Valve cover gasket leaking on '17 Type R

#04338 said:

Just came out from dealership. Valve cover is leaking and parts will not be available until tomorrow.

Asked if this was common among civics, she said this is the first she have seen in general since she only worked as service for about a year.

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heavyD said:

The leaking has nothing to do with plastic valve covers. Manufacturers have been using them since last decade and they seal just as well as aluminum valve covers.

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ez12a said:

eh, like anything plastic in the engine bay, its susceptible to heat. Things like plastic pulleys and impellers fail all the time vs. their metal counterparts.

Ultimately it's dependent on the design of the engine and the cover. The 2GR-FSE in my Lexus had zero leaks and that car was 11 years old. 10th gen civics are already leaking.

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CTR1589 said:

Sounds like this is an issue across all Civic models. It happened on your 1.5t, Si guys reported this, and now we have the Type R with this issue also. Good to hear that it hasn't leaked since though. Thanks for the info!

By the way, how many miles are on your car now?

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NinjamanCTR said:

I definitely need to research aluminum valve cover options. I know Honda was probably looking at cost and maybe weight benefit for the end user but plastic components sitting directly on a hot turbocharged motor seem to not make much sense from a longevity standpoint.

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heavyD said:

It's nothing to do with a plastic cover! Holy smokes people automakers have been using plastic valve covers for over a decade now and it's rare to find an aluminum valve cover on any new engine (EJ257 may be one of last cars you can get with an aluminum valve cover and that's because it's an ancient engine). I know a lot of you have been driving just Hondas who have been slow to update their engine designs over the decades but this isn't new technology and it's nothing to do with cost and more weight savings as the prime motive for more plastic parts in the engine bay and engine. I've had plastic valve covers on several new car right up to my 2018 M2 and they all magically contained oil without leaking. Honda's issues are clearly either with design, gasket, or assembly not putting RTV in key areas.

I do miss the days of getting valve covers powder coated to customize the engine bay of a car but I think the last car I owned with an aluminum valve cover was my 2013 STI and there's no point in customizing those covers seeing you can't see them from the top. It's not like the aluminum valve covers never leaked as I recall changing gaskets on my old del sol's B16A engine, as well as my DSM's.

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NinjamanCTR said:

I come from muscle and V8 sportscars (‘15 C7, etc...) where aluminum valve covers are the norm. As stated earlier, I questioned whether the valve covers were not torqued down correctly from the factory, which is a viable reason why the top end was leaking oil. Plastic on a hot surface still doesn’t make much sense to me in a turbocharged application though. Especially as more modifications (bigger turbo, more heat) come into play. Stock? Sure.

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PwrOfDreams said:

As you may realize the type R is already a extreme heat generating machine where hard track driving will bring the temp needle to red. At these temps gaskets do fail and plastics do melt and warp. These leaking episodes are not from wear and tear since it is happening in low mileage and short amount of time. I also hear from other forums that aluminum makes a better heat sink compared to plastics.

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PwrOfDreams said:

The reason I mentioned plastic valve covers because my 14’ lancer evolution had the same valve cover leak. The dealership said it was leaking due to slight warpage at the corner edge. It was covered under warranty but I did not want another plastic valve cover and bought a aluminum one from a 08’ out of pocket. With the extreme heat under the hood. I wouldn’t doubt things can go wrong sooner then later. Plastics will become brittle over a period of time. Cracking and warpage is possible. I wonder if previous K series valve cover that is made of aluminum will fit the one on the Type R. I really like the wrinkle red one that was on the previous Type R.

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