Valve cover job

[Supra725]

hey guys.

for the past several months, my rig has been leaking oil from the driver side valve cover. it started out as a drip here and there but is now to the point Is leaking enough to cause smoke from it leaking onto the exhaust manifold.

the rig is pushing close to 405k miles on original valve covers and is time to do it.

my question is, Im going to be using oem valve covers for it. what other things should I have it replace since I be doing it.


thanks.

 

[itskohler]

PCV valve and grommet, clean the throttle body and IAC. I did mine a few weeks ago. Did the whole schabang. Gaskets, plugs, and halfmoons. I also went ahead and did spark plugs at the same time.

 

[LittleCaesar]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N5fAXAuGozI

 

[BetterontheMtn]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N5fAXAuGozI

Yep, was going to say this was invaluable for me.

Watch this, take notes. Keep the video handy while you work

Tim's videos are brilliant.

 

[mtbtim]

OP, don't discount that thing called a search engine. If you would have done a Google Search on this subject, you would have been inundated with a ton of information including finding the video below that [MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] and I made 4 years ago. I'm really not trying to be a dick here. These rigs have been on the road for a long time and there's tons of helpful information out there that you can find all on your own with a little time investment. Good luck with the job.

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

 

[gamefreakgc]

Don't neglect the FIPG (form in place gasket), I highly recommend the Toyota stuff since it sets up quickly and can be driven in a few hours, instead of the part store stuff that you have to wait 24 hours to cure. Great time saver to ensure it doesn't get washed away by hot oil. You put it in the corners of the head and on all the seams of the half moons so that the valve cover gasket seals completely.

 

[Toyojay]

Not a bad job to do, like stated above use the Toyota FIPG. Much better than the permatex. Make sure and seal up the half moons and the cam plugs real well. Good time to do a whole tuneup.

 

[mtbtim]

Not a bad job to do, like stated above use the Toyota FIPG. Much better than the permatex. Make sure and seal up the half moons and the cam plugs real well. Good time to do a whole tuneup.

In regards to the cam plugs, there is no need to smear FIPG on the plugs themselves but you do have to apply FIPG on the area where the collar mates with the head. Smearing FIPG on the cam plugs themselves is something somebody started somewhere at some time and it's been passed around as a necessary thing. The Toyota FSM does not specify to do this and the reason why is the outside of the cam plug is rubberized and will make a seal with the cam collar and the head. The other main reason why I didn't follow this urban legend is I figured if I ever had to repeat this job, just think of how much of a pain of the ass it would be digging old sealant out of the area of the head the collar sits in. It wouldn't be easy in the least bit because they're at the back of the heads at the firewall with very little room to work.

 

[LittleCaesar]

[MENTION=120071]mtbtim[/MENTION] is right, less is more with regards to using FIPG to connect the cam plug housing to the head. If you look closely of the cam seal plug housing of the attached thread, you can see the two little grey dots of old sealant against the green carpet they used from the factory. Clean off and apply new sealant. I think the torque # is more critical here to make a good seal. Mine have been good for a decade.

5vzfe leaky valve covers fixed (56k beware) - Page 2 - YotaTech Forums

 

[Toyojay]

In regards to the cam plugs, there is no need to smear FIPG on the plugs themselves but you do have to apply FIPG on the area where the collar mates with the head. Smearing FIPG on the cam plugs themselves is something somebody started somewhere at some time and it's been passed around as a necessary thing. The Toyota FSM does not specify to do this and the reason why is the outside of the cam plug is rubberized and will make a seal with the cam collar and the head. The other main reason why I didn't follow this urban legend is I figured if I ever had to repeat this job, just think of how much of a pain of the ass it would be digging old sealant out of the area of the head the collar sits in. It wouldn't be easy in the least bit because they're at the back of the heads at the firewall with very little room to work.

That makes sense, I only ever put a thin layer around just the edge of the cam plug. Unless I replace it with a new one, my understanding was if they were re-used they needed to be sealed up with FIPG.

 

[mtbtim]

That makes sense, I only ever put a thin layer around just the edge of the cam plug. Unless I replace it with a new one, my understanding was if they were re-used they needed to be sealed up with FIPG.

Yeah, I guess if you wanted to reuse them it would be extra insurance to apply some FIPG to the circumference of the plug, but I believe the smartest move would be to just replace them. They aren't expensive and it would be silly to risk a leak after all that work just so save a small amount of money.

 

[3bears]

its been a while and a few jobs since I did mine, but I think the driver side wire loom housing is a brittle plastic so I would have some rescue tape handy to wrap the wire loom. Passenger side may be brittle too but for me it was the driver side that was the worst...just crumbled in my hand. I was doing knock sensors at the time too so everything was unpluged and easy to wrap the loom.

Another item I would have is the oil fill cap gasket. they get old and hard with the miles and dont seal great. My valve covers always looked dirty near the cap, since doing my gaskets and the oil cap gasket, my valve covers look clean as the day i did the job...20k ago.

I too used the Toyota FPIG. It is more money but does its job right and dries faster as mentioned above in another post.

 

[Supra725]

so far this is what I got for the parts list.

valve cover gasket, spark plugs, spark plug wires, half moon, Toyota fpig, half moon, spark plug tubes + seals.

what else am I missing?

thanks

 

[Ghostrider]

There are a couple of coolant hoses going to throttle body. Might as well do them since they have to be disconnected

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

so far this is what I got for the parts list.

valve cover gasket, spark plugs, spark plug wires, half moon, Toyota fpig, half moon, spark plug tubes + seals.

what else am I missing?

thanks

The cam plugs people are mentioning. PCV and grommet. Also the bolt washer/seals. When doing the spark plug wires, I suggest replacing the boot covers on the coil packs. They can dry rot and spark can arch through onto the tube. Don't need the half moons. Just clean up the old ones and reseal with FIPG. Lastly, I highly suggest replacing the upper and lower plenum gaskets. Some people reuse them but it's a metal gasket that crushes a little when used. Oh and watch out for those plastic wire covers over the injectors. With 405K I guarantee they will be like glass and shatter when moved. The pieces can get in the valvetrain and down in the oil galleys.

 

[mtbtim]

In my post above I said I wasn't trying to be a dick but now I'm going act like one.
[MENTION=7099]Ghostrider[/MENTION] and [MENTION=107674]JRZEE2000TR4LTD[/MENTION], you guys are better men than me I guess. I'm absolutely on this forum to help people as much as I can but I draw the line at people that are asking to be spoon fed and are obviously being lazy. It's pretty clear my post above didn't hit home with the OP. It's not hard to figure out what is suggested to replace when doing a valve cover gasket job. The suggested parts to replace is listed in our video. I also know of two excellent write-ups on this topic as well that could easily be found doing a Google search.

I'll give people a pass one time like I did above by letting the guy know the information he seeks is easy to find and I even gave him a link to our video which spells out everything he needs to know. It's on the same level of people asking me questions about one of our videos that could have been answered if they just watched the video. Anyway, I have no time for people who are lazy and want others to do the work for them.