matts6887

Ok; fast; on this one; when you put the new gasket in; should anything be put on the gasket like rtv high temp stuff; or just leave it as it; put the gasket in place; put the cover back on and put everything back together.

fastnoypi

i used rtv on the sharp angles of the gasket When you pull off the old gasket, you can see where the factory did the same. Clean all the mating surfaces before applying sealant and the new gasket.

matts6887

hyper let me also say i should have worded my post a lot better. I didnt mean "find" intake manifold. Im actually not totally sure what i meant at that point lol but yes i know what the intake manifold is and what it looks like so that should not be a issue. The only thing here is this just looks very time consuming; but if it has to be done at some point then it has to be done. But for right now Im just gonna keep checking the oil level every so often and will keep an eye on it and if i start to notice oil loss and i dont see anything leaking underneath; them Im gonna probably think that its either burning oil excessively or something in which case i probably will have to do the cover mod.

matts6887

Thats what i thought. if memory serves me correct; usually whenever you replace gaskets of any sort no matter what its for just about; then usually a least a little rtv in certain places needs to be used to "seal" it fully.

hypervish

Yes, keep an eye on the oil level and don't tear into anything yet.

Remember, this valve cover "issue" doesn't affect all RX300's. It has only affected a handful (on this forum).

matts6887

Well; thats reassuring at this point to know that it doesnt affect all 300s.(I think). I just hope mine is not one of the ones that is affected. Like i said before; for now all i can about do is keep an eye on things and hopefully things will stay good the way they are right now with no issues for a long long time yet.

matts6887

Hyper; salim; or anyone else; how will i be able to tell at some point whether or not i really need to do that valve cover mod? By looking for leaks and checking the oil level regularly to make sure im not burning any excess etc?

matts6887

Also; what is the correct part numbers for the valve cover and the gasket(the newer designed cover not the old one). Is this the correct part number for the newer valve cover: 112020A051? Got this number off of rockauto.com thanks matt

salimshah

Just my opinion ,,, but I am still not convinced that the problem of oil consumption is due to original valve cover. There is a separate thread ... oil in the intake. Since the subject matter was getting too hot, I am pacing it down intentionally. I have always said that the issue is 'my lack of understanding'.

Since you asked me, I would say I dont see any harm in changing.

Salim

hypervish

I agree with Salim, I'm not convinced either.

matts6887

Well; since salim said he said there is probably no harm in doing the change over to the newer one; i do need to know what the correct part number(s) are for the cover and the gasket. And on this note; would i have to change out the pcv valve as well since the valve cover is slightly different than the original design and if so what are the correct part numbers for all 3 or 4 of the needed parts including the last part which i believe is the hose if im not mistaken? I tried looking for the cover on rockauto.com but they only had one part listed and that was out of stock at the present time. So i then looked up on parts.com and they have 2 listed; one for the right and one for the left valve covers. Am i right in saying the right valve cover would be the rear one which is the one that would need to be changed out?

thanks to everyone on here for taking the time to answer my ?s and for being patient with me. It really gives me a better idea of what i do and dont need, etc.

fastnoypi

You actually quoted all of the parts with the correct part numbers you need in post #92.

If you want to save a few bucks and reseal your front valve cover at the same time, get the felpro valve cover gasket kit VS50588R. It comes with front and rear valve cover gaskets and new spark plug tube seals.

Also, although the OEM pcv hose is convenient, you can choose to use a half foot of 3/8 power steering hose which cost about a dollar at any auto store.

matts6887

Thanks fast; I think for right now since it is a bit time consuming to dig into the rear valve cover cause ya gotta remove all those other components just to get to it and i dont always have the time to do it cause im usually with a friend and with family on the weekends and during the week im doing part time on demand work so its not always easy to find a good time to do it. But to make it quicker i may be able to summon the help of my sisters husband who is a big diy mechanic and does a majority of stuff on his vehicles himself. But yea It also does make sense to reseal the front valve cover while Ive got stuff apart so i will probably just buy the gasket set for the front one and like you mentioned go to town on that one too. But thanks fo the info here.

matts6887

I think for me; the bottom line here is that since I dont have any current oil consumption issues at the moment; Im just gonna leave it alone the way it is for right now cause I have no issues as of yet(thank goodness). So; unless i see a pattern of something happening, etc; then Im not gonna order the parts needed. I mean yea it wouldnt hurt things to tear into it and replace the rear cover and reseal the front one by replacing the gasket for the front valve cover as well. But i think the biggest issue it sounds like i will encounter is getting the bolts for that bracket out so i can be able to lift the intake manifold up and out of place. Does this sound like it should be right as far as those 2 bolts go; and is there any real "easy" way per say to remove both of them; or are they in such a position that they are nearly impossible to get to? I do know that for some people it is easier when you remove the wipers and then take the windshield cowl off.

DewHawk

I just changed the PCV Valve before heading home form the east coast and still used 2 quarts of oil (about 1100 miles).

I do not have any oil leaks or blue exhaust smoke and car runs fine. There is some oil residue on the rear cover around PCV valve.

So, my question is - Can you replace valve cover with updated replacement cover on 1999 RX300? Does it all fit properly?

Thanks in advance for your feedback!