My 1998 XK8 has an oil leak on the valve cover, where the valve cover bolt, on the driver side, right above the power streering pump is, and leaking oil on the power steering pump and serpentine belt. It came to my attention, when the car was idling and making this loud chaulk board type skreech...



I changed out my plastic secondary tensioners a couple years ago; put on new valve cover gaskets, and when I tightened this valve cover bolt, over the streeting pump, it didn't feel right, but I hoped for the best; and now, a couple years latter, this bolt is loose. I removed it today, and there is shavings within the bolt treads - so its stripped out.



The bolt looks ok... So my question is: How do I fix this???

1. Take valve cover off and use a drill, tap and insert,
   
2. Use something like JB Weld on the bolt,
   
3. Use a thinner, longer bolt, with two washers and one lock washer - When the bolt is out, I can see the power streering pump, through the top of the bolt hole,
   
4. OR...???
   
   

The image I enclosed, below, is not that good, but it does show the bolt in question. And though the bolt

hole, the gasket looks good, and the oil leak is not big; I can't even see it leak, but it must be the leak.


Thanks,

-Art

 

If it were me I would just drill it, tap & insert

When you replaced the gaskets ( its been so long since I've done one ) but did it have one side was orange and other side light grey, or is it the thinner dark grey cam cover gasket?

The bolts also have seals/O-rings that can be replaced individually as well. Most people and techs hardly replace these as its usually the main cam cover gasket that leaks, or the ones by spark plug galley. After this amount of time, I wouldn't be surprised if they ( cam cover bolt seals ) were hard and cracked by this stage.

 

Thanks JBz for the reply!

I will take a pic of the bolt with the cam cover bolt seals on it, and a pic of the gasket, taken from top of the valve cover, with bolt out... I don't really want to take the valve cover off right now, because that gasket was hard to put on, and maybe I'm getting lazy in my older years. In my younger years, I use to work rebuilding big air conditioning compressors, and we always put a sealant on the gasket, so to hold the gasket on the cover while putting it on. I drilled, tap and used inserts on lots of heads, but this head, on this bolt, seems really soft and thin... Which, makes drill, tap and insert, maybe risky... I don't know... From my memory, looking at the hole without the bolt in it, I think gasket was orange, and as i recall, when i did put it on years back, it was two colors, different on each side; and I didn't use sealant. <grin> And the cam cover bolt seals, seemed ok, but I will post pics tomorrow morning.

-Art

 

No worries

I remember the early V8's had the thicker orange and grey gaskets, then there was a VIN break and started using a thinner dark grey one. About putting sealant on this, the only place you need to put a little sealant is the small pad on the gasket towards the front. This pad sits over the junction of where the front timing cover and cylinder head meet. If you put sealant anywhere else along the cam cover gasket, it will end up leaking again.

 

JBz,

I fixed it today! :-)

Thank God I saved all the bolts left over after replacing the primary and secondary timing guides and tensioners back in 2017. The new metal tensioners, came with new bolts, so I had the old bolts today; and one was basically just like the bolt that's stripped, except, it's longer and isn't tapered at the end. I enclosed an image of the stripped bolt below, and an image of the timing cover, taken when the primary guides where changed, that shows the passenger side timing cover bolt; didn't have an image of drivers side, but same type bolt and tapper.

The new longer bolt grabbed onto the tapered part of the timing cover, at the bottom of the bolt hole, and snagged up that rubber grommet, on the bolt sleeve, nicely - I really lucked out!!! I'm going to change the serpentine belt tomorrow, after cleaning all the oil off the pulleys and steering pump.

Jbz, I do have a big question for you: I didn't put sealant on the gasket pad that sits over the junction of where the front timing cover and cylinder head meet – Does this mean, I'm guaranteed an oil leak there? <grin>

-Art

 

I drove the car yesterday for many miles, after my quick fit, and this morning, there is no oil on top of the serpentine belt on the steering pump. That's good news, because before the quick fit, every morning there would be oil on top of that belt. :-) I know the right way is to drill, tap and use insert; and I'm guessing there is a reason for that bolt and hole, on that front timing cover, to be tapered. Maybe I of should of used a bit of something like, permatex #2 on the treads. I'm finding, that as I get older, I tend to quick fix first, and question myself after... <grin>

I'm sure a Jaguar Dealership, would never do what I did... My guess is, that the dealership, wouldn't even, drill, tap and use an insert, they would replace the whole front timing cover... just a guess! <grin>