changing valve cover gasket what do i need???

[wcpierson]

i need to change the gasket on my valve cover cuz it is leaking what gasket should i buy? what tools are needed besides a socket set and how long should it take me?

 

[Fayt]

Here is the gasket set through MachV, but they are extremely overpriced on all their items.
http://machv.com/valcovgasset.html

Shoudln't take that long. Just take the valve cover off, replace the gasket and the spark plug well gaskets. I'd estimate 30 minutes, tops.

 

[Opus69]

You may also want to pick up some RTV (blue) for the little half moon plugs at the camshaft ends.

 

[amp9211]

I bought my valve cover gasket set on EBay for about $20, I think. That included the valve cover gasket, the gaskets for the spark plug wells and the semicircle plug on the left side of the gasket. Get some sealant at a parts store (they can tell you what kind). You will probably need a rubber mallet to get that thing off too because those gaskets stuck that sucker on there pretty good.

Once you get the cover off, use a plastic scraper of some sort to get all of the old cover off. After you get it all cleaned off, take the sealant and apply a small amount all around where the gaskets will go. Put the gasket on and make sure that none of the sealant has pushed out, if so, just wipe the excess away.

After you get it all ready, just put it on and hook and bolt everything back up to it. Turn the car on and let it run for a little bit so that you can see if everything is sealed up nice and tight, and you should be good to go.

I don't think that it should take you any more than an hour (at most) to get everything done on it.

Here is something that I found on VFAQ.com:


This repair is needed when you can oil leaking out of the valve cover. On my car it was the front-drivers side of the cover that was leaking. The part numbers given are for a 1991 2.0L Eclipse...yours may very.

Parts Needed
10mm socket w/ extension bar
Torque wrench (capable of reading 2-3 ft.lbs.)
Valve Cover Gasket (MD 125939 $24)
4-Spark Plug Gaskets (MD 125940 $5.79/ea)
Cam Shaft Seal (MD 050536 $2.80)
Hi-Temp RTV Gasket Sealant
Oil Cap Gasket (MD 311638 $2.98) -Optional

Procedure (see picture)
Remove Top Timing Belt Cover
Remove Oil cap, PCV Valve, and breather hose (above crank angle sensor)
Remove Center Cover (10mm), and all spark plug cables (mark which cable goes where)
Remove the 14 bolts (10mm) holding on the valve cover (8 outer, 6 under center cover)
Remove Valve Cover (mine was stuck so I had to use a rubber mallet to free it)
Remove the semi-circular plug (aka cam shaft seal)
Remove all remaining gasket on block side
Clean both side of the valve cover. I used some carb cleaner and dried thoroughly.
Remove all remaining gasket on valve cover side
Use a SMALL amount of RTV sealant on valve cover side with the spark plug seals and main valve cover gasket
Use RTV sealant on semi-circular plug and the 2 camshaft and crank angle sensor humps (see illustration)
Remove any excess sealant
Replace valve cover and torque bolts to 2-3 ft.lbs. (2.5-3.5 Nm)
Remove any excess sealant
Replace items originally taken off in steps 1-3
Start engine and check for leaks. Check for leaks periodically.
Optional
If you haven't changed you oil cap gasket before, it probably needs it now. The tell-tale signs are oil leakage around the oil spout and oil build-up under the center cover.

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Copyright 1999, Brad Bauer

 

[travislaw]

Just go to your local auto parts store and get the gasket. It is the same as the Mach... website only cheaper. I have never had any problems with the one I got from Checker Auto.

 

[Jingx284]

Just go to your local auto parts store and get the gasket. It is the same as the Mach... website only cheaper. I have never had any problems with the one I got from Checker Auto.

agreed.

 

[GSTBlack95]

I work at checkers and the gasket's all together would run like30-50 bucks almost, its not alot and its always a good thing to do if you got problems.