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Ok, driver side valve cover just refuses to stop leaking from the lower rear. Have installed new gasket serveral times, same gasket, on the first occasion without sealant, on subsequent tries with sealant. Can anyone shed some light on what I can do to fix this problem. Very frustrating as it would seem such a simple problem to solve.

What motor are you having this issue with?

I use this as a last resort when nothing
else is working lol

Pull the cover off, use a strong degreaser to
clean both surfaces thoroughly(i use brake cleaner)
make sure the surface is totally clean!
get some Loctite 40479 silicone sealant in an
aerosol tin. (pricey, but lasts forever)
put a line on of silicone on the entire
length of the gasket and bolt it back on.
I'd let it set over night before running the engine
and make sure you torque the cover evenly.

that works with the problem covers i've had on
different cars.

hope this helps

cheers
Sam

also known as loctite instant gasket

Check for hairline cracks and give the area good wash it might be leaky from somewhere else.
Cheers
AP

Thanks for all the advice on the leaking valve cover. Some of it was very handy indeed. Well it seems the main problem with fixing the leak was associated with the new gasket I purchased to replace the old one. Lucky for me I thought the old gasket looked like it was still nice enough to keep, good thing I did let me tell you as it's been reinstalled and all is well again. If your looking for a replacement gasket I'd suggest you don't buy the Protorque replacement. I compared the 2 side by side and the Protorque item is a lot thinner than the factory gasket. This I believe was causing me all the heartache, new gasket but leak gets worse - something must be up. Suggest you get your replacement from Subaru if your looking to service your valve cover gaskets. I can also reccomend Loctite's 596 sealant to help seal everthing up real nice. Who would have guessed a new gasket could have caused me so much trouble. As they say lesson learned.

another surprising gasket sealant used in the past is contact adhesive, believe it or not. Wrked a treat on many old Volvos