I figured I would ask the the Gearheads in this thread some mechnical advice. I had the valve cover gaskets replaced in my Mazda6 this weekend. And ever since then it smokes under the hood when I cut motor off. It also has the sweet smell of coolant. This morning I noticed it was dripping oil. The shop says it may take some time for the gaskets to seat properly but I drove from Atlanta to Charlotte yesterday and it is still doing it today.

Its not running hot, but my coolant reserve tank is low.

4/23/2012 11:57:24 AM

The valve cover gasket only seals oil. The coolant leak is unrelated, but they could have damaged a hose or something while they were working on it. If they cleaned the engine or spilled oil it will smoke some, but should have cleared up by now.

If the car has a separate radiator cap, check the coolant there when the car is cool. Otherwise top it off in the reserve bottle. Watch for steam leaking when the car is warm. Check around hose clamps and feel for coolant on the bottom of rubber hoses.

You can snug up the valve cover gaskets if it's still leaking oil. Jump around from bolt to bolt in a spiral pattern with a small wrench but don't crank down on them. But really, a drop of oil isn't a big deal.

4/23/2012 12:13:56 PM

head gasket issue?

4/23/2012 2:12:04 PM

I've admittedly never had reason to replace a valve cover gasket, but I've done plenty of oil/coolant/gasoline gaskets and I've never let one leak while waiting for it to seal on it's own. Good gasket material on a well prepped surface doesn't take much torque on the bolts at all to hold back engine oil.

I'm sure some of the garagers with more experience will quickly correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like a load of crap to me. I'd guess they didn't clean the old material off properly, they deformed the metal while scraping the old material off, they under-torqued the bolts, they over-torqued the bolts, or some other easily preventable mistake was made. Could also be warped valve covers I guess. In any case, if a new gasket is leaking there is a problem IMO. If the oil does crud up and block the hole it's a temporary fix that will come back later.

A little leakage won't hurt anything, so it wouldn't be a bad idea to give their idea a week or two. I'd be making plans to take it back within 30 days of the repair though.

The coolant shouldn't be related to the valve cover gasket so you need to keep an eye on it and try to figure out where it's coming from.

[Edited on April 23, 2012 at 3:41 PM. Reason : l]

4/23/2012 3:33:15 PM

Quote :

"The shop says it may take some time for the gaskets to seat properly"

You have been lied to, and screwed over.

4/23/2012 7:09:38 PM

Sounds like a v6. In order to get to the firewall side plugs, or valve cover, the intake has to come off. I would say the coolant fitting next to the drivers strut tower that conveys coolant to the throttle body above is tweaked. Its stupid easy to break, especially when separating the throttle and intake. Its buddy sits drivers front behind the radiator fan, also easy to break.

Ask me how I know.

On the oil issue, I think you have been bent over.

4/23/2012 7:47:11 PM

Just an update. Took the car back to the shop they finally admitted that they pinched one of the gaskets ie it didn't seal correct. Its not leaking oil any more and they didn't charge me for fixing their mistake. Thanks for your suggestions. I also had them do a pressure test on the cooling system and it passed so it must just be a lot of condensation coming off the car. Its running fine and the smell is gone.

5/15/2012 2:38:12 PM

5/15/2012 2:54:20 PM

Totally thought this was about:

5/15/2012 4:22:04 PM

^

5/16/2012 2:34:36 AM