What's this part? Oil leak.
- Thread starter mmmbrains
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xavierny25
Member
The Image you have is showing "The Cover Plate" for the removed SAIS (Secondary Air Injection System) Solenoid that has either been left completely off of your engine if it is an Early Model GM LL8 4.2L Engine... or was later removed and deleted as a function from the PCM entirely. The Dirty, Oily Residue you are viewing is coming from the Exiting Exhaust Flow and this is happening because either the underlying SAIS Solenoid Plate Gasket is failing... or the Studs/Nuts holding down the Plate have loosened. It is nothing to be concerned about and is a very easy repair. Tne SAIS Plate Gaskets are available from Fel-Pro and GM via gmpartsdirect.com.
xavierny25
Member
ACDelco 219-351 GM Original Equipment Secondary Air Injection Pump Cover Gasket
Here the gasket part #. I think it's like 7 bucks on Amazon.
Here the gasket part #. I think it's like 7 bucks on Amazon.
When you get in there to follow up on @xavierny25 's suggestion... Run a Blue Scott Shop Towel along the lower edge of the Valve Cover seam just above the SAIS Plate over the entire length where you can see that it is "Wet & Dirty". A closer Zoom-In on that area shows there is an awful lot of the same color Dirty Motor Oil seeping out.
When your Engine was Brand New ...the Valve Cover Gaskets began life as being "Plump & Round" with their numerous Fasteners tightened down to a mere 87 Inch Pounds of Torque. But over time ...from Expansion, Contraction and Vibration... those Round "O" Ring -Like Seals will all Flatten out enough to allow a great deal of Motor Oil to leak around the Valve Cover...and in particular... partially fill up the inside of the Spark Plug Wells.
Because this unique Valve Cover is never Firmly Bolted Down into a Sold State with the Engine Head; rather the Cover "Floats" above the Surface Flange of the Aluminum Head at all points of contact with each other like an Over-Inflated Inner Tube supporting a Drunk Holiday Reveler...Tubing along on a River Trip.
This flotation action includes the use of isolated Trapped Fasteners inside of their myriad thick, Black Rubber Grommets. So the excessive vibrations induced by having Bad Motor Mounts can accelerate the Friction Break Down of these "O"Rings. These negative vibrations can have the same effect upon the seal between the Intake Manifold and the Intake Ports via using the same style of "O" Rings and "Floating Fasteners" (...these also get tightened down to a mere 87 Inch Pounds).
If you pull the Middle COP (Coil On Plug) and you can stick a rolled section of another Blue Scott Shop Towel down in there and soak up Motor Oil from around the Spark Plug... Then the other possible source for this leak could "Well" be Bad, Flattened Out "O"Ring Gaskets tucked inside of the Valve Cover. Here is what these special Valve Cover Gaskets are supposed to look like... when Brand New... (Please ignore the Square Glass Windows... as this was a Stock Valve Cover I modified in this way... for some other purposes). Please remember... Only tighten down the numerous Trapped Fasteners to 87 Inch Pounds:
When your Engine was Brand New ...the Valve Cover Gaskets began life as being "Plump & Round" with their numerous Fasteners tightened down to a mere 87 Inch Pounds of Torque. But over time ...from Expansion, Contraction and Vibration... those Round "O" Ring -Like Seals will all Flatten out enough to allow a great deal of Motor Oil to leak around the Valve Cover...and in particular... partially fill up the inside of the Spark Plug Wells.
Because this unique Valve Cover is never Firmly Bolted Down into a Sold State with the Engine Head; rather the Cover "Floats" above the Surface Flange of the Aluminum Head at all points of contact with each other like an Over-Inflated Inner Tube supporting a Drunk Holiday Reveler...Tubing along on a River Trip.
This flotation action includes the use of isolated Trapped Fasteners inside of their myriad thick, Black Rubber Grommets. So the excessive vibrations induced by having Bad Motor Mounts can accelerate the Friction Break Down of these "O"Rings. These negative vibrations can have the same effect upon the seal between the Intake Manifold and the Intake Ports via using the same style of "O" Rings and "Floating Fasteners" (...these also get tightened down to a mere 87 Inch Pounds).
If you pull the Middle COP (Coil On Plug) and you can stick a rolled section of another Blue Scott Shop Towel down in there and soak up Motor Oil from around the Spark Plug... Then the other possible source for this leak could "Well" be Bad, Flattened Out "O"Ring Gaskets tucked inside of the Valve Cover. Here is what these special Valve Cover Gaskets are supposed to look like... when Brand New... (Please ignore the Square Glass Windows... as this was a Stock Valve Cover I modified in this way... for some other purposes). Please remember... Only tighten down the numerous Trapped Fasteners to 87 Inch Pounds:
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