Replaced Valve Cover Gasket, Half-Moons and Grommet-Washers
Replaced Valve Cover Gasket, Half-Moons and Grommet-Washers
In 2013, I paid the Truck Shop at Miramar Road, San Diego, CA to rebuild my engine. Soon after the rebuild, I noticed that there was an oil leak, including some seepage around the valve cover gasket. Mr James Ederer, proprietor suggested that I monitored it so I did. Less than a year later, while my truck was on the lift for an alternator replacement at Ace Electric in San Diego, I inspected the engine and found oil dripping from under the front main seal. I reported to The Truck Shop and shop replaced the main bearing seal / fixed the leak under warranty (4 years later, I would find one of the bolts securing the oil pump flange stripped).
OIL SEEPAGE UNDER FRONT MAIN SEAL, OBSERVED EARLY NOVEMBER 2014. WAS REPAIRED UNDER WARRANTY.
Later, I still saw oil seepage around the valve cover gasket, but it was already past warranty and Mr Ederer dismissed the seepage as "the nature of the beast". I noticed, however, that the grommet-nuts on valve cover seemed cracked and brittle. I did not have time to address that until today.
When I took the grommet-washers, I confirmed that they were indeed cracked and brittle.
VALVE COVER GROMMET-NUTS INSTALLED BY THE TRUCK SHOP IN 2013 WERE CRACKED AND SEEMED BRITTLE. I CONFIRMED ON 8 APRIL 2019.
THE ABOVE DO NOT LOOK LIKE 5-YEAR OLD GROMMET-WASHERS. No compression effect for a proper seal.
Upon removal of the valve cover, I found the valve cover seal also brittle. This does not look like 5-year old seal.
YouTube
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Here is the illustrated parts breakdown with part numbers:
This is the replacement kit I used from LC Engineering:
I did replacement procedure as Alexman Videos did it. I used Permatex Ultra-Grey sealant.
I NOTICED THAT THE TOP OF HALF-MOON WAS NOT WAS STICKING OUT ABOVE THE SEAL SURFACE BEFORE VALVE COVER WAS INSTALLED.
I think this is normal? Yes, I applied sealant at the corners of the half-moons.
I do not have torque specs for the nuts so I just tightened until the rubber mushroomed under BUT not wider than the metal cap of the grommet. I'm letting sealant cure for at least 24 hours before starting the truck.