Leaky Valve Cover

[FusionGT]

So, just checked out the Protege5 I'm thinking about buying and upon review under the hood, there appeared be a bit of a leak on the valve cover. When asked, the owner (whom appeared to be a good guy, not trying to screw someone over) said that he had noticed it, and during oil changes (every 5000 miles) he was never told it was something to worry about or fix. My question, is this something I should be worried about? Is it possibly a warning sign for things to come?

Thanks, Adam.

 

[sephiroth]

gaskets wear out, there's nothing abnormal about that. It's within the relm of DIY and costs < $30 to fix.

 

[MakeMeGoFast]

how many miles are on the 5?

 

[FusionGT]

how many miles are on the 5?

90600. And the timing belt has NOT been replaced. I've heard that's chronic thing on the 5's... Is that true?

 

[Tzar177]

90600. And the timing belt has NOT been replaced. I've heard that's chronic thing on the 5's... Is that true?

The manual states to replace the timing belt every 90,000 miles

 

[sephiroth]

90600. And the timing belt has NOT been replaced. I've heard that's chronic thing on the 5's... Is that true?

on nearly every belt rimming driving OHC motor it's a chronic thing.

 

[FusionGT]

How much should I expect to spend on that replacement? Thanks for all the answers guys.

 

[jdmdikk]

i just checked my valve cover n mines was loose..check your bolts

 

[CTt3P5]

VC gasket will set you back about $30 from the dealer and is a piece of cake to install.

Timing belt should be changed every 105k according to the manual and I know of several members who are way above that on their original including myself. I am currently at 128k but will be changing it this year.

I got a quote from my mechanic to do the tb and it was $830....you can buy the parts for around $400 (including water pump, gaskets, belts, etc).

 

[FusionGT]

Thanks everyone! One final question and I'll stop bugging you, I promise. Is the Protege5 set up so should the timing belt break while the car is driving, it won't hurt the engine itself?

 

[DeanSweet]

Thanks everyone! One final question and I'll stop bugging you, I promise. Is the Protege5 set up so should the timing belt break while the car is driving, it won't hurt the engine itself?

I've been told the FSDE is non-interference motor but that doesn't mean other things don't go bad because of the belt failure?

 

[sephiroth]

I've been told the FSDE is non-interference motor but that doesn't mean other things don't go bad because of the belt failure?

You might break a tensioner or pully, but nothing serious.

 

[FusionGT]

Excellent! Well, as long as my loan goes through, I should own a yellow Protege5 within the week! Appreciate it everyone.

 

[slavrenz]

The manual states to replace the timing belt every 90,000 miles

No it doesn't. It says 105,000 miles. And to the OP, our engines are non-interference. There are some typically reputable sources (e.g., Gates Belt Co.) that unfortunately try to say otherwise.

 

[clicknext]

i just checked my valve cover n mines was loose..check your bolts

Seconded. I just had a thread a couple days ago about this, and my bolts were loose too. See if his are super easy to turn.

 

[P-Funk!]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[hornsfan10609]

Seconded. I just had a thread a couple days ago about this, and my bolts were loose too. See if his are super easy to turn.

Here's a third person that says check for loose bolts. Mine leaked a little and the bolts were just loose.

 

[dtre83]

fourth person. mine was leaking around the spark plug boots and it was just the vc bolts loose. seems common on these cars for some reason