What causes engine valve seals to leak?

When your valve seals start failing, you may wonder, “Do valve seals go bad?” Well, many factors can result in valve seal failure, and it’s good to know all of them. But how do valve seals function? Valve seals control the amount of oil entering the valve system, helping maintain engine compression levels. That’s why the seal should never fail.

A valve seal that works can help you save time and money on lengthy repairs and replacements. You don’t want to experience valve issues since they show a severe case with your engine parts. So, you should always check for signs of a bad valve seal, such as constant valve leaks.

Discover the causes and signs of a bad valve seal and how to avoid them. 

Short Answer: They Can Without The Proper Sealant

Valve seals can quickly go bad when you use the wrong sealant. Also, since sealants are always in direct contact with fluids in the pipeline, they are vulnerable to corrosive elements. Unfortunately, that can result in a valve sealing failure and leak. So, consider using a valve sealant that suits your applications, such as Lubchem’s Formasil RG.

Common Valve Failures

So, why would your valve fail and start leaking? Valves generally fail when you install a worn valve or when the sealant attains its service life threshold. Besides, large pressure fluctuations at the pump inlet can also cause the valve sealing to fail.

Other common valve failures include:

• Poor seal flushing

• Leakage from the valve’s packing

• Leakage of the valve body and cover

• Sealing failure due to damaged bearings

• Unevenly ground sealing surface, resulting in leakage

Lubchem’s Sealants

Lubchem manufactures high-quality sealants, such as Formasil RG, that offer reliable sealing up in leak passages. This sealant is insoluble in oil, water, natural gas, condensate, refined petroleum products, crude oil, and related by-products. Besides, Formasil RG has great low-temperature pumpability.

Let Lubchem Help

Do valve seals go bad? Yes, valve seals can go bad when you use the wrong sealant in your equipment. Thankfully, this valve guide has helped you learn the symptoms of bad valve seals. You should use the right valve sealant, such as Lubchem’s Formasil RG. Many oil and gas companies in the United States use this sealant.

Contact us today to learn more about our valve sealants for the oil and gas industry.

Originally Posted by

Flyinv, I'd be tempted to do a full Seafoam treatment (intake, fuel system, and oil) and see what happens. If you've got some sludge cloggage in the oil drains the Seafoam should help, and it will clean out some of the guck that's had to build up in your intake manifold from the oil there. Best case it helps and you might need to repeat a couple of times to get things really cleaned up, worst case it does nothing and you are still where you are now.

Here's another thought. Your oil separator is bad and instead of draining back into the crankcase it's getting pulled into the intake manifold. The separator is item 2 in the diagram below. It connects into your intake manifold thorugh the port that is sealed by item 3. It's located underneath your intake manifold so it takes some neck bending to get a good look at it.