Just got done changing my valve cover gasket and the cam adjustment gasket. Not too bad, but a lot more had to came off than I first thought. When I put in the new clutch I thought my rear main was leaking, but as it turned out it was the valve cover gasket leaking down through the bell housing. Not sure how much that would have cost me if I had my mechanic do it, but hey, every little bit helps. Anyway, no more leaks, so it was a successful venture. Who else out there has had to do this?

 

How long did it take to do each gasket? Any problems along the way? Any tips?

 

It took me about 3 hours. It wasn't too bad. A few things I encounterd were, you need a T30 torx bit, a 5mm allen wrench, a 10mm deep socket with an extension and an 8mm socket. There is a little rubber half moon portion of the cam adjustment gasket that was where mine was leaking. It fits in with the half circle pointing to the ground. I struggled with that for a bit because the way I replaced it you have to put it in without being able to see exactly how it goes in. It came out before I could see which way it was facing. Also, because the cover is mounted to the headwith nuts on bolt posts, it needs to go back on perfectly even, or it hangs up. Both the cam adjustment and the valve cover gasket should be done together, they kind of rely on each other to seal, plus you're already there after you get the valve cover off. To get the valve cover off, make sure all of the brackets are taken off, there are two on the left side holding the heat shield on and one on the back left holding a pipe to the cover. Definitely a DIY, a little patience, a few new 5mm bolts incase any strip on the way out and an afternoon and you should be good to go.

 

Great write-up! Good tips, too.

 

Doose,
What was the torque setting for the bolts? BTW - good review and it was timely for what I have planned to do in a week or so.
Thanks for the great post.

 

Dudley, not sure what the torque figures are for the valve cover. My mechanic just said to make sure the were tight enough that the gasket didn't leak. They weren't all that tight when I removed them. ou gonna do yours too?

 

imolas4, glad the write up was a good one. Hope it helps someone else when they do it. Sounds like it may help Dudley.

 

Yeah, I am planning to do it soon. Your write up really helps. Thanks.
Hey, by the way are you using synthetic tranny fluid? I want to change my soon and thinking of going synthetic. Any idea on the brand that I should get?

 

Mine's a stick. But I am a big supporter of Royal Purple. A bit pricey, but worth the coin. I've used it for years, and a lot of the people I know run Purple products in everything from race vehicles to aircraft.

 

good write up maybe if we had some modderators they could archive it or sumthin but we dont have any what-so-ever