Black993

The suspense was killing me and I had to know what (if anything) was leaking.

Looks like timing case and valve cover on drivers side, but very very mild. No residue on the engine tray. Tightened the bolts on the timing cover (they were indeed a bit loose) and gave her a decent drive. Just pulled in and no noticeable seepage or drops. Cleaned it up before driving it and it looks just as it did when I pulled out. Thanks to Rennlist for the knowledge so far.

I see a lot of you saying valve cover gasket isn't too costly. Is this a DIY for a somewhat novice to the p-car world of DIY? Should I bite the bullet and have it repaired by my local indy mechanic?


car has 77k on it so I'm pretty happy so far with the minor leaks. Hope she stays that way!

Mike in Chi

Experienced independents are terrific for that. Local dealer shop rate is over $150 in chicago

Black993

yes, thats the good thing. My local shop has been in business for many years and I'm very confident in his work. Actually I have seen the name mentioned here on the list as well with good things being said. Just wondering how much of a chore it really is for the DIY-minded ?

jda407

black...PM me if you're in the Palm Beach area and I can give you some shop names.

BobbyT

I would wait and see how much seepage or leaking you get. If there was no oil residue on the engine tray after 77,000 miles, that's a pretty tight engine. You may not need to replace the gaskets.

TwinDaddy

Don't know what you consider not too costly, but my local independent mechanic here in NC just replaced all my lower AND upper valve cover gaskets (and cleaned the oil off the engine exterior) for $510 labor plus about $80 parts. For me it was worth it to just drop off the car and write a check. Works like a charm -- no leaks so far.

Black993

i saw another quote for $150 too, so that is very promising! Like you said, it may be worth it to just drop it off, though I would enjoy learning to do it myself.

Black993

I'm actually up towards Daytona Beach, but thanks for the offer

ca993twin

My advice? Don't bother fixing a minor seepage that isn't leaving a small puddle. Your car is still stock? Sheesh... here on Rennlist we can think of a thousand better ways to toss money at your car. Just ask.

TwinDaddy

Agree with ca993twin (mine was leaking a bit more though so I had it done). For about the same price or less you could upgrade to a performance chip and lose about half a second for 0-60. And that is an easy DIY on a 1995 (although you should check first that it wasn't already upgraded by the previous owner).

Black993

Good info! I've been wondering about a chip. I see the 95 is a bit easier or less costly to chip. I really need the car to be louder and a bit closer to the ground first

MY02 wheels are here, they just need a bit of touch up and some tires so I'm sure that will be the first order of business since my current wheels are knock-off's and the wrong offset

Chris W. - '96 Targa

To answer your original question regarding DIY, I replaced the driver's side lower valve cover gasket just after getting my car. I would say it's a straightforward fix if you're reasonably mechanically inclined.

If you need a good independent shop in the Melbourne area, check out the Werkshop.



-Chris

Paul902

The suspense is killing me....are you going to leave the tray off???