Thread: Valve Cover Gasket Leaks & Possible Intake Leaks

Are you sure the pools are oil? Usually fluid pooling there is coolant. Every car I have seen it on, it was dirty and could be mistaken for oil if looking quickly. Failed intake manifold gaskets will leak coolant into the area you describe. I have never seen a failed valve cover gasket leak oil so bad to cause pools on the higher side of the valve cover.

The valve covers should not be warped under the bolts. This is because the bolts have sleeves on them and can not be tightened to break the cover. This is where the grommet comes in. The bolt pushes on the grommet and the grommet applies pressure to the valve cover gasket. The VC's do have a bit of an odd shape to them and can look funny.

On the LIM puddles. GM sealed the threads of the bolts holding the LIM on, because they protrude into coolant and oil passages. It is common for those sealed bolts to begin seeping fluid up onto the manifold. This is probably the info they noted on the inspection. Try cleaning the motor well and see if the seepage returns. If so, I'd recommend having someone do the LIM's and as part of the process they should reseal the bolts by cleaning them and adding a sealer with ptfe in it.