persistent oil leak

[chilipalmer]

Last month I detected a small oil leak coming from the left side of the car. I took the car to the mechanic and he changed the crankshaft seal and the valve cover gasket. He used sealant (loads of the bloody thing) all around the valve cover and told me that if this doesn't work that it will be necessary to order a new valve cover from Ford (I have the 1.4 so they won't sell the gasket by itself).
Today I had a look under the car and the "same" oil leak is visible. What else could be causing the leak?

Any help will be appreciated.

 

[red]

Can you see where it's coming from at all?

The rocker (valve) cover gasket is typically the most common place. I've not heard of people needing to replace the cover itself as it's a pretty solid part.

 

[chilipalmer]

I don't fancy the idea of replacing the cover as it is very expensive and unnecessary in my opinion. The car has a brand new generic gasket which the mechanic installed but I have no idea if it's good quality or not. I might try to find another one with better quality. That being said, yesterday when I was feeling around I didn't get the impression the valve cover was leaking. It seemed like it was coming from the crankshaft pulley area or maybe the steering pump (the leak is not steering fluid, though).

 

[red]

With a proper gasket you shouldn't need loads of sealant, just a thin amount as it should sit neatly. In my experience people only tend to have trouble with the pattern parts which for some reason always seem to be too tight and need stretching and seating in to place (hence also why they then tend not to work well).

That said, I used a pattern part with a good sealant and it did not leak.

I can't help with the other seals though as I've no experience with them. My only advice is try and identify exactly where it's coming from (or ask a garage to) rather than potentially replacing the cover gasket again for now reason.

 

[chilipalmer]

Just got back from the mechanic. He put the car on the lift and the leak seems to be coming from the valve cover...so the gasket is probably rubbish. When I parked the car I pulled the leads out and there were small pools of oil by 2 of the spark plugs. I'm under the impression I once read on one of these forums that the best choice of gasket is the one made by Elring. Do you happen to know if that's true? Also what sealant did you use?

 

[st220kyle]

I used an elring gasket on mine and it's been fine. Only done about 2000 miles so far though. I used some wurth automotive sealant but only around cam pulleys. But that was an absolutely minimal amount.
I also spent a bit of time cleaning up where the gasket sits in the cam cover and on top of engine just to make sure it made a good contact on both sides of the gasket.

 

[Van_Dammesque]

Once the gasket is replaced, it is worth while removing the spark plugs and giving them a clean, as you dont know how far down the oil has seeped. Look at the recent thread about rocker cover gaskets and non-Ford OEM alternatives.

 

[DOH]

I note from the first post that this is a 1.4 engine and not the 1.7. I think the 1.4 may possibly have had a plastic rocker valve cover, looks like it in the Haynes Photos, but I maybe wrong, as I have never worked on the 1.4.
If you have a metal cover , as Red said they are usually ok. The problem is the rubber from the heat goes very hard and stops sealing properly. Sometimes you get a way for a short while with no leaks but the problem will return within a few months unless you replace the gasket.

Elring are good, OE quality, however with a 1.7 engine the price of the gasket didn't appear to include the 4 rubber fixing grommets and cup washers where it bolts down.
The gasket I bought for the 1.7 was made by AJUSA in Spain and although I had never heard of them before are apparently OE quality.
eg for the 1.4 check your engine code matches FHF FHD , I note this states the rocker cover is Aluminium not plastic as ?I thought. I would have thought that the Puma 1.4 was the same as the Fiesta 1.4 Zetec. So search for that also using your engine code.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Valve-Rocker-Cover-Gasket-FOR-FORD-PUMA-1-4-97-00-CHOICE2-2-Petrol-EC-Elring/372458912076?fits=Model%3APuma&epid=12024460703&hash=item56b847f94c:g:SfwAAOSwnFpbtlHZ


On the 1.7 , it fitted better than the FAI (that was hopeless) it still required RTV silicon to hold it in the cover before fitting.
I always use Granville black RTV off ebay , it's approx £6.50 for a 300ml tube that fits in your sealant gun.

 

[chilipalmer]

wow...thanks for the help everyone.

@st220kyle I happen to live close to a Wurth shop. Do you know the full name of the sealant?

Talking about sealants, another fella with a similar problem in his 1.7 recommended something called "Stag Wellseal", which he swears is the dog's cojones. I would have to order this one on Ebay or Amazon as this product doesn't exit where I live. I'm also trying to find Granville, as suggested by DOH.

@DOH Yes, I have the 1.4 which has an aluminum valve cover. I believe the Fiestas have a plastic cover and you can buy the gasket separately. This aluminum valve cover costs 340 quid and has to be imported from Germany. That's way more money than I'm willing to spend. I have bought plenty of Ajusa stuff and the quality is good. It's a well known Spanish brand.

@Van_Dammesque I reckon I might as well change the plugs and the leads as I've been postponing doing this for some while.

 

[alex171515]

On my puma as well I have a big leak, I had a lake of oil on my spark plug ^^
I bought the gasket and will replace it in the same time of the gasket under the pulley.
The brand is elring, I will tell you if after replacing the gasket the leak disapear.

 

[SandStorm]

On mine, also i noticed a big leak running from the back of the engine (might explain why sometimes i smell burnt oil after vivid driving), running then below the pan, driveshafts and even gearbox.
My current gasket is made by elringo too, but i barelly put any sealant on it.

 

[alex171515]

Normally you don't need a sealant
I think I solve the leak problem with the new gasket.
I have the same the oil burn smell, I need also to clean the engine because since some year ago the leak was here.