Valve cover gasket thread???

[LittleCaesar]

You were not shy with the FIPG, that is for sure. Good write up.

BTW, the head casing was used by other Toyota models, hence the use for the cam seal plug for the 5vz engine.

 

[fightman80]

WHy did iI not just do the valve cover gaskets while I was doing my injectors???!!! :I

 

[Hatteras-surfer]

Finally got around to replacing mine yesterday 2.5 hour job everything went great.

Unexpected bonus,
Got everything back together took it for a test drive finding acceleration transmission shift to be very smooth gas mileage improved greatly today so I'm guessing kick down cable went on better then it came off.

 

[Qyota]

Did my passenger side yesterday. Didn't have time for both. Old gasket was really hard and stiff! Here's what the head looks like:

Not too bad for 165K!

 

[Drcoffee]

Good call on the loose bolts. I bought the the gasket and was ready to start the tear down. Reading this thread made me question the loose bolts and sure enough I could have backed them off with my fingers. Gave them a good twist with the wrench and we'll see if this fixes the oil leak. Thanks. I hope this saves me another Saturday of auto repair.

 

[Qyota]

I thought the same thing. Worked for a bit, then started leaking again. The old gaskets are seriously hard and brittle...they are no longer effective. The new stuff is flexible and rubbery...definitely worth doing so you don't have to worry about it for another 10+ years.

That said, I know what you mean about spending too much time under the hood in our "free time". The passenger side took me 3 hours total (I was taking my time, cleaned things up along the way, etc). The driver side is going to take me at least that long, and that assumes nothing breaks!

 

[LittleCaesar]

Actually Qyota I bet it takes you less time for the driver's side now that you know what you will be getting yourself into even though more items have to be removed.

Be prepared to adjust the AT cable for smooth shifting after putting it all back together.

The internals look good, what kind of oil are you using?

 

[Qyota]

You're right. I do like to take my time though...and not drop anything! Few things I hate more than trying to find bolts/washers/etc. that have fallen into the abyss.

Since I've owned it (the last 30K miles), I've used Mobil 1 5W30. Not sure what was used before that (previous owners). The oil comes out pretty dirty when it's ready to be changed (usually between 3 and 5K miles)...not sure why.

 

[9lb taco]

Just did this on my 5vz Tacoma.
BE CAREFUL tightening the bolts. I cracked my valve cover as well, had to find a used one and do the whole job anyway. Old gasket was still pretty flexible 2001 with 180k miles.

 

[Drcoffee]

changing PCV grommet

Note to self: Don't ever do this again!

I wasn't planning to change the valve cover gasket until spring and that almost got pushed up to today. When I tried to remove the old PCV gromment a chunk broke off on the outer lip. I spent the next 30 minutes surgically removing the darn thing so it would not drop inside the valve cover. Good grief.

If anyone is curious, I used an exacto knife to cut a vertical line all the way throught it and with needle nose pliers, pulled one end out and the rest followed like screw. I had no idea it would be so brittle.

Great info in this thread, I have it bookmarked for April.

 

[durrell]

So what all did you guys replace? I have read A.Wilson's parts list, but wondering if spending 100+ to replace valve cover gaskets is really necessary? I like doing things right the first time, so if spending that is necessary then I will do it. Otherwise, what all do you guys recommend doing while I'm in there?

 

[Drcoffee]

Just curious. Is there a reason why Toyota uses black RVT and not the red RTV? Would red last longer with the engine temps as they are?

Nice write up and the pics help considerably.

 

[JGbronc]

So what all did you guys replace? I have read A.Wilson's parts list, but wondering if spending 100+ to replace valve cover gaskets is really necessary? I like doing things right the first time, so if spending that is necessary then I will do it. Otherwise, what all do you guys recommend doing while I'm in there?

Just got most of my maintenance up to date last week.

Some of what I did/replaced:

Valve cover gaskets
Upper intake gaskets
Throttle body gasket
Radiator
PCV Valve and Gromment
NGK plugs with new OEM wires
Spark plug tube gromments
Bolt washers for valve covers
Trans flush with new filter
Fuel Filter
Rear diff and T-case fluid (Plan to do the front soon as well)
Cleaned MAF and Throttle Body

Next Stop (besides front diff fluid), Timing belt at around 250k! :biggrin2:

 

[PhdNPrerunners]

Hey guys I have leaky valve covers right now and I am about to make a 1700 mile trip back to Texas. Every time I check the oil level it is always the same and does seem to be going down any. Do you guys think I would be ok making the trip back to Texas before I do the gaskets?