Recently had my 1996 I30 Infiniti surveyed by a reliable mechanic. Wanted to see if there were any major problems before I bought new tires and replace the sound system. He finds leaking valve cover gaskets. What are the consequences of not fixing this?
Oil all over the engine and engine compartment.
As long as you maintain the proper oil level the only consequence will be a messy engine and oil spots wherever you park. Replacing the valve cover gaskets is not a major problem. Why not have them replaced an stop the leaking? If that’s the only problem with the car, you’re in good shape. I would fix it. I don’t like leaky engines, or paying money to replace oil that leaked out.
Maybe there’s a less serious reason as to why they’re leaking.
These cars, like many others, do not use cork gaskets like the old days. The obvious thing to do would be quickly check the valve cover bolts and make sure they’re tight. The next step would be to make sure the PCV valve is not stuck. A stuck PCV will pressure up the crankcase and force oil out from places that it might not normally leak.
If the valve cover gaskets are really leaking due to being bad then the downside is an oily mess, possible smell from oil burning on an exhaust manifold, or the possibility of running the car low on oil if it becomes worse and the oil is not checked on a regular basis.
Often the valve cover leak is at the spark plug well and eventually causes a miss-fire and damages the plug wires.