Leaky Valve Gasket Questions

D

Dobe99

Member
Hi! So about a month ago I had new valve gaskets done on my '99 Runner which was at about 189K miles. Had to take it back to same mechanic this week to have them re-replaced. Mechanic actually forgot he did the job and told me that "whoever did the job didn't clean the engine off at all"..I actually sprayed the engine off for him the first time so he could clean it easier and to make his job easier and keep my baby as debris free as possible..

So I reminded him that it was HE who did the job... They warrantee their work but I am dealing with hassle of having my vehicle gone yet all day multiple more days now because he redid one side and failed to think about maybe the other side is leaking. Now have to take it in twice this week.. I did tell him it appeared it was just the left side that sucked in but I am not a mechanic, I was just going by the smoke and burnt oil on the one side....and he didn't even check I guess....!

Not being a mechanic, how common is this? I recommended him to use the Black RTV Silicone sealant the second time on that left side and will tell him again tomorrow morning when I take it again for the right side. Overall, I'm not impressed but at least it's warrantied. Just makes me nervous that he is playing with his RC car at 4:30pm at work when I go to pick up my vehicle..then that same day, right side obviously has sucked in too (burnt oil smell, smoke) he can't do a thourough job to fix my ride?.

How would you guys, mechanics and non-mechanics, react to this if you were in my shoes? Should I just go somewhere else or are "sucked in valve gaskets" typical 1 month after replacement.. Is this guy a knucklehead or should I relax..they are actually all very nice people and do make things right but I'm getting tired of this..

Thanks
 
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Sounds like you need a new shop. He said it himself that it was a terrible job. Valve covers, if done correctly and Black RTV applied where directed, should last about 100k miles. Just for a reference...

Get them to fix their mistake then never go there again. By the way, replacing valve cover gaskets is an easy one day job if you ever want to do it yourself. You don't need anything beyond a few gaskets and a simple socket wrench set and some patience.
 
What literature are you referring to?

I keep trying to get away from these guys but I keep having to go back because of this ridiculousness that they rightfully need to fix.

Same mechanic was checking and showing me something down in my runners engine bay and let his mirror get sucked into my vehicles radiator fan..glass bits everywhere, slightly comical except that it was my vehicle.... Did give me a free radiator cap which solved the issue that day, but c'mon..

My 4runner has some miles on it but it has been well taken care of and it shows, everything works great, drives great.. next time I will do it myself. Thanks
 
Dobe99 said:
Hi! So about a month ago I had new valve gaskets done on my '99 Runner which was at about 189K miles. Had to take it back to same mechanic this week to have them re-replaced. Mechanic actually forgot he did the job and told me that "whoever did the job didn't clean the engine off at all"..I actually sprayed the engine off for him the first time so he could clean it easier and to make his job easier and keep my baby as debris free as possible..

So I reminded him that it was HE who did the job... They warrantee their work but I am dealing with hassle of having my vehicle gone yet all day multiple more days now because he redid one side and failed to think about maybe the other side is leaking. Now have to take it in twice this week.. I did tell him it appeared it was just the left side that sucked in but I am not a mechanic, I was just going by the smoke and burnt oil on the one side....and he didn't even check I guess....!

Not being a mechanic, how common is this? I recommended him to use the Black RTV Silicone sealant the second time on that left side and will tell him again tomorrow morning when I take it again for the right side. Overall, I'm not impressed but at least it's warrantied. Just makes me nervous that he is playing with his RC car at 4:30pm at work when I go to pick up my vehicle..then that same day, right side obviously has sucked in too (burnt oil smell, smoke) he can't do a thourough job to fix my ride?.

How would you guys, mechanics and non-mechanics, react to this if you were in my shoes? Should I just go somewhere else or are "sucked in valve gaskets" typical 1 month after replacement.. Is this guy a knucklehead or should I relax..they are actually all very nice people and do make things right but I'm getting tired of this..

Thanks
Click to expand...

As I was reading your stories about this guy and his shop, I could not help but hear this song playing in my mind as I envisioned him working on your truck...

http://youtu.be/r9RUoExrTsg
 
Just had them done @ 148K. Both sides. Not a single leak. I know a lot but don't do the work myself. Took me 7 years to find a mechanic I trust in Chicago. Worth it to research on here, Yelp, and others - you'll find someone great.
 
Dobe99 said:
Hi! So about a month ago I had new valve gaskets done on my '99 Runner which was at about 189K miles. Had to take it back to same mechanic this week to have them re-replaced. Mechanic actually forgot he did the job and told me that "whoever did the job didn't clean the engine off at all"..I actually sprayed the engine off for him the first time so he could clean it easier and to make his job easier and keep my baby as debris free as possible..

So I reminded him that it was HE who did the job... They warrantee their work but I am dealing with hassle of having my vehicle gone yet all day multiple more days now because he redid one side and failed to think about maybe the other side is leaking. Now have to take it in twice this week.. I did tell him it appeared it was just the left side that sucked in but I am not a mechanic, I was just going by the smoke and burnt oil on the one side....and he didn't even check I guess....!

Not being a mechanic, how common is this? I recommended him to use the Black RTV Silicone sealant the second time on that left side and will tell him again tomorrow morning when I take it again for the right side. Overall, I'm not impressed but at least it's warrantied. Just makes me nervous that he is playing with his RC car at 4:30pm at work when I go to pick up my vehicle..then that same day, right side obviously has sucked in too (burnt oil smell, smoke) he can't do a thourough job to fix my ride?.

How would you guys, mechanics and non-mechanics, react to this if you were in my shoes? Should I just go somewhere else or are "sucked in valve gaskets" typical 1 month after replacement.. Is this guy a knucklehead or should I relax..they are actually all very nice people and do make things right but I'm getting tired of this..

Thanks
Click to expand...

Sucked in VC gaskets??!! That's a good one.

Chances are if one side was done wrong the other side was done wrong. Did he do the cam plugs on the back of the heads? Did he reseal the half moons? The VC gaskets only need RTV in the "corners" and the seams above the half moons and in certain specified areas around the cam plugs.

I would ask for a one year warranty as if it's done right, it should last longer than that. Get it in writing. If they wont do that, then walk away and find a mean, nasty mechanic that knows what he's doing.
 
Origionally I thought these guys would be able to do it since I knew valve gasket job isn't that hard... I got the suspicious feeling that this place primarily works on American cars and have a bias towards Toyota or me or something...incompetant lameness whatever the case.

Okay, will get warranty in writing and then run outta there. After I make sure he did the half moons, and correctly applied RTV. Wish this town was a little bigger than 10k people and had more mechanic options...gonna have to get dirty myself or check nearby towns. I went to the Toby Murray Toyota dealer a while back for a screw and their mechanics office reeked of marijuana and non of them even had a positive tune so went with knuckleads instead... o_0

I appreciate the support and solid info! Been feeling a little alone with all of this.


StreetCreeper said:
As I was reading your stories about this guy and his shop, I could not help but hear this song playing in my mind as I envisioned him working on your truck...

http://youtu.be/r9RUoExrTsg
Click to expand...

Lol! Yep, that's his song all day...lol
 
Dobe99 said:
Origionally I thought these guys would be able to do it since I knew valve gasket job isn't that hard... I got the suspicious feeling that this place primarily works on American cars and have a bias towards Toyota or me or something...incompetant lameness whatever the case.

Okay, will get warranty in writing and then run outta there. After I make sure he did the half moons, and correctly applied RTV. Wish this town was a little bigger than 10k people and had more mechanic options...gonna have to get dirty myself or check nearby towns. I went to the Toby Murray Toyota dealer a while back for a screw and their mechanics office reeked of marijuana and non of them even had a positive tune so went with knuckleads instead... o_0

I appreciate the support and solid info! Been feeling a little alone with all of this.




Lol! Yep, that's his song all day...lol
Click to expand...

You must live in Newport. I lived there too.
 
Yeah, you definitely need to find a better shop, or better yet, use the knowledge on this forum and other forums and do the work yourself. There are many benefits to doing your own work. #1) You know the job was done right #2) You saved yourself some money #3) You get the sense of accomplishment after challenging yourself and having success #4) You get to share your new found knowledge and expertise with others.

I know doing your own mechanic work is not for everyone, but if it's something you've considered trying, I say go for it.

I've now done the valve gasket job on my 2000 and [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] 2002. It's not hard, just time consuming. We will be posting a detailed video of this job early next week on the forum.
 
Which brand of gaskets did you use. We have found that felpro need to be heated up if its cold to lay right. But he should have been compitent enough to know how to do it right. Run from this guy !
 
Need someone to chime in here but aren't there some plugs that should be replaced with the VCG? If not it'll start leaking down the back of the engine. I know because mine is leaking off the back and my trusted mechanic mentioned whoever did my VCG job must not have changed these plugs out.....I'm saying plugs but I really can't remember exactly what term he used.

Anyone have a clue what I'm talking about?
 
Panda96 said:
Need someone to chime in here but aren't there some plugs that should be replaced with the VCG? If not it'll start leaking down the back of the engine. I know because mine is leaking off the back and my trusted mechanic mentioned whoever did my VCG job must not have changed these plugs out.....I'm saying plugs but I really can't remember exactly what term he used.

Anyone have a clue what I'm talking about?
Click to expand...


the camsahft plugs. Rubber embossed "freeze plug" looking things. Major culprit for leaks.
 
Panda96 said:
Need someone to chime in here but aren't there some plugs that should be replaced with the VCG? If not it'll start leaking down the back of the engine. I know because mine is leaking off the back and my trusted mechanic mentioned whoever did my VCG job must not have changed these plugs out.....I'm saying plugs but I really can't remember exactly what term he used.

Anyone have a clue what I'm talking about?
Click to expand...

A handy tool to use in order to see if you're leaking on the back side of the head near the firewall is one of the telescoping mirrors that has a light. You can see the rear half moon and cam plug really well when you have the mirror at the right angle.
 
Panda96 said:
Yes, camshaft plugs; my mechanic wants $450 to replace them.
Click to expand...

That's a decent chunk of change. [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I will be posting a video of the Valve Cover Gasket repair this Tuesday. I think with the information we'll be providing, anyone with a little patience, mechanical aptitude and fairly basic tools can handle this repair.

I was debating on paying someone to do the job for me but I'm glad I didn't. I just took my time, wrote down notes, labeled hose and electrical connections and definitely used all the information out there on this forum, other forums, YouTube and information from the Factory Service Manual to do it right.

Obviously our video can't show every detail because it would be hours long, but it will definitely be the most comprehensive video documentation of this repair to date unless there's something out there I haven't seen yet. We state all the pertinent information out of the FSM like torque specs so you don't need your own FSM or have to look it up elsewhere.

Before you go dropping that kind of coin, wait until this coming Tuesday to see our video and you can get a good look at what the job entails. It's our hope this video and probably others to come will help people tackle their own repairs and modifications.

Stay tuned.
 
Hey Guys,

Here's a comprehensive video regarding doing the Valve Cover Gasket Job. It was a collaboration of [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and myself. We're hoping it helps out a lot of people wanting to tackle this job themselves and avoid the steep labor rates at a local shop or the dealership.

If you have any questions, please ask. If you have comments on how you like it or how we can do a better job, please let us know. Enjoy!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/N5fAXAuGozI" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
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