Odd oil leak

Sorry, just to be clear, I think the bolts are for the valve cover, should they have some sort of seal??

Andy

Let me have a look, under the sound deadening?

I'm in tomorrow morning after school run if you want?

Had another look in better light, they are actually the head bolts that run front to rear to the right of the oil filler cap, all are weeping a fair bit of oil. Any ideas? Could they be torqued incorrectly or should they be replaced do you think folks?

Andy

I wouldnt mind a look matey before i comment, are you sure they are head bolts?

I'll bet they are Nige. The rocker cover will be leaking oil down that sits round them and thenbubbles away making it look like they're leaking.

I have a manual here & the ones that are on the rocker cover aren't head bolts & they should have a rubber sealing washer on them. None of the head bolts go through the rocker cover from this manual.

Deffo the head bolts, there doesn't appear to be any oil from the rocker cover as this area is all clean and dry, guess I need to check the torque of the head bolts (have you got a Torque wrench Nige and do you know what they should be tightened to?), otherwise could it be the head gasket itself?

Andy

.. and is the 'oil' very very black and almost impossible to clean up? Any of it on the bulkhead to the rear of the cylinder head?

Nope it's easy to wipe up, looking at the head again, the 8 bolts from rear to front all have oil pooling around the base whereas the front one is totally dry. Wiped it all clean to check it's not the rocker gasket but it doesn't seem possible as the head bolts are in a slightly raised casting so oil could not climb up I doubt.

Andy

That's probably goodish news. If there's a head gasket leak involving the escape of combustion products there's a carbon/oil mix that is filthy stuff.

Dipstick tube ok?

It's not blowing up it?