OK, first off I'll admit that this has me feeling like a total dumbass right now. 30+ years in machining and engineering and I can't figure out an oil cap.....

So I have the common oil leak on the drivers side valve cover. It appears to be coming from the inspection cover on top of the valve cover. That's been well documented here and I'm sure that's the problem. But before I did that I wanted to replace the gaskets on the oil filler cap and the riser tube just in case.

The filler cap comes off just like normal so I start to twist the riser tube in the same direction as the cap to remove it. There's a little resistance so I apply more muscle. Then I hear a cracking plastic sound and I stop. The riser tube will move back and forth about 45 degrees or so then stops dead.

Before I do some serious damage and have to buy more parts, someone clue me in as to why I'm having this trouble. I've looked under the riser tube and I do not see a release or anything but I do see the tab that stops it from turning counterclockwise.

 

Its bolted from the bottom of the tube. The valve cover has to come off to get to it

 

Sheesh.....ok, that explains it. I guess they have a reason for bolting it in but that's a lot of trouble to go through just to replace a little gasket that might not even need replacing at this time. I think I'll skip that and go straight to the other covers.

Thanks for the quick reply and helpful info T

 

Breathers covers are a 1 hour fix. Might as well do it since it'll leak eventually anyway.

 

It is NOT bolted in, it has the same spring steel piece on the bottom of it that the cap has.
I recently re-installed the extender and put my MB engine cover back on, didn't like it, so I uninstalled it again by simply twisting it after getting by the plastic stop thingey.

 

Ok, explain "plastic stop thingey" because that sounds like what I might have broken. It sure seems like it ought to twist off.

 

the screw driver is pointing to the "plastic thingey" there is an extrusion on the magnesium valve cover that this has to be helped over.
( could it be that the phillips screw that holds the tension spring bar is loose ? )

 

Excellent! A picture truly is worth a thousand words on this matter. Many thanks!