I should have asked the experts...

[2foci1festy]

Ok, so the valve cover gasket is leaking oil on my 1993 Festy B3 so I check the Haynes manual and the procedure described looked pretty straight forward so I tackle it this afternoon. I get the intake out of the way, throttle cable and so on, remove the bolts and the valve cover moves...great! No knocking it loose, then I see why the thing leaks...no sealant holding the gasket to the valve cover. So I grab the cover to take it off. No such luck. :roll: Is there any way to get the valve cover off without removing the throttle body??

[gomer]

With a new valve cover gasket you shouldn't need sealant ,, you can work the old gasket out and the new one in without removing the throttle body... if you're trying to goo up a hardened gasket then you'll want to remove the throttle body to get the valve cover fully off.. the last throttle body I removed had the gasket baked on real good... took a lot of scraping to prep for a new one...

[2foci1festy]

I was afraid of that. I think that's what the previous owner did, just fished the gasket in there, bolted it down and called it a day. It's leaking a fair amount of oil though so I'm going to pull the throttle body too. Thanks for confirming my suspicions.

[fastivaca]

I've managed to wiggle the cover out without removing the throttle body. It will come so just be patient.

Good luck

Ian
92 GL Sport
Calgary

[2foci1festy]

I may not have a choice. The local Advance Auto doesn't have a listing for a throttle body gasket. I'm going to take another shot at it this evening after work. Another bit of joy yesterday, I don't have a garage so I was working in the yard. Out of nowhere, a thunderstorm blew in. I barely got everything covered before it hit. So I'm driving the Focus to work today.

[wtfman2]

Wort comes to worst just shave the bottom part of the throttle body a bit for clearance just shove a rag in it to help keep it clean but it wont hurt anything because it isn't pressurized. as long as you don't go crazy and cut the whole thing off it wont leak.


Clinton

[oxbrain]

I pulled my TB off and put it back on without ruining the gasket, just have to be careful with it.

[darkdan]

On mine I can wiggle it out with no problem.

[2foci1festy]

I pulled the throttle body and the gasket disintegrated so I cut a new one and bolted everything back up. While I had the TB off I cleaned it real good. It's not leaking so hopefully some of my oil loss will stop. That little surprise aside, it was a very easy job.

[rotinaj13]

take the cherry picker hook off of the left corner. that should help. You DO need sealent. Those valve cover design sucks and they leak like hell! use permatex ultra black will seal it first time every time!

[2foci1festy]

Yeah I used sealant. I couldn't believe it when I got the last bolt out and the old gasket just fell out.

[rotinaj13]

ya its a crappy design that is hard to get it to seal. So far using ultra black and letting it cure for 48 hrs seems to work good!

[Biff]

Be carefull with the silicaone , apparently , one sniff of curing silicone (acetic acid) and your oxygen sensor will be toast. , this is a mechanic that told me this , and he said you can get silicone that won't affect the oxygen sensor.

[rotinaj13]

ya it says sensor safe on it. Permatex ultra black is sensor safe. and it is called silicon poisoning.

[Festeve]

Hi rotinaj13,

take the cherry picker hook off of the left corner. that should help. You DO need sealent. Those valve cover design sucks and they leak like hell! use permatex ultra black will seal it first time every time!

I'm getting ready to replace a leaking valve cover gasket on my '92 1.3 Festiva engine.

The Fel-Pro Perma-Dry gasket I bought (thick rubber with six rubber bolt gaskets included in the kit) states very strongly and specifically on the box: "IMPORTANT: Install Molded Rubber Gasket and/or End Seals DRY WITHOUT CHEMICAL ADHESIVES"

Is the type of valve cover gasket you say needs sealant - made of some other kind of material than my rubber Fel-Pro Perma-Dry?

I sure hope you are not referring to a rubber Fel-Pro Perma-Dry absolutely needing Permatex Ultra Black gasket adhesive.

Help?!

I want to know the reality - vs. the manufacturer's hype about this Fel-Pro gasket before ripping everything apart, installing it and then facing a bad gasket leak, as you describe.

Thanks -

Steve