Valve Cover Gasket Fail every 10K miles???

[sawtooth3]

I had a leaky valve cover gasket replaced at 70,000 miles at a Toyota dealer. It was not done well; the same dealer recognized this and re-did the repair at no charge a year or so later at 80,000 miles.

Since that re-do, another 15 months has gone by, the odometer up another 11K to 91,000 miles, and another Toyota dealer is telling me the valve cover gasket is leaking and needs to be replaced.

Unfortunately, I'm a thousand miles away from the dealer which did the first two valve cover gasket replacements, and going back there to give them a third go-round is not really an option. But this current dealer I'm near now says it's a $700 repair, which seems high for work that keeps needing to be repeated.

What's behind these repeated fails with the valve cover gasket, and what would you suggest I do?

Is there a history of faulty valve cover gaskets with the 3rd Gen T4R?

And what is the typical life-span for a valve cover gasket on a vehicle that is driven gently, on paved roads pretty much all the time, the vehicle has automatic transmission so it's not accidentally getting over-revved...

Thanks much!

 

[quicksilvr]

Ugh, that's sad. No, they should not go bad that fast. It sounds like the idiots doing the work are not using RTV and sealing the little halfmoon sections on the back. But I could be wrong. One of your covers could be cracked or something wierd...

 

[scottyb]

You should check the tension on the bolts that hold the valve covers down. Mine were loose when my gaskets started leaking. I think the grommets for the bolts shrink after being heated and cooled a few times (that's my theory anyway). Oh, and $700 is ridiculous for the repair. It's not too difficult if you're willing to do it yourself.

Also if it's not fixed immediately your 4runner won't explode as long as you keep an eye on the oil level. It's just going to leak a little oil and smell. When mine leaked there was no noticeable change in oil level, just burning oil smell.

 

[thor999]

Could have been damaged during one of these repairs, i.e. someone took a sharp edge to it to remove sealant... may not work well w/ a preformed gasket any more (if that is what they use in our vehicles, I have never had to remove mine, no leaks).

 

[PitbullRescuer]

$700? I'll do them for $699. That's insane, $20 ish in parts, easy job. How much did the last dealer charge you initially?

Also, have you actually seen them leaking? Not to discredit this dealer but they could just be saying it needs them because of the mileage not realizing they were just done.