Best Valve Cover Gaskets 3.4L?

[BoomerBob]

Hi. Haven't posted in a while. I did a search but nothing turned up to my question about the best valve cover gaskets for the 3.4L V6.

Mine are leaking on an reman engine with just 5k miles. Needless to say I'm not happy about having to go back into the engine with so few miles on a basically new engine.

Since I have to though I'd like to use the best quality gaskets available so I hopefully don't need to do it for at least 100k miles.

An independent mechanic says he has the best luck with neoprene valve cover gaskets. Does anyone make these for the T4R 3rd gen.

 

[spartacus]

I've used oem and it's been solid for over 100k miles. Some have used felpro and have been fine.

 

[FD7683]

I used Felpro with NAPA o-rings that go on the bolt and it has been fine ever since. I would use OEM if you want longevity.

 

[BoomerBob]

I've used oem and it's been solid for over 100k miles. Some have used felpro and have been fine.

Thank you. I'll use that info to buy the next set.

 

[Malcolm99]

I've used both felpro and OEM, OEM seems a lot softer and works very well. Since its new you might get away with reusing the washers, and maybe even the spark plug tube seals if there is no oil in the tubes, that's a big maybe, I would remove and reseal the half moons and even the Cam plugs just to be sure, you will want to use a oil specific sealant for the half moons insuring they are positioned flush and where the VC gaskets goes over the contours of the cam shaft bearing caps.

 

[Honda pc]

I also plan to do this.. currently at 270k miles and its leaking and messy all over inside... I plan to power pressure wash all the engine oil parts and then do the valve gasket job, tune up... I am going OEM parts... I plan to follow this thread posted here on this forum...its very detailed and has all the oem part ##.. and also follow Timmy toolman youtube.

Replacing Valve Cover Gaskets - A True Write Up - **PICTURES**

 

[nissanh]

Please use OEM and TOYOTA FIPG. Also, apply a small film of FIPG to the lower end of the cylinder head/valve cover mating surface.

 

[T4topher]

Oem with everything.. McGeorge toyota parts is one of the less expensive sites.

 

[Malcolm99]

That FIPG red is really expensive, it was grey sealant from the factory for the VC, only other Toyota sealant available is black that I'm aware of, it's very good I'm sure but pricey. I've used Permatex Ultra grey on 4R and Mitsubishi VC, Oil pans, differentials, Manual Transmission halves, Auto trans pans, oil pump housings and many other components, never had a problem, just make sure your prep work is immaculate.

 

[BoomerBob]

Oem with everything.. McGeorge toyota parts is one of the less expensive sites.

Thank you.

 

[mtbtim]

Just use OEM parts. Also, this job isn't just valve cover gaskets if you want to do it right. You should also be replacing the cam plugs on the rears of the heads, you should be removing and resealing the 4 half moons on the heads, you should replace the spark plug tube seals, you should buy new valve cover bolt washers, you should replace both plenum gaskets, you should consider replacing the throttle body gasket, you should consider replacing the PCV valve and grommet, you should consider replacing the spark plugs and spark plug wires while doing this job and you should consider cleaning your throttle body, IAC, and MAF sensor while doing this job.

In regards to the RTV or FIPG to use, I recommend you go with the Toyota 103 FIPG (black) The red FIPG is for transmission, transfer cases and differentials. Don't do what the write-up suggests and put a huge bead of RTV on the heads. That is totally unnecessary. Ramon did a great job on his write-up for this job, but his application of FIPG was pretty ridiculous and way overkill. You only need to put it over the half moon junctures and in the corners of the cam humps. You also need to put some onto the cam plug collars when installing the new cam plugs. The cam plugs Do Not require FIPG on them like some guys do. The cam plugs have a rubberized outer surface and that makes a seal with the head and collar just fine. Adding FIPG to the cam plugs is just going to make it a nightmare to clean out the old FIPG at the back of the heads if you ever have to perform this job again. Good luck!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N5fAXAuGozI" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[3bears]

Agree with above, I would do as much as I can while Ive got it all apart.

just remeber torque for the valve cover bolts is in INCH POUNDS. You can convert to foot pounds. But these covers crack easy, luckily not me yet.
there are other parts of your car that use inch pounds for torque, so good excuse to buy one I had one from working on motorcycles.

 

[Speedy]

I'm about to tackle this on my 02. Book time is 3 hours. What is it about this job that seems to take people days to complete it? I'm OCD and will be cleaning the valve covers thoroughly and probably painting them, but how does 3 hours become 8 or 12?

 

[Rushthezeppelin]

I'm about to tackle this on my 02. Book time is 3 hours. What is it about this job that seems to take people days to complete it? I'm OCD and will be cleaning the valve covers thoroughly and probably painting them, but how does 3 hours become 8 or 12?

If your OCD and take your time the first time through a job I'm betting you want to budget a whole weekend for this. I haven't done anything on my engine yet but I know it took me 8 hours to do my first axle seal job on the rear because I took my sweet time and quadruple checked everything. A big chunk of that granted was getting those damn drums back together...drum brakes suck to work on. Second side was about half of that because I felt more comfortable with the job. Also I would say heed Tim's advice and have the "while you're in there" mentality. The fewer times you have to take these old trucks apart the better and if you don't know the condition of other components that you can easily replace while you are there then why not take care of it.

 

[Speedy]

Yeah I've got all new parts coming OEM Toyota seems best. Valve cover gaskets, spark plug tube seals, PCV gromet, fipg, half moons, cam plugs, intake gasket (mine's supercharged), and vc bolt washers. I clean my MAF pretty regular so it's probably good, and I need to see when I last replaced the spark plugs but that's easy so I'll wait and do that when needed.

 

[connorms]

Kind of off topic, but I figured I might as well ask here since it's the only current thread related to valve covers. When I last did my valve cover gaskets (about 3 months ago, but have only put maybe 20 miles on it since), I was torqueing down my valve cover bolts using ft-lbs instead of inch-lbs. I guess my torque wrench isn't very accurate at such low numbers, and I managed to snap one of the bolts. As far as I'm aware it's not leaking or anything, but just knowing I have a broken bolt down there is bugging me so I plan on going back in to replace it. My question is that is there anything in there that's single use? I was planning on replacing all of the bolts just to be safe, but is there anything else I should replace just because I took it apart? Mainly looking to avoid doing it a third time, but I already replaced all the additional parts Tim recommends doing. My idea was that I should be ok if I just scrape off the old RTV and replace it, then replace the rubber washers. Am I missing anything else?

 

[Rushthezeppelin]

Kind of off topic, but I figured I might as well ask here since it's the only current thread related to valve covers. When I last did my valve cover gaskets (about 3 months ago, but have only put maybe 20 miles on it since), I was torqueing down my valve cover bolts using ft-lbs instead of inch-lbs. I guess my torque wrench isn't very accurate at such low numbers, and I managed to snap one of the bolts. As far as I'm aware it's not leaking or anything, but just knowing I have a broken bolt down there is bugging me so I plan on going back in to replace it. My question is that is there anything in there that's single use? I was planning on replacing all of the bolts just to be safe, but is there anything else I should replace just because I took it apart? Mainly looking to avoid doing it a third time, but I already replaced all the additional parts Tim recommends doing. My idea was that I should be ok if I just scrape off the old RTV and replace it, then replace the rubber washers. Am I missing anything else?

Are you saying you converted the inch lbs into foot lbs or that you use the wrong torque period?

 

[FD7683]

This job will take you a while just to replace the valve cover gaskets. You will find that driver side cover will fight you the most to remove it and the plastic cover for the wiring loom will most likely break. Absolutely don't go ham on the cover bolts - thats how I broke my factory cover and had to get a used one at the yard. Recommend inch pounds on a 1/4 in" torque wrench. My Felpro's are on year 4 and are doing fine although I haven't really taken a good look.

 

[spartacus]

Replace the pcv grommet while you are in there, also cleaning the throttle body is easier. More access to the heater control valve if it's old.
edit: Good time to look at the fire wall side hoses also.

 

[connorms]

Are you saying you converted the inch lbs into foot lbs or that you use the wrong torque period?

I converted it from inch lbs to foot lbs, but the bolt snapped before it was able to torque down all the way. The rest of them were ok, but the one just kept turning without the torque wrench clicking. Right as I started to think "this feels way too tight" the head snapped off... I'm not sure if I really need to replace it since I'm not noticing any leaks, but it's bugging me knowing that I'm missing a bolt down there so I plan on fixing it when I don't have any other projects to work on.