s2k_4life

hey guys i bought this car at around 60k and from day one of ownership, i have noticed oil residue around the engine block, specifically around the oil cap, above the vtec emblem and between the head and the block. i thought it was because i was doing such a bad job at pouring oil and that the spilled oil was moving around the block when i drive. So i tried cleaning the whole engine bay with engine cleaner, after i topped of my oil and it still comes back after a few weeks!!! i took some pictures for all your gurus to look at! =D really hope its nothing serious....=/

fltsfshr

If you see it between your valve cover and the block, There's a gasket that runs around the cover. Your cover's probably not torqued down right. That's where I look. The other could just be spilt oil or someone ran it with the cap loose. Take that cover off and look inside.

Check a helms manual for torque specs on both covers

Hopefully that's all it is.

fltsfshr

dparm

Replace all the gaskets around the valve cover and spark plugs. It's typically sold as a kit. Make sure to torque down the bolts in the correct order.

SgtB

You probably can just clean the gasket and head mating surface. One little piece of dirt will cause a leak.

triddle

Check your compression - if the rings are bad or you are otherwise getting blow-by for another reason you can get residue like this on your block. Hopefully it's just your valve cover gasket but I would not go too far before running the compression check just to make sure that's not it.

s2k_4life

^that sounds scary....can a bent valve also show signs of oil residue around the block?

SgtB

I wouldn't panic. If your breather isn't clogged blow-by gases won't push oil out the gasket. Just pull the valve cover off, clean the gasket and the head, and torque it back down. I had the same problem with my '01, and it just needed the same.