valve cover gaskets

[lucas]

so my valve cover gaskets are leaking oil...well just one side and i hate that, so has anyone ever changed them before>if you can i have some advise, tricks, tips??? im pretty good with a wrench but experience is what matters so any help would be awesome.

[t3h L3g4cy]

yeah it's no real problem just a bit time consuming. You may want to try replacing the valve covers when you drain the oil otherwise you may end up with a huge oil stain in your garage. Main thing you need to remember is to clear gasket groves with brake parts cleaner and use a clean rag to clean the gasket surfaces. After cleaning them you may or may not want to use silicon gasket sealant. That's entirely up to you. I've used the sealant in the gasket groves then put the gasket in the groves. Then put the sealant on the gasket and all that's left is to put the valve cover back on. You may want to remove the battery before you try so that you free up some wiggle room. There isn't very much room so every little bit counts unless you have small hands like me. Also don't forget to reattach the vacuum lines to the valve covers. When tightening the valve covers, turn one bolt 1/2 to 1 full turn then move to the next bolt and repeat the cycle until all bolts are snug tight. Wait about 15 min for sealant to set or longer. Fill the engine with your preferred brand of oil, start the car, and go for a test drive. Look under neath the car for leaks and if you did it right, there shouldn't be any leaks That should be it

[93Subadan]

Be sure to replace the grommets that the screws go through as well. I haven't used the sealant and it came out fine. The passenger side is easy to get to if you remove the airbox and the driver side is easy enough with the battery and windshield washing fluid gone. The hardest one to get in is the back screw on the driver side. I think they are all 12 mm, but I'm going off of memory so that may be wrong.

[t3h L3g4cy]

mmm i didn't replace the grommets...instead i cleaned the screws and the grommets out using a 6" grinding/polishing tool. not sure what it's called. as far as the screw size, i thought it was 10 mm lol. doesn't matter too much, he'll find out soon enough I do agree with u 93subadan that the driver side screw in the back is a pain in the ass. However with this info he should be fine