Time to Replace the Valve Cover Gasket

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latinoguy

latinoguy

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Sep 13, 2006
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139
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844
Location
Tierra y Libertad
This weekend I will tackle replacing the valve cover gasket, as there is oil leaking from it. Any tips that you can provide for this job? I do have the FSM but I would appreciate a list of things to remove in order to get to the valve cover...I don't want to mess checking valve clearances. I have all parts on hand..... PCV valve and grommet, plug grommets and valve cover gasket. Do I need to put a bit of silicone on the gasket? gasket bolts? While I am at, I also plan on wrapping the ECU wiring harness close to the firewall with heat shield tape...
 
Take plenty of pics of the process if you can for us who needs it. :D
 
It's pretty straightforward.

Make sure you have a seal puller for the spark plug seals. I forgot mine at home and ended up using a radiator tool instead:o

You should have a torque wrench also.

I cleaned up my crusty valve cover, replaced some small coolant hoses and re-covered my throttle cable at the same time. The PCV hose cracked when I removed it as well and I didn't have a replacement so I had to make do with some tubing I had until I could get a new one from Dan:D
 
Did Mine

I did this my self. Not to hard of a task but I learned a few things. As far as the spark plug seals, I ended up prying them out with a screw driver and pliers. Be carful if you chose to do this because you can easily gouge the valve cover. Replacing them was not easy for me. I ended up cracking one of the new ones but still used it. Pressing them in is a PITA. Besides that just making sure that the lip on the head is clean. In my Haynes manual it said you needed RTV sealeant for the two plugs on the front of the head, but mine were not going anywhere so I just left them. Just make sure not to over tighten the bolts when you replace the valve cover. I broke two with very little torque. Got them out but thankfully it was on the very front and not the one by the PHH. IIRC it is ten pounds of torque but I would just go with hand tight.If you have anymore questions I would be glad to help out.:cheers:
 
I recently did mine as part of a 120k mike valve check / tune-up. It was pretty straightforward but you do have to remove the throttle body to get to it (I'm a :banana: to :banana::banana: mechanic). Also, two of the cover bolts near the firewall are a bit tough to get to. The hardest thing fo me was leaning over the engine without using the radiator as a support, as I did not want to break the plastic top.

When I removed my cover, the tube seals were dry and brittle. I ended up chiseling them out with a screwdriver and hammer...kind of scary but it didn't damage the cover. Installation did not require any sealant but I did have to seat them with a mallet. The PCV grommet was rock hard and shattered into a bunch of pieces that I has to fish out of the cover cavity...luckily it was off the engine. The cover seal was hard and brittle as well but came right out.

Don't be scared but it is a bit of a PITA to get at some of the screws and such. I also did not drain my coolant, as I left the firewall heater hoses intact and just lost a little coolant when I disconnected the throttle body. Good luck and if you feel real bold, check your clearances (I did and they were all in spec at 128k miles).

-Craig
 
Piece of cake...

latinoguy said:
Do I need to put a bit of silicone on the gasket?
Click to expand...

No, you don't need to put any silicone on the gasket except put little gray silicone on the two half moon pieces right by the timing chain cover.

You need to remove 13 bolts.
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Only one of my doors has the Araco sticker (Front Passenger) and didn't have a vin# sticker on it and I was concerned that it was a replacement door. I did get extra vin stickers from the previous owner which I thought was strange but was going to put one on that door.
 
Thanks for all the tips...I probably am not the best person to document a PM job, as I am slow as heck, (tend to break bolts, etc. etc.) and taking time to take pics and document will triple my time....

With that said, I appreciate all the input. The FSM says to DRAIN the coolant...is that a must for this job?
 
smug01 said:
I also did not drain my coolant, as I left the firewall heater hoses intact and just lost a little coolant when I disconnected the throttle body. Good luck and if you feel real bold, check your clearances (I did and they were all in spec at 128k miles).

-Craig
Click to expand...
Craig answered my question about the coolant.
 
You would probably be ok not messing with the semi-circle pieces on the front of the head but if it were me I would re-seal them too. It is simply a matter of popping them loose with a small screw driver and cleaning them up and applying new silicone. If you are really anal like me you can use the Toyota FIPK that cdan can recite the part number to. :D They really are easy and don't add much to the job. Good luck and post up if you have any problems.
 
Fricking Cold and Windy this morning out here.....Throttle Body and hoses are off, same with valve cover gasket screws....HOW DO I REMOVE THE VALVE COVER? Can I tap it with a rubber mullet? Stick a screw driver? between head and valve cover to pry it open?
 
FSM doesnt specify, but I wouldnt use a screwdriver. Try that rubber mallet if you havent already. .02
 
latinoguy said:
Throttle Body and hoses are off, same with valve cover gasket screws....HOW DO I REMOVE THE VALVE COVER? Can I tap it with a rubber mullet? Stick a screw driver? between head and valve cover to pry it open?
Click to expand...

Sorry joke aside SOCALFJ :D

Back to you latinoguy, Using a rubber mallet, tap the sides of the valve cover, you can also use your hands.Keep wiggling back and forth until the Valve Cover pops off.The old gasket material is acting like a glue.

By the way, you don't need to remove both exhaust manifold to do these.The pic's, I completely overhauled the motor - top and bottom, tranny etc :doh:

Good luck :beer:
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Had overlooked one screw holding a bracket where some plug wires rest upon, hence the valve cover was not going anywhere.... The biggest pain and time consuming task was removing the plug grommets. I tapped a rubber mallet to a screwdriver to raise the plug grommet enough for my seal puller to grip.... Once the seal puller gripped, it was easy enough to remove..... As LXExtreme indicates, wiggling the cover back and forth loosens the cover where you can lift it, and slide it out from its location. Once the valve cover and Throttle Body were removed, I took the time to cover the ECU cables near the Engine. I had easier access to it this way. See link for pics..

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v228/bohemianjsr/Valve Cover PM/

I did not bother with resealing the semi circle pieces. I figured at 137K miles, I would wait when the time comes for the Head Gasket PM job. Also, not much coolant is lost when you remove the hoses from the throttle body. So I would avoid this step.

Thanks again for all your advice. My LC is running smoothly and no longer leaking oil. I also have a sense of accomplishment by doing this job myself.
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v228/bohemianjsr/Valve Cover PM/
 
latinoguy said:
My LC is running smoothly and no longer leaking oil. I also have a sense of accomplishment by doing this job myself.
Click to expand...

That's nice and good to hear she's running smooth.

By the way, Sorry forgot to tell you while you're at it.You should clean the throttle body.(Disregard this messaged if you already done it) One or two cans brake cleaner good enough to clean inside - out.
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