The valve cover gasket(VCG) creates a seal between the valve cover and the cylinder head preventing oil from escaping the cylinder head. It breaks down over time due to the oil attacking it and the high temperatures in the engine compartment. When the gasket fails, oil will leak out onto the cylinder head and the engine block soaking the engine in oil. This situation creates many problems including oil leaking on your driveway or garage, a dangerous situation because oil on the exhaust could start a fire, and if you have another engine oil leak, it will be impossible to find due to the oil from the leaky valve cover soaking everything. For these reasons, it is crucial to fix a leaky cover. Replacing the (VCG) is not only cheap, but quick and simple to do as well.
To replace our valve cover gasket(VCG), follow the simple steps below:
- Open the hood and prop it.
- Remove the spark plug wires by pulling them from the base of the wire. You can use 45 degree needle nose pliers or spark plug wires to help you remove the wires. If you don’t pull at the base of the spark plug wires you could damage them. Make sure to use a piece of masking tape on every wire indicating which cylinder it goes to. This will ensure that you don’t cross wires and cause a misfire.
- Remove the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) tube and any vacuum lines attached to the cover.
- Loosen the (VCG) bolts with a ratchet and remove the valve cover.
- Remove the old gasket and replace with the new one.
- Clean the cylinder head with fine sand paper so that the valve cover gasket has a clean, smooth surface to adhere to.
- Place the (VCG) on the cylinder head and tighten the bolts. Torque them to about 15 ft. lbs. tightening the bolts more than that will cause the aluminum or plastic cover to crack.
- Re-attach the vacuum lines and PCV tube.
- Install the spark plug wires.
That’s all there is to it. It is rather straightforward and is one of the easier do it yourself repairs to do on your vehicle. Before working on the engine be sure to allow the motor to cool down so that you don’t burn yourself. And as always, wear eye protection to prevent personal injury.
Tags: clean, engine, engine oil, engine oil leak, exhaust, oil leak, vehicle