Header Oil Leak

[Jessegroves]

Hey! First post here, I just picked up a 1990 MX-5 a couple of days ago, the car drives Great and everything seems to be fine, but around the seal where the head/valve cover, there seems to be some oil leaking. Has anyone else had this problem with the early mx5s? Is it something I need to get checked out immediately? Is it an expensive fix?

Thanks, Jesse

[cookie]

Common. Replace the cas o ring seal at the same time. Easy diy with a razor and patience and some rtv sealant. Repco stock aftermarket otherwise genuine are good but cost $$

[hks_kansei]

As hinted above, replace the rocker cover gasket.

Should be looking at maybe $40 max for the gasket, and maybe $10 on top of that for a tube of RTV sealant.

Have a look on the forum, there's a thread somewhere that explains the process.



I personally don't agree with the "Must be a Mazda brand gasket or it will leak" thing, I've never used Mazda brand gaskets, including the rocker cover, and they've all been fine.
The biggest cause of a leaky rocker cover is installation error, either pinching a bit without realising, or tightening the cover unevenly.