What's your guys' method for tightening your rear bolts on the valve covers?

Long story short, I've been leaking oil for about the past two months since I changed my valve covers. First time I did it it was leaking real bad from the rear corner bolt on the passenger side cover. Took it apart again, tried tightening it up again, and it stopped it leaking as bad, I at least can't tell where it's coming from now, but I still have to add about a little less than quart of oil a week. I'm hoping going back and tightening the cover bolts up again will solve it, but reason being I couldn't really find a good way of getting to the rear bolts, especially the lower ones near the divider walls, I ended up using some extensions and universal joints to tighten them so obviously I couldn't torque them. So I wanted to see if any of you had tips on properly torquing them before I went for it again.

 

Are your valve cover gaskets shot? I had a leak there a year ago and had to get new gaskets. The parts should be super cheap, labor ain't bad either at a non-dealership shop if you don't feel like doing it yourself.

How many miles on the engine? If it's over 100k or so, it's possible the gaskets are starting to get tired from all the heat cycling. Mine really started to go just after 120k.

 

I just hit 190k, she's gettin old. But no I just replaced the gaskets, and it wasn't leaking nearly as bad before I changed them.

 

I'm guessing the gasket moved when you reinstalled. It doesn't specifically say in the FSM but I like to take a little dab of Permatex Ultra Grey in the corners and middle of the longer section of gasket (RTV applied into the valve cover groove then you put the gasket into the groove) just to ensure it doesn't fall out. Also important is you do the 2-step tightening sequence in the correct order, here's a snipped from the manual.

 

I actually did do that with the rtv the second time, but I only re-did the pass get side cover so maybe it could be the right gasket moved. And im not sure if I did do the two step tightening sequence. I was working off the haynes manual which I found out to be garbage, so I might not even have given a two step sequence. But again, it still doesn't quite help with actually getting to the rear bolts to torque them.

 

1/4" drive universal joint will help, the passenger side is a pain, one of the bolts I ended up making a custom length extension so I could get the torque wrench UNDER all that stuff rather than trying to use 2 universal joints to get around stuff.

 

How in the world did you get a torque wrench under that? 1/4 universals is pretty much what I did.

 

My bet is the gasket slipped and is probably pinched somewhere.That's a hell of a leak if it's just from the valve cover. You could buy one of those endoscope cameras and go around the gasket to see if there's a gap anywhere or do your best to get your phone camera in there. I was able to use a torque wrench with a long extension and a wobble socket. Slipped a few times but got it to work. A quart a week, it probably smells like **** when you drive!

 

I only did that for one bolt on the passenger side, once the wire harness is loose you can lift it up a little bit to make clearance, the EVAP bracket needs to be loose as well.

 

I use the Permatex spray form a gasket stuff (I think it's called). It keeps the gasket in place with a tacky like film and then use the RTV in the corners. To tighten the bolts I think I used a small 1/4 ratchet on one-side, but for the other I used one of those thumb ratchets from Harbor Freight. It's basically a ratchet without the handle.