Valve Covers, Cam Seals and half moons ?s

[Shorehunter99]

My 97 4 runner needs the valve cover gaskets replaced. I bought it about a month or so back and it has a leak at the back of the Valve covers. i tracked down the last dealership to service the truck to find out if the timing belt had been done and get a general run down on the truck. They stated on top of the timing belt needing to be replaced it needed new VC gaskets, plenum gaskets and rear main seal. Im hoping the rear seal isnt bad and the oil on the back of the bell housing is just coming from the valve cover leak. I tightened down all my valve cover bolts a couple weeks ago even though they werent as loose as some of the stories i have read on the forum but i still have a leak. Particularly in the back of the covers. I think my culprit is the Cam seals and the semi circle half moons. Ive read through all the posts and threads about how to tackle this job. I just wanted to get some more details on these cam seals and half moons. How do you actually remove these things? From the pictures i have seen on here the Cam seals appear to be held in place by some cap that is bolted to the head. If so how much do i torque them back down when i replace the cam seals? I know the VC bolts are 53 in/lbs. Thanks in advance, this site has already helped me do a TON of needed maintenance on my new truck. Its got 166K miles and i hope to get a lot more outta her.

 

[LittleCaesar]

Here is a start:

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

Being that the valve cover replacement is a in the driveway repair, I'd start there first and see if that cures your leak. The rear main requires that the transmission be removed, which is labor intensive and not light on the wallet.

 

[imboredeveryday]

the cam seals u just remove the two bolts and remove it out and the half moons u just pull with a pair of needle nose pillars best way to fix both is use some of the toyota silcone and you wont have any issues with them leaking for a long time its not hard to just at all just very time consuming

 

[Shorehunter99]

Thanks for the reply fellas. Yeah LittleCaesar i was going to start with the VC's and then clean the motor and see if any oil leaks show. imboredeveryday I know i use silicone on the Half Moons but do i use any silicone on the cam seals? Thanks guys.

 

[imboredeveryday]

some people replace the cam seals also honestly all u have to do is use silicone on them to and you will be fine

 

[Shorehunter99]

One last question before i dive in. Do i use any silicone or FIPG on the gasket surfaces for the head or the valve cover or do i just put the gasket in place (dry) and bolt it up?

 

[imboredeveryday]

didnt no u new about fipg personally use it for the half moons the rear cam seals and the corners of the gasket such as small spots that r tight or sharp cornering best stuff to use just dont get it on ur hands have fun trying to get it off if u do any more question shoot me a message

 

[Shorehunter99]

Thanks a ton.

 

[jmildoc]

good info here, not that i need to do any of this, but i do have over 180k on mine and think i have a little bit of oil seeping but nothing leaking so far, knock on wood.

 

[troopa4life]

I am in the process of doing the valve cover gaskets and was a little confused as to where to place the FIPG on the cam plugs. Based on my research and looking at all of the how-to's, you place FIPG on the corners of the cam plug, but should you apply it around the cam plug seal as well??? And would you do that for both front and rear?

 

[alangranvue]

I am in the process of doing the valve cover gaskets and was a little confused as to where to place the FIPG on the cam plugs. Based on my research and looking at all of the how-to's, you place FIPG on the corners of the cam plug, but should you apply it around the cam plug seal as well??? And would you do that for both front and rear?

Toyota just put new valve gaskets, cam plug seals, and half moons on my 2000 yesterday to fix my oil leak that I thought was the rear main seal. $520 total. Good luck with yours, didn't mean to hijack.

 

[troopa4life]

No problem Alan, actually had a quick question for you, did the replace the cam seals in the front as well or only the cam plugs in the rear? I am actually order new cam plugs just for my peace of mind.

 

[midcoma]

 

[LittleCaesar]

^^^^^^^this.

And check out the link I attached above for pics.....

 

[troopa4life]

Thank you Mid and Ceasar! That's exactly what I needed. I am planning on finishing up the job today.

 

[JRZEE2000TR4LTD]

Edit See Above Pictures speak a thousand words!!



You do put FIPG on several places.
1st the half moons. Obviously, on the curved portion but also want to use just a touch on the seem, on the top where the VC gasket rests. A little might squeeze up when you put the half moon back in place, which will suffice. Make sure the half moon is push down and is not cocked one way or the other. It has to be level with the head surface.
Next is the cam seal cap. You need to put a light smear on the bottom, where it will rest on the head. Then you need to put a little dab in each corner where the VC gasket goes around, which is also the same in the front. The best way to see where it goes is to look at the VC gasket. On the front and the back of the valve cover itself, is a half circle cut out where the gasket goes up into. Each "corner" (not in the VC but on the head itself) needs a little bit of FiPG to fill the tiny gap that could occur once the gasket is in place. This will all make more sense once you start putting it all back together.
No need for FIPG on the Cam plugs. The have bonded rubber around them and seal on their own. That "smear" you put on the bottom of the cap fills the slight gap that may occur between the two halves, because it's that cap that holds the cam plug in place.

 

[fblainen11]

You need FIPG....not silicone. Go to the dealership and get a tube of Toyota brand. It's cheap.
I did mine a couple of months ago. I put it at each corner.
Also, be careful not to tear the spark plug tube seals when installing new ones if you plan on replacing those.
I'd recommend it since you're in there, but its up to you