OK, so I feel like no matter what I do I can’t get my valve cover gasket‘s to seal up. I put brand new ones on from Fel-Pro when I did the cylinder heads about 7000 miles ago. They’re already leaking and dripping onto the exhaust manifolds. I used some RTV in the weak points according to a video I saw on the 3.2L Cadillac motor having the same issue. Is it something where you have to use AC Delco? Is it possible that the valve covers themselves are warped? I really would like not to have to go through and do the whole job again and have it be unsuccessful. Any ideas? I know there are two styles for the valve cover gasket, I believe I have the first style without the bridge in between.

 

Mating surfaces must be meticulously clean -- free of old gasket material and other crud or films. I use isopropyl alcohol or acetone for final cleaning.
Be sure not to gouge the head surfaces.

Did you tighten ONLY to the provided torque spec using a Torque wrench? This is imperative as the torque is usually much lower than you'd think, and overtightening the valve cover bolts is the easiest way to make a valve cover gasket leak even if everything else is done perfectly.
Also, be sure to follow the appropriate tightening sequence when you reinstall the bolts. This evenly applies the downward force to the gasket (sort of) to ensure a proper fit everywhere.

Hope this helps.

Oh, I always use AC Delco if I can for S cars anyway. Quality control seems better.

One last thing -- if the gasket presses into a groove in the underside of the cover, be very deliberate to ensure you are only pressing it DOWN into the groove. If you press on any type of angle, you will stretch the gasket ever so slightly.
Doesn't sound like a big deal, but if you do this 50% of the time you're pressing it in, all that stretching adds up and you will find yourself with extra gasket left over and nowhere to install it.

I can't blindly blame Fel Pro but their quality control sucks on S car gaskets. I have received gaskets that were several inches too long (check before you start)

 

Derf, I was kind of thinking brand might be an issue. Usually I’m not obsessed with going with OEM especially on a budget build. But, I have a feeling that going AC Delco might be the way to get the best fit. I do know that with fel-pro I had some excess gasket putting it in. I did make sure to use a torque wrench and torque all of the valve cover bolts to spec and in the correct pattern.

Now the question I have (I don’t know if it’s going to matter) is: which design is better for preventing leaks? First or second design? I know I have first design, but I was just at the uPull yard and there was a nice set of second designs on a motor with no valve cover gasket leaks. So I was curious does actually make a difference?

Either way I go, I’ll definitely make sure that I have a nice clean mating surface. I appreciate the advice on getting the gasket into the cover itself. I probably bunched it up a little bit.

 

There is also a possibility that the heads are warped or the covers are warped. Not nearly as common as the other things I mentioned. The main thing that increases the possibility of what is mentioned above is overheating. Not a quantitative way to say how many times or how hot but it can occur.

I'm sure you have already searched online and found do-it-yourself directions on a Saturn forum for this activity. I would not add gasket sealer anywhere it is not recommended as you may actually end up creating a high spot that keeps the rest of the gasket from sealing against the head.

As far as first and second cam covers I have no idea as I am not a Vue expert.