Dear Tom and Ray:

I have replaced three valve cover gaskets on my 1988 Plymouth Caravelle in the last three years. After 5,000 miles or so, oil starts to leak onto the motor and onto the ground. Is there a fire hazard I should be worrying about? Philip

Ray: Yes, Philip, there is a small fire hazard. Oil leaking onto a hot manifold could possibly ignite, although we've never seen it happen. I wouldn't worry about it, though. In fact, I'd look forward to it. It might be a blessing in disguise!

Tom: The more important question is why are your valve cover gaskets leaking every 5,000 miles? The fault probably lies with your mechanic and with Chrysler.

Ray: Your mechanic probably did a lousy job replacing your valve cover gasket the first time. Perhaps he didn't tighten it well enough. After five thousand miles, it started to leak and you came back and complained. Since it's not a pleasant job, rather than do it again, the mechanic probably just decided to tighten the heck out of the valve cover to stop the leaking.

Tom: That may have worked for a while, but it also bent the valve cover, which means it'll continue to leak from now on...even with a new gasket. And the only way you're ever going to fix it is to straighten out the valve cover--if that's possible--or replace it.

Ray: And that's where Chrysler comes into it. The valve covers they use are, let's say, not extremely sturdy....what some people might even call cheap junk (although WE would never use language like that).

Tom: Cheap junk? Heavens no. WE would never use words like cheap junk.

Ray: The valve covers they use are made of stamped steel, and if they're not treated with tender, loving care, they tend to bend and leak when they're over-tightened. By contrast, many foreign manufacturers use cast aluminum valve covers, which almost never leak, no matter how much you tighten them.

Tom: You can check this for yourself, Phil. When your mechanic takes the valve cover off your Caravelle, wipe off all the oil and take a good, close look at it. If you look carefully, you should be able to see the words "Mrs. Smith's" stamped on the inside.

Tom and Ray lead you step by step through the process of finding and buying a reliable used car in their pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1992 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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