Hello,
I have a '98 Altima and it looks like i’m getting some oil/crud build-up around the seam to the valve cover.
I suppose the valve cover gasket needs changing? How urgent is it? and it doesn’t appear to be difficult… and I don’t really see a problematic drop in the oil level on the dip stick.
Any suggestions?
diamond
It depends on the leak… usually they are not very bad… but it’s still a good idea of changing the gasket… really simple. If not keep checking your oil regularly.
I have 93, did the same thing to me but it won’t cause you to lose any measurable amount of oil. Watch for it “wash” away the crud thats when you know its a large leak. As for repairing it I think the gasket was under 25 bucks at a Nissan dealer and should take you 30-40 minutes to get it done with basic hand tools. Depends on your mechanical ability
Just pop the spark plugs, move the throttle cable out of the way and unscrew the cover bolts. If your having issues keeping the gasket in the groove on the cover, just use a little loctite or similar adhesive to keep it in place (I used windshield adhesive). Make sure you put a good (not gobbed) spread of Gasket maker on the cam humps to keep the seal good and torque her down to specs and follow the recommend pattern. If you can’t find these numbers/diagrams online I can scan my FSM and put it up here to help.
But Its not a huge problem (just a normal thing) and damn easy to fix. Also you may want to replace the spark plug seals at the same time, since you have access to it at the same time.
The following link has a simple picture of the second gasket…
http://parts.autopartsonlinecanada.com/parts/apocanada/wizard.jsp?year=1998&make=NI&model=ALT-GLE-002&category=A&part=Spark+Plug+Seal
Hope this helps you. 