Smoking and oil leak?!

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

I just finished replacing the valve cover gasket a few weeks ago due to seepage. The old gasket was dried up. I am still getting seepage on the right side. It is pooling below the third bolt back, on the right side of the valve cover, just above the second exhaust pipe.

I haven't driven it at all since changing it due to doing other maintenance. It has idled a bit here and there though. Will this seepage go away after I start driving it again or should I try and give the bolts another 1/2 lbs. - 1 lbs. of torque given the +/- 4% error of my torque wrench.

What do you guys think?

Also, the tailpipe is now smoking on start and at idle too. It used to smoke when I first got it but after a few oil changes, it went away.

I just changed the plugs too and their was no oil on any of them. All of the plugs looked normal and uniform in color. The PO had the plugs changed at 180k & I am at 191K now.

The coolant and thermostat were changed this summer and their was NO indication of oil in the used coolant. The oil consumption has not been high over the last 10k miles that I have owned it. It uses roughly 1 to 1.5 quarts between 3k mile oil changes with small Toyota filters. Less since I replaced the oil pump seal this summer.

Does having the battery disconnected have anything to do with the smoking untill the ECU relearns?

 

[SBFJ60FIG]

Let me clarify what I think are your questions:

• Is the smoking a function of having disconnected the battery: Well, I don't know what your "smoking" issue is, but no, it will not improve and or did not get worse b/c you disconnected the battery.
  
• Will the leakage (maybe the VCG) improve by more toque of the bolts?: No, if it's indeed leaking still from the VCG then something must be wrong. The bolts don't really need to be very tight, and over tightening them will not improve things in my opinion.

Not being there to look at your ride/work there's not much more help I can offer. But just be sure to clean the area up well and then figure out exactly where the oil is coming from. And did you replace the S-plug hole o-rings too?

 

[lndcruz]

What color is the smoke? If its white its probably condensation in the exhaust burning off since you haven't gotten it up to operating temp recently.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Hey guys. Thanks for your responces. Here are some pictures of the area in question, after cleaning it a second time.

Yes, the spark plug rings were changed out when I did the VC gasket.

I cleaned it up this morning and let it idle for about 5 minutes. I got a trace amount of oil just aft and below of the third valve cover back on the passenger side. My driveway is on a slope and the oil appears to be running back from up front near the center valve cover bolt. The cruiser is sitting tail low in the driveway.

I just finished degreasing and wiping up residue between head and valve cover with Q-tips again. I'm just waiting for everything to dry out real good.

Also, I retightened the bolts to 108 inch pounds (9 ft. lbs. x 12). I had previously tightened them down to 104 inch pounds due to their being a 4% error note on my torque wrench. I will have to remove the throttle body and get to the other non-accessible ones after I run it again and to see if that cured the seepage. Either way though, I have to remove the TB again so.... once I have that off, if it's still seeping, I'll have to pull the cover and see what's going on in there. I just didn't want to have to mess with all of that again so soon.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Well, I let it idle for about 5 minutes while I looked for leaks with the flashlight. I ended up finding something that terrifies me. A crack.
See pics below.
The vehicle has 191,400 on the odometer now and the headgasket was done & the head was resurfaced by the PO at 180,020 on Jan 27, 2007. So I never would have suspected it this soon.
I thought the exhaust smelled a little off & I noticed that the coolant resevoir bottle was a bit low this morning, so I added 16 oz. of distilled H20. Well after idling for about 10 minutes today, the level was back at the low line.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Some more pics that give better detail.

I don't know how that went un-noticed when I cleaned off the head or it happened while idling in the driveway.

Either way, I am glad that I caught it now and not on my upcoming cross country journey back to San Diego.