Ok, I see what you are saying now.
I think of the average person grabbing their cheap 3/8" socket set and snugging them up. Not grabbing a 1/2" breaker bar and going to town.
Valve Cover Gasket Job (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter corkybuchek
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Ok, I see what you are saying now.
I think of the average person grabbing their cheap 3/8" socket set and snugging them up. Not grabbing a 1/2" breaker bar and going to town.
Mine is leaking really bad now. It’s so cold I can’t work in it. Here’s where my leak is (sorry for the crappy pic but can’t get my phone to focus on the valve cover).
Depending on amount of leak, you may want to get fixed. If you are smelling it, can you see wetness anywhere? Oil leaks can lead to fire if enough leaks onto hot exhaust. I would verify how bad. If to much I would fix it and not chance a fire.
fyi - Valve cover gasket tips
ONE IMPORTANT THING...
If you are tightening them, the torque value is 56 INCH/POUNDS!!!!! >>>>> This is NOT FOOT/POUNDS. <<<<<
56 inch/lbs is a touch over 4 ft/lbs, not more than hand-tight.
If you are tightening them, the torque value is 56 INCH/POUNDS!!!!! >>>>> This is NOT FOOT/POUNDS. <<<<<
56 inch/lbs is a touch over 4 ft/lbs, not more than hand-tight.
I just got a quote from dealer and local shop. Dealer wants $280 and local guy wants $210.
470SNC
03 GX470
I snugged my bolts up and no more leaks at all.
084runnerltd
SILVER Star
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Getting ready to do this pretty soon myself, but I went with an 'Ishino-Stone' gasket set. Then after reading that some folks have had difficulty getting aftermarket Spark Tube Seals to fit, I ordered all OEM Tube Seals...just to make sure I'd have some that fit.
But honestly, comparing the two...the I/S version looks and feels stronger. Probably just put the OEM's in there when I get around to doing this and keep the other's for when I have to do it again.
What is the price difference?
Don't know for certain since the aftermarket (Ishino-Stone) came in a valve cover gasket kit (gaskets, tube seals, bolt seals) for about $54.00 shipped. The OEMS tube seals only (for 12) were $34.00 shipped.
Thanks-
Based on the various fails Ive read about on here regarding aftermarket tube seals- Id prob lean towards OEM on this job- kind of a pita to redo.
I put a very small amount on the bolts for my 80 Series because there is a built in 'stop' that won't allow you to compress the gasket any further. But I don't know if the 2UZ-FE valve covers have that feature. IF they don't...then I wouldn't use loctite, when installing new gaskets...as you'll probably want to come back a bit later and snug them down after the gasket has 'settled'. IF it does have a built in stop, then using a small amount of loctite shouldn't hurt anything. And IIRC there is a small area on each gasket where a dab or FIPG is required.
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Gearing up to do this job next as I found a puddle of oil in my spark plug tube under routine inspection , since I currently have everything accessible.
I just had a local shop replace the gasket but looks like the tube seals didn't get attention . Also bought a tube of the Toyota black for the corners as instructed by some forums here, trying to find FSM instructions for this job.
I just had a local shop replace the gasket but looks like the tube seals didn't get attention . Also bought a tube of the Toyota black for the corners as instructed by some forums here, trying to find FSM instructions for this job.
PSA on the valve covers. I recently switched oil from Valvoline high mileage synthetic blend (which I thought worked great, for the last 40k miles) to mobile1 high mileage full synthetic that was on sale at Costco. Before I had mild seepage on the valve cover gaskets but nothing that ever leaked down to the exhaust. After 1k miles on the Mobil1 I noticed oil burning smell so I dug in there and found a significant amount of seepage from the gaskets (on multiple spots). I am not one that says changing to synthetic causes oil leaks but here I am. The M1 itself about as much as you can notice from an oil change, is working very well especially as it got colder recently.
The reality is, I need new gaskets as the truck has 214k and no record of them ever being done, however after reading this thread I thought it would be wise to at least check the tightness of the bolts. I was able to easily reach most of them and every single one I was able to move with my hand with little effort. I just tightened them (very lightly by hand) to see if there is improvement on the leaking. May work, may not (I’ll report back after a few weeks) but in any case, my PSA is to at least check your bolts on the covers and get them back to spec because mine where very loose (too loose).
The reality is, I need new gaskets as the truck has 214k and no record of them ever being done, however after reading this thread I thought it would be wise to at least check the tightness of the bolts. I was able to easily reach most of them and every single one I was able to move with my hand with little effort. I just tightened them (very lightly by hand) to see if there is improvement on the leaking. May work, may not (I’ll report back after a few weeks) but in any case, my PSA is to at least check your bolts on the covers and get them back to spec because mine where very loose (too loose).
I know what you are talking about. Nissan VQ series VC bolts have a shoulder to stop the bolt from being tightened past a point. Applying torque beyond spec will only snap the bolt end off in the head. I think this bolt is from a 3.0L, 3.3L or 3.5L Toyota engine.
My 2UZ and 5VZ engines both use this type of bolt that can be retorqued after installation.
