 Mustang GT - March Ram Air & Pullies, K&N, C&L 73mm MAF, Super Competition Hooker Headers, 2 1/2 in. mandrel bent cat back, High Flow H-Pipe, Pro 5.0 Shifter, 16* Timing Advance

93CobraR · 04-17-2001, 11:30 AM

This is what happen to me twice. After I put my heads on it was leaking oil all ofer the place from the drivers side vavle cover gasket. What had happen is when I took the gasket out of it was all bent up like they always are. I put it on and it was leaking well when I took it off, I saw that it had push inside of the head toward the valve spring and totally missed the hole, so the bolt was holding it in as it just went around it. The ther other the gasket had two metal crush washers in it and I didn't notice when I put it on till it started leaking and I had to take it off. It's a easy job if you know how to take off the intake. Good Luck!

------------------
87 GT, 4 inch cowl hood,17x9 Cobra R's/255/45's,GT-40 heads,long tubes headers,h-pipe,Flows,BBK cold air, Mass air,70mm MAF, 1.7's, 1" spacer,underdrive pulleys,Pro 5.0, King Cobra, Adj. fuel Reg., Lakewood Lift Bars,50/50's,subframes, 4.10's.
Best time 12.96
Best MPH 103.42
Best 60' 1.695

Visit my site at:
http://www.geocities.com/cobrar93_2000/MyPage.html

2FastLX · 04-17-2001, 01:01 PM

Valve cover gaskets are a bit of a pain on these EFI cars to change with the upper intake in the way, but it's nothing anyone with half a brain can't do. I use RTV black on gaskets if they are cork, and Permatex Indian Head if they are rubber. I just rebuilt the upper portion of my engine and have no leaks whatsoever.

------------------
ICQ# 42269241
Indiana Stangers Association
Buy your parts here

SPEEDY88 · 04-18-2001, 07:31 AM

Thanks guys I meant to say that i had to take off the upper air intake. sorry, my mistake. Anyway what do I need to take the intake off and what do I have to do??? Is there any website that would actually have pics and a very descriptive way of doing this??? I am planning to do it this weekend so If anyone has any suggestions or any ideas please respond!!!!! Thanks again.

------------------
88GT-Bassani X-pipe,Two chamber flowmasters,3:73 gears, King Cobra clutch, Steeda clutch quadrant, pro 5.0, K&N, Hypertech chip, Underdrive Pulleys,High Volume oil pump....ALL POWERED BY MY FOOT!!!

04-16-2001, 09:56 PM	#1
SPEEDY88 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: TEXAS Posts: 110	youve heard it....what my freaking mechanic did to my baby!! I took the car to get the oil pan gasket replaced because it was leaking a little bit of oil and I didn't want it to escalate further. Well he replaced the oil pan gasket and he also replaced the valve cover gaskets. I started to notice that it was leaking oil, I took it back and had him check it out. He tells me that I needed to wash the engine from the botom because it was drenched with oil. He looked at the oil filter and he saw that he didn't fully tighten it. He had to tighten it with 1 and a half turns!!!! that is crazy, all this time I am driving with a loose oil filter. So I said maybe it was that. It started leaking again. I looked under the hood and noticed the driver side valve cover had traces of oil on it. I noticed a valve cover bolt hanging on the header like if it popped off. I checked to see that the bolts are all there and they were. But get this, I check to see if they were tight, they weren't. I could literally take them off with one finger. So I said that is where the oil is leaking through. But it still freaking leaks!!!!! My friend told me that I had to get new gaskets for the valve covers. Is that true??? How do I take off the cam so I can take the valve covers off???? Is this easy or should I have someone do it for me??? Is it a weekend job??? Please respond as I am in dire need of help? Thanks guys I had to tell someone that knew what the hell they were talking about. I've had very bad luck with mechanics. They suck!!!!!!!!!! Well the ones here in my town ofcourse, no pun intended....... ------------------ 88GT-Bassani X-pipe,Two chamber flowmasters,3:73 gears, King Cobra clutch, Steeda clutch quadrant, pro 5.0, K&N, Hypertech chip, Underdrive Pulleys,High Volume oil pump....ALL POWERED BY MY FOOT!!!

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04-16-2001, 10:05 PM	#2
vande97 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: okemos Posts: 205	its is not that big of a job, you dont have to remove the cam, the cam is inside of your motor. You do have to remove the upper intake and that is not that big of a deal you could get the tappet cover gaskets on in less then one day(yourself) it will also be alot cheaper on your wallet if you do it yourself!

04-16-2001, 10:11 PM	#3
Mad Horse Registered Member Join Date: Sep 1998 Location: Dayton, OH., United States Posts: 467	Man, sounds like your mechanic doesn't know how to tighten anything he loosens. First of all, you don't need to take out your cam to replace the valve cover gaskets. I think you meant to say your intake instead of cam but that is alright. The job isn't bad at all. However, you will need to take off your intake so you will need to get the gaskets for that too. Anyone with just a little knowledge on cars should be able to change the valve cover gaskets without any problems. Just go to your nearest parts dealership and pick up some Fel-Pro Gaskets for you valve cover and your intake manifold. ------------------ 88GT 5-speed Mods: Cervinis Ram air hood 3.73 gears, King Cobra clutch, Pro 5.0, March alum. Pullies, DynoMax Cat-back, K&N, 9mm plug wires, PS91 coil, Accel Cap/Rotor, 190lph Fuel pump, 16" Ponies. "Nip it in the Bud" My Webpage

04-17-2001, 12:28 AM	#4
withamc Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Thousand Oaks, CA Posts: 396	That's why, except for stuff like gears or welding or paint, nobody touches my car but me. Ford wouldn't know what to do with it if they got it anyway. Same with my Jeep. I took it in to get a vibration diagnosed and they called me to say that there was something very wrong with my differentials. I couldn't get them to understand that Detroit lockers don't work like normal diffs.

04-17-2001, 01:07 AM	#5
Sideways LX Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Costa Mesa, California Posts: 17	Try putting lockwashers on the valve cover bolts so they dont come loose again down the road.

04-17-2001, 01:20 AM	#6
white00GT Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: Pawleys Island SC Posts: 229	Talking about mechanics not tightening things back. Friday I took my car to have the A/C line replaced that my dad turned into a bow-tie when we put my blower on (only $734 for one little line, there goes my tubuler front end for a while anyway). Anyway when I was driving back home about 3 min. to home I noticed that my blower and by-pass valve were louder than usual. So when I got home I popped the hood to look at the installation on the A/C line to see how he did. As soon as I place my hand on the intake to my blower it popped off..I'm like WTF...Anyway I wasn't to worried about it because I had to take it off to get to my line lock to rebuild it. So I went ahead and took it off, and as soon as I took it off my by-pass fell off because none of the clamps were tight on that either.WTH!!! None of the things that he had to take off to put the A/C line in was tight, everything was lose. I'm just glade that I had to get under all that stuff to my line lock or else I would of never known that any of it was lose untill it was to late. Now what kinda poo is that? ------------------ 2000 Mustang GT

04-17-2001, 03:24 AM	#7
StreetStang37 Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: San Jose, California USA Posts: 275	It's not only mechanics making mistakes either. My friend went to the dealership to buy an oil filter for his car and he gave them all the information they needed(V6 Camry, etc.) and they messed up and gave my friend the 4cyl one. He didn't know though and some how fit it on there (first time changing oil in his life) and it was leaking bad for a couple days till he took it to Jiffy Lube where they spotted the problem and they put on the right one for free. What kind of damage can that do, not having the right filter? I guess it was too much pressure for the smaller filter. ------------------ 1993 Mustang GT - March Ram Air & Pullies, K&N, C&L 73mm MAF, Super Competition Hooker Headers, 2 1/2 in. mandrel bent cat back, High Flow H-Pipe, Pro 5.0 Shifter, 16* Timing Advance

04-17-2001, 11:30 AM	#8
93CobraR Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio Posts: 1,575	This is what happen to me twice. After I put my heads on it was leaking oil all ofer the place from the drivers side vavle cover gasket. What had happen is when I took the gasket out of it was all bent up like they always are. I put it on and it was leaking well when I took it off, I saw that it had push inside of the head toward the valve spring and totally missed the hole, so the bolt was holding it in as it just went around it. The ther other the gasket had two metal crush washers in it and I didn't notice when I put it on till it started leaking and I had to take it off. It's a easy job if you know how to take off the intake. Good Luck! ------------------ 87 GT, 4 inch cowl hood,17x9 Cobra R's/255/45's,GT-40 heads,long tubes headers,h-pipe,Flows,BBK cold air, Mass air,70mm MAF, 1.7's, 1" spacer,underdrive pulleys,Pro 5.0, King Cobra, Adj. fuel Reg., Lakewood Lift Bars,50/50's,subframes, 4.10's. Best time 12.96 Best MPH 103.42 Best 60' 1.695 Visit my site at: http://www.geocities.com/cobrar93_2000/MyPage.html

04-17-2001, 01:01 PM	#9
2FastLX The Photoshop Guru Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Mecca, Indiana Posts: 1,419	Valve cover gaskets are a bit of a pain on these EFI cars to change with the upper intake in the way, but it's nothing anyone with half a brain can't do. I use RTV black on gaskets if they are cork, and Permatex Indian Head if they are rubber. I just rebuilt the upper portion of my engine and have no leaks whatsoever. ------------------ ICQ# 42269241 Indiana Stangers Association Buy your parts here

04-18-2001, 07:31 AM	#10
SPEEDY88 Registered Member Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: TEXAS Posts: 110	Thanks guys I meant to say that i had to take off the upper air intake. sorry, my mistake. Anyway what do I need to take the intake off and what do I have to do??? Is there any website that would actually have pics and a very descriptive way of doing this??? I am planning to do it this weekend so If anyone has any suggestions or any ideas please respond!!!!! Thanks again. ------------------ 88GT-Bassani X-pipe,Two chamber flowmasters,3:73 gears, King Cobra clutch, Steeda clutch quadrant, pro 5.0, K&N, Hypertech chip, Underdrive Pulleys,High Volume oil pump....ALL POWERED BY MY FOOT!!!