Review on Dorman 264-982 Engine Valve Cover for Optimal Fit with Compatible Nissan Models by Brian Piecuch

UPDATE - January 2018 As mentioned in my December 2017 update I had concerns about oil leaking from this block in places where it shouldn't and eventually into the throttle body and in the air intake. Of course, my fears were confirmed. I ordered a Nissan OEM cover around Christmas but was unable to fit it due to travel and inclement weather. I finished work on my car on January 10, 2018. I checked the compression first to make sure the problem wasn't bigger than I thought. Compression was the same in all cylinders so I started by removing the valve cover. After removing it, I saw oil in the pipe connecting the PCV to the intake manifold and the pipe connected to the air intake. I inspected the Dorman valve cover as stated in several YouTube videos and compared it to the Nissan version. You can clearly see that the baffle is (for lack of a better term) not glued where it should be, which allows oil to get into the air ducts. I've attached pictures of the unglued areas that stood out and my intake manifold looking directly at it. After installing the stock valve cover I gave the throttle body a thorough cleaning with specialty throttle body cleaner and then cleaned the intake manifold with Seafoam. My car runs a little better, no more knocking, but performance is still sluggish. Exhaust noise is muffled and acceleration on the freeway is almost non-existent. When I hit it, it turns out that the back pressure is so great that the exhaust gases seep through the flange next to the pre-catalyst and the flexible pipe. This is followed by the smell of rotten eggs, which is usually a sign of an unhealthy cat. I don't know if the pre-cat exhaust will smell like this if there isn't a blockage downstream. My concerns about clogging relate to the damage that burning oil does to the catalytic converter. I ate oil for about 1.5 years, so a lot of dirt got into the cat. Converters are not designed to clean oil and excess oil can cause overheating and eventually melt or destroy the cells in the catalytic converter. I just bought an infrared thermometer to check the catalyst inlet and outlet temperatures. That should at least let me know if the catalytic converter is indeed clogged. Then I can inspect after removal. A valve cover replacement was a must, and while this design flaw was reportedly changed in late 2016, I would have spent a few bucks more and gotten an OEM version. Devices with this error were not recalled because there were no "safety issues". However, if an engine's performance is reduced by burning a non-ideal air/fuel mixture, I believe it is a safety issue. Dorman usually has good products but this one is just terrible. UPDATE: December 2017 This generation of Nissan Altimas (2002-2006) is known for some issues. I tried to prevent them by replacing the pre-cat and the valve cover, among other things. I replaced the valve cover because of a leak around the gasket, not because of oil leaking into the spark plug wells. As I stated in my original review, the installation went well and I didn't expect any issues with this unit. Fast forward to the end of 2017 and I'm having some engine performance issues. I have a noticeable lack of acceleration, especially at freeway speeds, knocking or knocking in the engine when I press the pedal to increase acceleration, loss of 2-3mpg and eventually loss of oil. I usually change my oil every 5,000 km and in that time I lose 1.5 to 2 liters. There are no noticeable drips around the engine and oil pan. This led me to believe that it is consumed internally. The symptoms I am experiencing can be due to numerous mechanical or sensory issues. I don't have any codes at the moment, so I was thinking knock sensor problems, mass air flow sensor problems, or head gasket failure. In the course of my research I came across an article that said that oil consumption through the throttle body can be causing all of the problems I am having. This information led me to some negative articles and videos about Dorman valve covers for Nissan Altimas. The general idea is that they are not sealed properly and this allows oil to get in where it shouldn't be and subsequently be sucked into the PCV valve and throttle body. This was the easiest to check as only the air filter, MAF sensor and intake manifold had to be removed to gain access to the throttle body. In fact there was oil in the throttle body behind the throttle body and in the air intake pipe. In extreme cases, oil could get into the airbox, but I was lucky that didn't happen. Engine oil should never be in the throttle body or air intake pipe. The only reason for his presence should be the situation described above. Bottom line, I'm taking my 5 star rating for this product down to 1 star. I believe there are some Dorman valve covers that are acceptable. If you decide to purchase I would check to make sure all corners and edges are taped properly. I prefer not to buy another one as a spare. I will use the Nissan OEM version, although I will have to buy a different gasket. I think this is a waste of money, time and effort and I will try to get something out of Dorman. There is a video on YouTube of the gentleman explaining the issue and he stated that he contacted Dorman and the cover design was changed in October 2015. However, there was no recall as it was not a safety issue. I bought these in April 2016 and probably got one from old stock. My apologies for initially rating it 5 stars and hopefully not leading anyone down the same path. Again, there are many reasons why a machine behaves the way mine does, so you need to do some research: your machine's performance isn't what you remember. The information I have provided may help you find an easier and less expensive solution. ORIGINAL PRODUCT REVIEW: May 2016 I know it sounds weird buying the whole lid when all I needed was a gasket. But wait, there's a reason I did just that. The holes in the cap contain rubber O-rings that slide over the metal tubes that seal the spark plugs. This rubber hardens like a valve cover gasket and can fail, causing oil to build up in the spark plug tubes. O-rings are not interchangeable so I decided to replace the entire item rather than potentially doing the same job twice. This unit felt and fit just like an OEM unit. Includes valve cover gasket. There is a video on the web of people applying RTV silicone to the entire surface of the gasket on both sides. According to Nissan mechanics and other documentation, this is incorrect. They correctly state that a small amount of RTV is only needed in the two corners where the seal makes a sudden change of direction. Looking at the engine from the front, the corners that need an RTV are on the left. As a test I noticed the silicone was only in those two corners when I removed the OEM block. It only takes a few inches around the corners. For RTV, I used Permatex Ultra Black primarily because it remains flexible and oil resistant.