Pajero Owners Club of South Africa

Hello everyone,

I recently bought a 2000 Pajero 3.5 V6 SWB. It is an amazing car to drive and I am super happy, however, I have a tappet cover oil leak that I can't seem to get fixed.
It has been inspected and "fixed" by two different mechanics. Both of them replaced the tappet cover gasket without any luck. It usually stops the leak for a few 100kms. It seems to be leaking from the back of the tappet cover (firewall side) and then onto the headers so you always get that burning oil smell after driving.
I've read that it could be the oil pressure sensor or a blockage in some overflow valve (the one that goes back into the intake). There are however no errors from the oil pressure sensor.
Has anyone had this issue before? Any advice or ideas are welcome.

Hi,

it is a tricky leak to fix. had the same.

Is there not a small round seal at the back of the head that is tighten with two 10mm spanner bolts? (Driver side bank of cylinders)

Hi,

The seals at the back of the head have leaked before and were replaced. This leak is specifically from the tappet cover.

MMC 3.5 V6 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 29, 2020 9:28 am Hi,

it is a tricky leak to fix. had the same.

Is there not a small round seal at the back of the head that is tighten with two 10mm spanner bolts? (Driver side bank of cylinders)

Hi PI, perhaps you are addressing the symptom not the cause. Try to find out if nothing is causing pressure build up in you engine. Is your breather valve working properly? Oil level (overfilling)?

Hi Simphiwe,

I've checked the oil level and it's not overfilled.

Is there an easy way to check if the breather valve is working? Or would I have to remove the tappet cover to have a look at it?
If this is the problem should it be replaced or is there an easy way to clean the breather valve?