Esquire6

There was a little smoke coming from the passenger-side of the engine. Dealer diagnosed a valve cover gasket leak. I ordered the Blaupart gasket kit. Following the brilliant tech write-up, I replaced both valve cover gaskets and the cam chain tensioner gaskets (half moon and the key). I also replaced replaced the Spider hose and installed a new vented oil filler cap.

Both sides smoked like a barbecue grille! Blaupart was kind enough to send me a new set of gaskets for free. But I decided to reinstall the first (new) set of gaskets because they looked fine. Same thing, lots of smoke!

I thought it could be that my Harbor Freight torque wrench is not as precise as one that costs a gazillion dollars from Sears because reviews on the wrench indicated it may be accurate +/- 2 lbs. So I increased the torque to 9 and re-tightened the valve cover gasket nuts. This time there was just a little, but consistent smoke from both sides.

Is it the kit; the torque wrench; or perish the thought, ME? Or is a little smoke expected for the first # of miles after gasket replacement?

Would someone in the Ashburn, Virgina area be willing to lend a (paid) hand turning a wrench? Thank you.