clarehills

I just posted this in the general section but now I think about it I reckon it qualifies as technical.
[hr]Hey Fellers,
I am in the market for a new mustang (having had my 03 GT destroyed by a drunk driver) and am looking at Cobras and Mach1's. I went to look at a grey 03 Mach1 today with 32,000 miles on it. It was fairly dirty all round which is not a problem because I can pretty it up but what did concern me is what looks like oil around the valve cover bolts (see pictures). It is the same on both sides. Has anyone seen this before? Is it a non-issue? Problem? Any advice would be really great,
Thanks,
C

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oxfordgt

The pcv is probably clogged.

DrDeaths01GT

Goddamn, somebody ought to have their *** whipped for letting a work of art get so fkn nasty, whats wrong with this guy, please buy this car and give it a proper home AND bath!!!!

texas_stang02

i doubt it's anything to be too worried about. if the PCV valve is clogged, then pressure builds up inside the engine and quite often the valve cover gaskets will be one of the first things to start leaking (that pressure has to be relieved somewhere). i had the same problem on my GT and after replacing the pcv valve the problem went away. they're really cheap and easy to replace, so it's not really anything to be worried about.

DrDeaths01GT

How often should you change the pcv?

clarehills

oxfordgt & texas_stang02, Ah, that makes sense. I appreciate the responses, thanks.

DrDeaths01GT, I agree, what a filthy mess, I will let you know if I can work out a dela with the fella.

One more question, could this build up of pressure that caused the valve cover gastets to leak cause other gasket failures in the engine? Might they need to be replaced or will changing the PCV allow the gaskets to return to their original spec?

Thanks!
C

texas_stang02

i normally just change the pcv valve whenever i do a tuneup on the car. i'd rather change it BEFORE it starts causing problems cause they're really cheap. i change mine about every 50k or so, but i like to perform maintenance before it's needed, cause i don't like things breaking.

as for other gaskets in the engine, you should be fine. you might see the oil pan gasket leaking, or even the timing cover gaskets. unless the pressure actually did damage to the gasket itself (probably didn't) then once you get the engine ventilated again, the leaking SHOULD stop. if it doesn't, then just change whatever gasket is leaking, but i doubt it will continue to leak unless there's a tear or something. it's a lot harder to tear the rubber gaskets in these engines than the cork ones that were common in prior decades. btw, if you ever find yourself using a cork gasket on anything (valve cover, etc) rub a very light coat of oil on both sides of before putting it on and tightening things down. it will still seal like normal, and that thin layer of oil will make it harder for the cork to stick to the engine (which can be a pain in the **** to clean up).

clarehills

Thanks, texas_stang02. I just agreed a price with the guy selling it 15,500 which I think is fairly good. One of the first thing I will do is change that PCV valve!
Thanks for the advice.
C

texas_stang02

that seems like a pretty good deal. i was pricing some Mach 1s not too long ago and i couldn't find anything under $18k. i hope you enjoy that Mach 1. you got any pictures of the car itself? what color is it?

clarehills

I don't have any right now, I will get them up as soon asn I get my hands on it - It is dark grey - looks nice.

Another question: I just ran a carfax on it andgot the following as the first owner:

"First owner reported Registered as corporate vehicle
Loan or lien reported:"

The second (and current owner) bought it with 8,000 miles on it. Does anyone know what "corporate vehicle" means? Company car? Rental ([:@]) car?
Thanks dudes.