I've only had my V8V a couple of months. I'm assembling all kinds of tech docs to support it (Service Manuals etc.) I started reading about the issue with the 4.3 TC Gasket.

Right now my V8V has just turned 9K. It is still like a new car - no leaks anywhere and the engine has no codes at all. Just flushed most fluids and the underside is spotless.

From what I've read though it's not a matter of if the TC gasket will fail but when. Looking at the effort involved in fixing is causing me serious consideration in keeping it.

For anyone who has had the TC Gasket fail on theirs around what mileage did it occur.

 

Mine was after 5k miles. At 55k miles and 8 years it has returned. The updated gasket does help, but based on my own experience, it isn't as permanent as we once thought.

Personally, I wouldn't worry about it. It's more of a nuisance than anything. Stick aside some extra money to cover it once it happens and carry on.

 

Thanks Telum01 - I was put off since I work on my cars with jackstands and this looked like a job that needed a lift.

Just about to order the Porterfield brake pads. Although I finally got rid of the squeal (which is why the original owner sold the car) I've never had to clean wheels as often as these. I'll "Keep Calm and Carry On"

 

Mine failed at around 5 to 6K. As Telum says just budget for it. I believe the cost from the dealer was less than $3K.
I have a link on my website that describes the repair.
At bernardembden.com

 

Mine failed at about 15k. Price at dealer was around $3k, majority of the cost is labor, not parts

 

Thanks Bernard - I visited your site and went through most of the articles including the TC Cover. I've had jobs like that on various BMW's where the majority of the effort is stripping down the engine bay to get to the culprit.

In this case I know I'd struggle dropping the steering rack with jackstands and at my age I don't like spending many hours under a car anymore.

Great pics the technician took - explained totally the effort. I am curious what the original gasket is made from and what the improved gasket is made from (metal, rubber? cork? etc.) Do they apply a thin bead of high temp RTV around the timing cover case contact area?

I finally got the service manual so I feel a bit better about supporting this car. I read why you bought yours, my reason was somewhat similar - I like your attitude.

Regards,

Ian

 

I never saw the gasket; however it might be just a better design to more adequately seal the potential leak areas. My theory on why this is a problem is that this area does not receive adequate pressure relief via the PCV system.
In my younger days I would remove the timing cover and create a 1 inch opening in the cover. To this opening I would weld a 1 inch hose nipple and plumb it into the fresh air intake opposite a similar fitting just before the MAP sensor.
This mod, couples with the improved gasket IMHO would solve the problem.
Finally, age and guts determine if you tackle this job on jack stands. (Age more than guts if I had to make a call)

 

Tellum/Stuart/Irish, will embdenb's idea, sketched above, resolve this issue? Having the TC gasket "fix" done once, is an expensive time waste, having it done again, silly...especially if there is a solution at hand.

In the 90s I hot rodded a 5.0L Mustang V8. One of the last mods was the replacement of the OE oil filler cap on a valve cover with a small remote air filter vented to the atmosphere. This instal was for relieving internal air pressure not being accommodated by the OE PCV hardware. At high RPM this pressure was hindering the vehicle's acceleration, and potentially causing an oil leak.

I am also familiar with the use of vacuum pumps on high end race car sumps. Same objective, overcome the buildup of internal engine pressure, taken to the extreme.

Where should I drill? Can it be plumbed to my Tellum/VelocityAP catch can? How about developing a hardware set and installation instructions?

 

I think embdenb has a great point, and it's something I'm planning to look into... a port in the timing chain area with a pressure gauge to check if excess pressure is blowing out the gasket and causing the leak. But I also read a while back on PH that the dry sump system drags the engine down about 20 hp and the engineers couldn't figure out how to fix it, so maybe that's the real root of the issue.

The high RPM pressure being the 'danger zone' wouldn't surprise me. My engine sees a lot of time up there and my TC leak has returned. So it's definitely plausible.

If the extra vent for the TC is the answer, I'd want to look into the best place to plumb the vent back into the system. Doing it directly into the catch can would create a completely open passage from the TC into the intake manifold. I'd want to reinsert the TC vent prior to the PCV. I'd also want to test the PCV for premature wear due to the extra pressures its handling from the extra vent now being put through it. Should be pretty easy to have custom ones made if necessary.

 

Vented to the catch can huh? You mean like this.

 

Flinder is talking about this one:



Not the best picture, but you get the idea. I really should update that lol

I designed it so it looks like it came with the car. It uses existing mounting locations/bolts, so there aren't any extra brackets or anything like that, and uses OEM connectors to match those found on the original hose. It's non-vented so 1) it doesn't change the original design, just adds the filtration element (internally baffled), and 2) EPA/CARB friendly because it doesn't vent to atmosphere.

I've got a couple threads floating around that track the development of it.

 

Years ago during my initial visits to my AM service garage with my 2007 Vantage I became aware of a problem with the then 2 to 3 year in service DB9s. I was told their V12 engines were weeping. I never learned where, why, or how much, but there it was, streaks of what looked like oil and dirt/dust on the belly pans and underbody of the DB9 on the adjacent lift.

What was the cause? Was it fixed/campaigned? What was the fix? Is it something we might borrow to resolve our V8V TC leaks?

 

Timing cover. New, 'better' seal.

 

My "new, better" gasket is leaking...

 

v8 and v12 are different issues. Lots of v8s leak, not nearly as many v12s. Once fixed, I don't hear about recurrences on the v12. The new gasket seemed to do the trick.