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[amba]

Just check back on service records and had new VX Cam cover seals/0 rings fitted just over 3 years ago or 78k miles.

Last week or so have noticed slight oil weep coming from drivers side cover by lifting eye.Have checked cover bolts and all are still torqued down to 8nm...oil has been changed only using GM 10/40 at every 3-3.5k and breathers cleaned at everyother change.

Been overlooked recently for 1 thing or another and didn,t get around to doing oil until 6.3k had been done although this was less than 4 months but did the breathers at the same time.Could this slight over lap on mileage and the fact that the new oil is probably thinner than that of 6k old be the cause of the leakage,as would have hoped for more than 3 years life from gaskets even with a slight increase in milegae.Could understand if breathers were neglected but they are not.

Any thoughts 

[TheBoy]

Don't think that would have caused it TBH.

[feeutfo]

Unusually early.

Kev showed me a good way to double check the breathers are clear, by removing the rubber pipes one end at a time in turn, and physically blowing through them both ways. Just to be certain air is flowing through them. By removing the pipes mid system you blow through each end both ways for and aft through the plenum, then through the crank case breather box.

By doing this on my old car I noticed the small breather pipe leading to the breather box behind cylinder 5 was actually blocked, even though it looked clear and a paper clip would pass through the top small hole, I didn't notice it wouldn't pass ALL the way through. The blockage was actually within the breather box at the base of the brass pipe as it had sealed over with oil gunk. Hence the breather box guide in maintanance iirc.

Just a thought. cetainly from your description you've left no stone unturned.

[amba]

Whilst replacing a split heater bulk head pipe yesterday I again gave the entire breather system a clean.

Plenum off and black breather box removed .All 4 pipes clean as a whistle,outer tubes clean both ends and able to blow through with no restictions.Smaller pipes also clear allowing air to escape smoothly from both small holes on bridge joint.Large 2 branch pipe removed and again clear.Small brass hole clear along with large hole on rear breather chamber,only thing I did notice was clean oil deposit on edges of breather chamber as if it had leaked slighlty from the fat end of the 2 branch pipe where it enters the chamber,hose spring clamp not as tight as remeber it before.Both helter skelter pipes also removed and clear so my conclusion is breather system is clean and clear.

Did have a very slight oil weep from 1 of the cam cover bolts week or so ago and after undoing it and then re-torqueing it thought problem resolved.Strange now the leak does seem to be from the cam cover/head joint by lifting eye directly below the bolt that was leaking.Perhaps I have just squashed it a bit more which has then caused the cam gasket to loose its seal with the cover and being directly behind the lifting eye can,t see where it is leaking.

My plan will be to release the offending bolt and leave undone overnight hopefully getting the cover/gasket to relax back to its correct position and then refit back to 8nm.

If that fails only conclusion can be to remove cam cover and fit new gasket and rings...seems lot of effort and cost when only thing I have really done that could have effected it is an oil change