insaneg0d

Hey All! Thanx in advance for any info you can provide.

I have a 1995 ES300 with 74K miles and I'm suffering from a leaky valve cover. I tried to tighten it up and it hasn't worked.

I know what needs to be done....change the gasket, right? My question is...How much should this cost? I don't wanna get ripped off by some mechanic.

The Valve cover in question is the front one.

Thanx again...

MCM

3000

Buy a valve cover gasket set at your local auto store for around $35-$40. The rest is up to you.

insaneg0d

It's not hard to do?


MCM

Aegis

I did it on my first 96...it took me about 5 hours but that was because I some set backs with the wiring running along the back side of the engine. Umm...don't forget the black epoxy on the bolt areas and along the camshaft plugs I forget the type of epoxy I used some black **** that started with an "R".
Also make sure to throughly clean all surfaces of the seal between the valve cover and (i guess the engine block if you wanna call it that) after removing but before placing in the new seal, I used some B-12 carb cleaner. The tools you'll need is a basic socket wrench set...nothing overly extravagant. Other than that it's just rock and roll, refer to the mechanics guide... Somewhere on this site there is a link to it in PDF.

llcoolpass

response to aegis:

brake cleaner is better to use ...
the r thing is RTV
it does take several hours, intake manifold must come off
and its not block, but head
i totally agree otherwise, or you know, dont want to sound like super critical, just helpful.

add something
, dont overtighten the bolts that hold on the valve cover. they are usually designed to snap, sacrificially to save the head from warping [aluminum alloy does that]. if it snaps, its not too hard to drill out, but best to avoid that altogether. dont overtighten, either, when you have the new gasket on. usually 4 or 5 ft lbs. eassyyy does it

Aegis

Yeah I don't always know what it's called but I can fix it lolol and meh I use B-12 for everything...

llcoolpass

how do you get off that support bracket/ get the wiring harness out of the way

llcoolpass

got it, nvm
what a B that is . my hand is in a lot of pain, this aspect of the car is poorly engineered, damn it.
lol

92ES5sp

Yea thats the fun part! Sorry I havent been on in a while btw. I just bend the bracket a little and the bend it back when I put it on. The cam gears is what gives me the most trouble. As far as the harness goes, I just reaf it pretty good and wiggle the v.c out. Usually a helper is a good idea. The 1mz's are actually more of a pain. But I guess you figured it out.