I’m a mechanic

Aug 10, 2023

A PATIENT mechanic has uncovered the messiest surprise he's ever seen inside his shop.

He was tasked with fixing the valve cover gasket on a Ford Transit van.

Taking to his TikTok account, Garry (@garryautomotive) began with a block of text overlaying the screen that read: "This is the worst valve cover gasket job I have ever done!"

The video then showed the mechanic unscrewing the gasket covers from the engine.

He showed viewers the gaskets, which were full of sludgy, dark amber oil.

Valve cover gaskets act as seals that keep oil and debris out of parts of the engine where they don't belong.

The mechanic then cut to the parts being hosed down with soapy water, washing away the dark fluids in a sink inside the shop.

The hose had a brush attachment at the end to help him get into the nooks and crannies of the sludgy parts.

It then cut to the valve cover components after they had been restored to their former shiny glory.

He pressed the seals back into place, after their soak.

"Part 2 gets crazy!! Messiest job EVER," he teased in the caption, alongside hashtags such as #messytiktok, #mechanicsoftiktok, and #dirty.

The second part of the ordeal was a shorter clip that illustrated how damaging a leaking valve cover gasket can be for a car.

He provided more footage showing how messy the inside of the engine was.

Using paper towels to wipe up the sludgy fluids proved to be a futile endeavor.

The mechanic then panned the camera to the van parked just outside the open garage door, tail pipe facing out.

The van's engine was running, but there was a small problem.

Thick white smoke billowed out from the tailpipe, filling the garage with smoke as a result - a telltale sign that the engine is overheating.

An overheating engine can leave you stuck on the side of the road, but can also damage the engine and its components itself.

Commenters flooded the comments to share their thoughts.

"Ford Duratec motors ALWAYS have this problem. it's never just a little oil either, it's all the way up to the top and somehow still runs," one person said.

Another joked: "Duratech engines don't you just love them lol."

A fellow gearhead chimed in: "Did one on a Honda about a month ago and the gasket wasn't even rubber anymore and had to use a screwdriver to get most of it out."

The U.S. Sun recently reported on a mechanic with 55 years of experience who advised drivers on a common part that should be cleaned more often - not doing so could be costly.

He also shared his top tip for making your engine run better and saving money on repairs.