Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General General why would a valve cover crack?

my dad took the gl to get an oil change and only after the oil change (might've been a few days) he noticed a nasty smell. pops the hood the and the valve cover on the zetec and cracked around the oil spiget(hope thats even the right word). if i'm reading the invoice correctly its says they put in 4.5 quarts (i have to doublecheck what the zetec takes) but in general what could cause this crack (in any engine). lack of oil, too much oil? the shop is very reputable and has been servicing the car for years now. we arent going to bring it to their attention because unfortunately i dont think they would say they might've caused it. there's no way they would've missed this when they poured the oil in and there's no way they would've let us drive the car away without bringing it to our attention. they just arent that kind of shop. so i'm going to attempt to change the cover myself. trying to find a used one. are zetecs all the same from contour, cougar, mystique? i'll order a new gasket. and the current bolts can be reused, right? going to try to change the timing belt too if thats a diy job. my dad has been checking the oil and adding any if needed but but has been driving it to work for over a week now, maybe 2 miles one way. he probably shouldnt but has no choice.

It looks like something hit the engine "lift ring" in one picture. Is there a dent in the hood. Or even, did the car have the hood replaced from an accident? Maybe something hit the pipe and cracked it. The timing belt job is "advanced diy" you need a cam holder tool, indoor workplace , probably change water pump and idler wheels too. Search all posts, or Zetec maintenance, more info.

Wow. Never seen that happen. I don't think it will really hurt anything... maybe some oil might come out the crack. I would get a junk cover pretty fast though, you should be able to pull one from a junker for pretty cheap.

ok so maybe i'll hold off on the timing belt job then. just means more tools to buy to add to the collection and i cant afford any right now. the valve cover is the priority. car hasnt been in an accident. i cant see the shop dropping something so heavy on the engine. what would be above the engine that would've dropped in a shop?

the break looks like clean metal so it is very fresh.
it almost looks like the oil cap was stuck and they muscled it off and broke the valve cover.
i dont think it is possible for that to happen on its own.
something hit it or pushed against it to do that.

i asked my dad about it. the oil was changed 2 weeks ago today. and that very day later in the day is when they started to smell the oil. i cant believe the cap would be so tight they'd have to hit it hard enough to crack the valve cover?

talk about a day to find oil leaks, changed my oil maybe a two weeks or so ago and i look under my car today and the rear main seal is leaking pretty good, enough to get all over the place and get to the ground, it was seaping before and I started using the high milage oil and it stopped it, but not anymore ...

btw I have always put 5 quarts in my zetec

Take the cap off & see if there is any evidence of impact on the filler riser. If there is an impact on the riser, then the shop MUST be at fault for causing the damage, IMHO.

If they use bulk oil from a dispensor gun, someone may have yanked on the dispensor hose while the gun was still firmly inserted. Remove the oil cap and see if there are any sort of witness marks.

Like you, I really don't know what happened. That still should not keep you from returning to the shop and asking if they remember having any difficulty while working on your car. That doesn't mean that you have to insist that they repair it, but just see if they have anything to say.