Valve cover gasket tips (4 Viewers)
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I am doing the spark plug seals now. Bending the tabs up is definately the way to go.
Just did my driver's side using a Fel-Pro kit from Amazon. Notes on the prep and photos below. I'm not an experienced mechanic but can usually follow a step of steps that might fill in some gaps from the FSM.
Step1: Hose removal. I usually label hose ends with both ends with an number (example H1) and a letter A / A' for each end.
Step 2: disconnect hoses out of clamps
Step 3: Hose 2 removed
Step 4: Ground wire G1 removed.
Step 5: remove wire harness bracket
Step 6: Remove wire harness from frame
Step 7: Remove PCV hose
Step 8: Clean coil connectors including the back sides before removal- mine were covered in 18 years of dust. You don't want that falling into the spark plug tubes.
Step 9: Remove connectors to coils - its a push in with finger and lever up with flat screw driver. Be careful as the plastic can be very brittle after years in the engine heat.
Step 10: disconnect AC coolant line
Step 11: remove coils. I'd recommend taking notes on coil and plug condition. You can see from the photos that one of mine was very discolored. That one was one of the ones I replaced the plug gasket on.
Step 12: remove PCV Valve
Step 13: Jack up truck and remove drivers wheel for access to bottom of the valve cover - its a lot easier to access from the wheel well and you are able to inspect it much more directly.
Step 14: Remove the skirt in the drivers wheel well. I replaced all of the connectors with new ones but you can re-use if you pry up carefully. I used a nail puller that has the pointed points and center slot.
My bolt gaskets were all hard as rocks so those were all replaced.
Notes on the plug gaskets: I put the new gaskets in the freeze in preparation for installing. I didn't bend the tabs all the way - probably 30% up and bent them up a third at a time with a pair of needle nose pliers (reinstall just the reverse). For removing the old gaskets I dremeled out the inner rim. For the remaining outer section I cut a notch with a hole saw in the old gasket. Be very very careful not to cut into the valve cover itself. You just want to give the brittle old plastic a line to crack on. I then levered it up alternating sides of the notch with a small screwdriver. You also want to make sure you clean the cover well as old bits and dust (if you use the hole saw) will be sitting in the cover.
Step1: Hose removal. I usually label hose ends with both ends with an number (example H1) and a letter A / A' for each end.
Step 2: disconnect hoses out of clamps
Step 3: Hose 2 removed
Step 4: Ground wire G1 removed.
Step 5: remove wire harness bracket
Step 6: Remove wire harness from frame
Step 7: Remove PCV hose
Step 8: Clean coil connectors including the back sides before removal- mine were covered in 18 years of dust. You don't want that falling into the spark plug tubes.
Step 9: Remove connectors to coils - its a push in with finger and lever up with flat screw driver. Be careful as the plastic can be very brittle after years in the engine heat.
Step 10: disconnect AC coolant line
Step 11: remove coils. I'd recommend taking notes on coil and plug condition. You can see from the photos that one of mine was very discolored. That one was one of the ones I replaced the plug gasket on.
Step 12: remove PCV Valve
Step 13: Jack up truck and remove drivers wheel for access to bottom of the valve cover - its a lot easier to access from the wheel well and you are able to inspect it much more directly.
Step 14: Remove the skirt in the drivers wheel well. I replaced all of the connectors with new ones but you can re-use if you pry up carefully. I used a nail puller that has the pointed points and center slot.
My bolt gaskets were all hard as rocks so those were all replaced.
Notes on the plug gaskets: I put the new gaskets in the freeze in preparation for installing. I didn't bend the tabs all the way - probably 30% up and bent them up a third at a time with a pair of needle nose pliers (reinstall just the reverse). For removing the old gaskets I dremeled out the inner rim. For the remaining outer section I cut a notch with a hole saw in the old gasket. Be very very careful not to cut into the valve cover itself. You just want to give the brittle old plastic a line to crack on. I then levered it up alternating sides of the notch with a small screwdriver. You also want to make sure you clean the cover well as old bits and dust (if you use the hole saw) will be sitting in the cover.
More photos
Plug gaskets and showing how dirty the cover was inside and out.
Nice job.
1. Tube seals - bend the tabs out with needle-nose pliers, install seals, then bend them back. It's not a precision thing, as long as it holds the seals in place. Not a big deal. You will have to trash the existing tube seals to get them out, they will be hard as rocks.
2. ONLY put FIPG or Ultra Black in the front corners by the cam covers. NO WHERE ELSE. It's not needed on the cam seal plugs in the back. If you put sealer anywhere else, it will probably leak and you will need to do the job over. Let it cure up properly overnight before you run the motor.
3. Buy the full kit with the tube seals and washers. If you are taking the covers off, it is a false economy to not replace all the parts. It's only a few dollars more for the whole set. Definitely use the new washers for the bolts. The old ones get hard and fall apart, and can affect the torque values for the cover bolts.
4. Buy a new PCV valve and seal to install when you have the cover off. Warning - The old seal will probably be dried up and fall apart when you remove it. Bits could fall into the hollow area in the top of the cover. Make sure you get ALL of the bits out. You don't want that junk floating around in your engine until it plugs something up.
5. Apply liberal globs of Vaseline in the grooves inside the valve cover to hold the gasket in place while you put the cover back on the head. Get some on the sealing surface of the gasket, too. This will keep it from moving around while you get things in place, and possibly getting pinched and damaged if it moves.
2. ONLY put FIPG or Ultra Black in the front corners by the cam covers. NO WHERE ELSE. It's not needed on the cam seal plugs in the back. If you put sealer anywhere else, it will probably leak and you will need to do the job over. Let it cure up properly overnight before you run the motor.
3. Buy the full kit with the tube seals and washers. If you are taking the covers off, it is a false economy to not replace all the parts. It's only a few dollars more for the whole set. Definitely use the new washers for the bolts. The old ones get hard and fall apart, and can affect the torque values for the cover bolts.
4. Buy a new PCV valve and seal to install when you have the cover off. Warning - The old seal will probably be dried up and fall apart when you remove it. Bits could fall into the hollow area in the top of the cover. Make sure you get ALL of the bits out. You don't want that junk floating around in your engine until it plugs something up.
5. Apply liberal globs of Vaseline in the grooves inside the valve cover to hold the gasket in place while you put the cover back on the head. Get some on the sealing surface of the gasket, too. This will keep it from moving around while you get things in place, and possibly getting pinched and damaged if it moves.
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I wasn't aware you can buy just the 18 rubber washer for the bolts. Did you get them from Toyota Dealer?
Fel-Pro sells the whole set, everything included, for about $40. This is not one of those cases where you need or even want to buy from the dealership. No performance or service life benefit for the extra coin.
Great write up- and pictures too.
Regarding use of FPIG; using the photo you supplied above with the template outlining bolt locations, could you indicate where to use the FPIG by the numbers: for example use fpig between 5 & 6 or 9 & 2 etc.
Regarding use of FPIG; using the photo you supplied above with the template outlining bolt locations, could you indicate where to use the FPIG by the numbers: for example use fpig between 5 & 6 or 9 & 2 etc.
Wasn't my photo... but I can answer. Per the FSM, you only need it at the front corners (near 2 and 9 on the outline above) There is a sharp corner where the flat part of the gasket turns up 90 degrees to go around the cam covers at the front of the head. Just put a tiny dab of it there in those corners.
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I had my valve cover and spark plug well gaskets replaced at a dealer in Orlando on 11/1/2016 at 357k. $412 labor, $68 in parts. While changing my spark plugs yesterday at 362k, I had spark plug wells half full of oil on the passenger side. Looks like a do over...bummer.
Something wasn't done right here. Should not leak so soon. Take it back to service department
The service department that did the work is 6 hours away, there are closer dealers about 1.5 hours away that would honor the nationwide warranty, I've had questionable results with them as well. It's parked in the shade mid-spark plug replacement...I'm calling a local mobile guy to take care of it instead of putting it back together and hitting the highway to sit and wait around in a service department.
Which dealership? You local Orlando, or in the Keys (as I see from your profile sig)
That's interesting man...I did not know that was a possibility. Thanks for the tip. I guess I'll just clean up the mess, swap the plugs out and see what happens in 5k.
Keys...nobody seems to have the ability to do an alignment down here that works over 45mph, so I dropped it off for that while in Orlando for a conference and bit on the up sell gasket replacement. I'm not going to name names until I make sure the oil wasn't just left there from the previous leaks. They did offer to fix it at any dealership for free, but when there isn't one nearby it's not so free.
Nice writeup @98100Crusher and @gatormark91
I did not apply any sealant to my cover gaskets although I did see the two spots that it was applied to. I respectfully disagree with putting vasoline around the gasket as vasoline could lead to premature failure of the gasket. I understand your resoning on this but I dont feel it is necessary Good call on replacing pcv valve grommet. Good to check those hoses while you are at it and put in a new PCV valve as well.
When I changed my gaskets I also cleaned all sealing surfaces with 1000 grit sandpaper as well.
I had to cut out my tube seals as well. Care must be taken here.
I did not apply any sealant to my cover gaskets although I did see the two spots that it was applied to. I respectfully disagree with putting vasoline around the gasket as vasoline could lead to premature failure of the gasket. I understand your resoning on this but I dont feel it is necessary Good call on replacing pcv valve grommet. Good to check those hoses while you are at it and put in a new PCV valve as well.
When I changed my gaskets I also cleaned all sealing surfaces with 1000 grit sandpaper as well.
I had to cut out my tube seals as well. Care must be taken here.
