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I had some time this morning to bang out the front (L) valve cover and spark plugs. I bought felpro gaskets from rockauto and in hindsight should have bought OEM. FELPRO makeS a quality gasket but the fit can be hit or miss. The valve cover gasket fitS perfectly but the tube seals were not as snug as I would like. Just for precaution, I added a thin film of FIPG to the walls before pressing in the tube seals. From the looks of it, the old seals were loose fitting as well and rock hard. Can anyone confirm the color of the original tube seals on 1999 models? The used 2002 cover I bought for the right side had brown seals and they were in tight. I will go oem on the right side. It would suck to have it leak again after all this effort.
I also changed out the spark plugs on 2 4 6. #2 was finger tight. It always gives me indigestion working on old used cars. You just never know if someone stripped out the threads on the cylinder head.
Im not sure I agree with you. In fact I dont agree with you. The cover is aluminum and hammering a screwdriver into the cavity wall risks cracking the cover. So lets discuss the concept of picture 2. When the old seal is bent inward, it reduces the diameter of the seal. This pulls the seal away from the cavity wall and makes for easier extraction.
My concern is marring the valve cover surface by the edge of the screwdriver as you try to wedge in the screw driver/chisel. I do understand that you got to do what you got to do, but I always practice and recommend least to most damage causing repair. When it comes my time, I will first still attempt removing from top and then take the track you and Fast adapted. May be I will acquire seal removal tool (some thing my tool box does not have). Many mishaps have happened to lot of DIYer.
When it comes to seal, a fine hair aberration ,, will cause a leak and cracking the valve cover never entered my mind. Wen a smooth surface is marred, a gouge (trench) and ridge (raised edge due to displaced metal) are formed. then you go about polishing it down etc. As you rightly pointed out the seal would give before the metal.
The ongoing theory is that there is enough pressure build up in the valve cover to push the oil up the PCV into the intake. If it was not for that, surface to surface contact would be enough for this seal.
Please post how your repair ended up. I did use FELPRO for the SC and was thinking of using them for RX when I get there. Now I will wait to learn from your experience.
FIPG + seal adds another layer or material. If the FIPG is not uniform then the seal becomes crooked. Your best bet would be to only have a very fine FIPG. Most likely you would have squeezed the seal in and that would have removed the unevenness.
There is a good chance that your repair would have worked.
The seal was loose enough to press in with my thumbs. I think the FIPG is essential in this case. After a few heat cycles these new seals would have started leaking. I ordered 3 new oem seals for the right side.
The seal was loose enough to press in with my thumbs. I think the FIPG is essential in this case. After a few heat cycles these new seals would have started leaking. I ordered 3 new oem seals for the right side.
You have an interesting view on how you envision the seal to be leaking. FIPG isn't needed but if you have peace of mind, that's ok. The functionality of the spark plug tube seals is to keep oil out of the spark plug area obviously, but the way the oil flings its way to the top of the cover , it would need a high pressure to go around the seals themselves to leak because gravity is just letting it drip down. Bending the tabs up so the seal is snug is plenty enough.
As long as the inner ring of the seal is snug around the spark plug tube, it should never leak.
Salim, when and if you undertake this task, start with a small flat head screwdriver between the valve cover and seal, use a twisting motion to bend the built in metal ring and progressively use a bigger flat head.
I've been using the Felpro valve cover gasket set since february 2015, excellent quality and still no leaks after close to 11k miles since the valve cover swap.
Oil has a way of migrating up the tubes and around the seals. This gasket seals not only to the tube but the valve cover as well. The FIPG is just insurance. I think I mention in another thread, this truck is going to live in Oklahoma where its ungodly hot. Im just trying to cover my bases with this repair.
The seal was loose enough to press in with my thumbs. I think the FIPG is essential in this case. After a few heat cycles these new seals would have started leaking. I ordered 3 new oem seals for the right side.
I did the front a month ago with the same part. Even my old baked seals didn't allow a single drop of oil into the tubes. I highly doubt they even really needed to be replaced. The new seals wouldn't go in though without some lube. Once in they're pretty secure in there.
I did mine earlier this year and had to chisel the old seals out. gouging the surface isn't much of an issue if you're even a little careful. Once you create a space between the seal and the tube just change the angle and tap toward the seal.
Even a small scratch wouldn't be a problem. The new seals are soft enough to comply with any small irregularities.
The idea that you replace the entire cover to avoid the risk of damaging it doesn't make sense. I've done a lot of seals on a lot of different cars over the years. These aren't anything special. Id doesn't matter how cooked they are. Rubber and Aluminum will come apart.
The FelPro seals went in very tightly. I used a large socket as a punch and tapped them in. A smaller flat punch works well too as long as you go around several times to keep it even.
06-10-16, 04:42 PM
