There seems to be a little oil seeping from the front right corner of the cover. Previous owner just replaced it about 2K miles ago and even torqed it down a few lbs past specs to get it to stop. Its not much, but it pisses me off. Is this a common problem with these? What's the fix? Thanks!

 

the rubber is prob not on right.......take it off, re attach it and then tighten it to specs....NOT OVER

 

yeah, if you over tighten you might just be breaking down the gasket, thus doing the opposite of what it was intended to do. Also, maybe you could use a silicone sealant as well, though I might be wrong... Anyone?

 

ya if its been a problem before just take it off and buy a new gasket... just to be safe....
i wouldnt think it would cost to much....
and if you dont ever wanna mess with it again then get alittle silicone and put a SMALL layer around it on the valve cover and then after its dry put another SMALL layer around the head and tighten it down to spec.
from what ive heard these valve covers crack preaty easily being aluminum...

 

I would buy an OEM gasket and OEM gasket sealant, take the old one out and clean the surfaces really well, then follow Honda's specs for both torque numbers and tightening order.

 

get a valve cover gasket from the Honda dealer.....also get a tube of ULTRA FLANGE SEALANT.. sold at the dealer as well very cheap..it looks like Honda Bond

put only a lite amount on the gasket but only on the curved edges ,, you do not need to torque those nuts,, just tighten them with a rachet ,hand tight ,, i have done hundreds of these and never had any issues and never used a torque wrench

 

almost forgot... id also before aplying silicone and gasket.. get some diesel fuel and clean the valve cover real good
that way thiers no left over fluid on it that would keep it from sealing properly...

i used a bucket and a gallon of diesel and a brush and then some strong engine cleaner for the tight spots and parts i couldnt reach. worked great!
sorry tho forgot before pics... tho trust me it was dirty!



and if it hasnt already been done slap alittle paint on it to realy clean it up

 

It was a new honda gasket when he put it on. It leaked a little so he took it off to ensure it wasn't gonna get to the timing belt (it wasn't). Then put it back on and leaked still. Put a couple extra pounds on the wrench and still leaks. Guess I'll just lube it up with some rtv. Might as well paint it up while I'm at it.

 

ya just make sure ya clean it real good
its amazing what alittle spray paint can do!

id say use some high temp paint for a longer paint life....
ya know the engine gets preaty hot.. i wouldnt trust regular spray paint on anything under the hood myself...