Valve cover gaskets
 

Greetings forum,

I own a 2000 RX300 AWD w 60,000 miles. I've got leaky valve cover gaskets. I'm planning on replacing them and am looking for suggestions on what else I should proactively do since I'll be investing some time and effort to get to the gaskets. Erroring on the side of caution is OK - even if not absolutely needed, I'd be willing to undertake the effort of replacement, cleaning, etc.
Thanks for your advice.

Douglas

OEM are good and I have used Felpro. You will need toyota FIPG (or equivalent), so have them handy.

Do you plan to do the tube [spark plug] gasket too?

Salim

I'll do the tube gasket also if that makes sense to do. I'm half thinking the plugs ought to be done while I'm there.

recommended service life is 110K miles. Please purchase OEM plugs. Do your home work if you want to switch plugs. Not all types work well with the engine.

Make sure you record any ground wire that you remove and make sure all of them are put back.

I would also recommend that dont combine many service items with one particular task. Changing plugs make sense with valve cover gasket but avoid unrelated changes. Once this task is complete, run the vehicle for few days before starting another DIY. This really helps if things go wrong and you have less items to chase.

Salim

The Felpro valve cover gasket kit comes with the spark plug tube seals. Other than spark plug replacement, it would be a good time to check/replace your PCV if necessary. The 2000 models IIRC come with a plastic pcv valve and an early revision valve cover. If you are experiencing oil consumption, this would also be a good time to upgrade to the RX330 revision of the valve cover with updated baffles. The update is not necessary if you are not consuming oil.