[V6-12v] A brainstorm (?)

[apowell at colocougs.org]

So I'm sitting here lamenting the continuing oil leak in my 1993 90Q's motor. I've replaced all the
normally leaky gaskets except camshaft end seals, head gaskets and rear main.

And after I did the work (including valley pan gasket) it leaks oil faster than before!!

WHY, I have asked myself repeatedly, is it leaking more oil now than it did before I replaced this
stuff?? (The timing belt, serpentine belt, water pump and idlers, valve cover gaskets, and valley
pan and intake manifold gaskets.)

BUT - a thought just found itself in unfamiliar territory - my conscious mind.

I had to pull the intake manifold to replace the valley pan gasket. There are two schools of
thought - one school (and the factory manual CD) says you must all the head bolts 1/4 turn after
removing and re-installing the intake manifold. The other school says that this procedure was only
added to the manual in the last couple of years, and it's not necessary to turn the bolts.

Being a lazy-butt, I seized on school of thought number two and didn't turn the bolts.

But - MAYBE I do have the head gasket leak I don't want. And usually IF it's a head gasket, it's the
driver's side head gasket, which is where the leak seems to be worst. And MAYBE when I didn't turn
the bolts 1/4 turn, failing to do this allowed the leak to get worse by letting the hole open up
slightly. And logically, that's about the only thing I can think of that might have made the leak
worse.

So MAYBE if I pop those valve covers off tomorrow and turn all the head bolts 1/4 turn as per the
factory recommendation, the leak will at least SLOW DOWN.  And if it does, I will know where the
leak is!!!!!  And I have nothing to lose, because this procedure is approved by the factory.

I don't want to pull that head, but if I have to, I will. But it's such a pain that I need to
really, really convince myself that it's the problem.

Anyone see a problem with this logic??

I'm thinking that Sunday afternoon would be a great time for this bolt-turning procedure.

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Al Powell
apowell at gocougs.wsu.edu
1958 Fiat 1200 Transformabile Spyder
1983 Datsun 280ZX Turbo
1993 Audi 90Q
1997 Chebby Blazer
1999 Chebby Blazer
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