The escape
has been leaking for a while now. The valve cover gaskets get stiff and perish, and while it’s not a difficult job it is sort of a pain. And while I enjoy giving Mother Gaeia back the oil she so generously gives us, I have to pay for it.
Local auto parts stores had the gasket set, some off brand, for $72. I bought an honest to god FelPro for $32 online. I don’t know how they do that. One way or another, I was happy to get it.
The intake manifold has to be removed to make this work, and I did, but I’m always paranoid about dropping things down it, so I put in blue shop towels. I number them to make sure they come back out. I got it all back together, and could only find 1,2,3,5,and 6. Tore the garage apart looking for 4, finally found it in my own damned pocket.
Anyway, it’s together again. Maybe I can finally take the Harley Cookie Sheet out from under it.
While I was working on the front valve cover, I had to disconnect the power steering. The fluid, unbeknownst to me, took a look at the drain pan and said ‘Oh, I don’t want to mess up the shiny new drip pan, I’ll run down this frame rail so I can end up on the BRAND NEW CONCRETE FLOOR.
When I got done, I test drove it, and changed the oil. In the driveway, dammit.
12 comments Og | Uncategorized
It’s just wrong to have a garage floor so clean you worry about a little oil spill.
Clean concrete is an oil attractant.
Ah, the beauty of a plastic paint drop cloth which one can get at the Dollar Store for a couple of bucks covering the entirety of the ground under of a car.
Did you put a sealer on the floor after it cured?
The concrete guys did. It’s some clear stuff, not epoxy.
It’s all in the perspective. Your garage floor has now been anointed with oil.
Now, just give it a splash of bourbo…um….Holy Water, and you’re all set.
Jim
Sunk New Dawn
Galveston, TX
“Tore the garage apart looking for 4, finally found it in my own damned pocket. ”
I laughed because that is something I would do.
The rag would be me, with out a doubt. Kind of why I have multiples of tools stashed about. Cuts down on the searching some.
Did you have to do the front cover? Mine needs the valve covers and front cover done, I may hire my neighbor (ford trained tech) to do it. He is young with family and works all day and half the night and I am old and lazy with a bad spine.
If the front cover leaks, it can go on leaking.
I had a VW fox (Brazilian) back in the 90’s. Damned thing constantly leaked oil around the valve cover gasket. nothing i could do would make it stop. I finally traded it. That worked.
The AC compressor needed 4 bolts to hold it onto the engine. it came fro the factory with only 2. A third sheered off and the last one was getting loose. VW stealership couldn’t figure out what was causing all that belt noise.
None of them are worth the powder to blow them to hell with.