Valve gasket cover replacement
12-28-2022, 04:35 PM
#1
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Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 49
Valve gasket cover replacement
Hi -
What should be the total cost of getting a valve gasket cover replacement for front and back including labor ? Who makes the best parts for these ? I assume after 25 years these parts need to be replaced even if it’s low mileage.
thanks in advance
What should be the total cost of getting a valve gasket cover replacement for front and back including labor ? Who makes the best parts for these ? I assume after 25 years these parts need to be replaced even if it’s low mileage.
thanks in advance
Last edited by Boatingnyc; 12-28-2022 at 04:36 PM. Reason: Spelling
12-29-2022, 12:16 PM
#4
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 2,979
The old saying : If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It. applies.
Replacing the one on the side by thr radiator won't take long.
Replacing the one under the intake manifold is more involved. Labor costs much higher. Also there are parts under the manifold which need to be replaced or serviced sooner or later. Replacing any of those requires removing the intake manifold.
If you are going to keep the car for say five years or longer I recommend replacing other stuff while the mechanic is in there anyway.
12-29-2022, 05:46 PM
#5
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Join Date: Aug 2022
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You mean replacing the valve cover gaskets.
The old saying : If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It. applies.
Replacing the one on the side by thr radiator won't take long.
Replacing the one under the intake manifold is more involved. Labor costs much higher. Also there are parts under the manifold which need to be replaced or serviced sooner or later. Replacing any of those requires removing the intake manifold.
If you are going to keep the car for say five years or longer I recommend replacing other stuff while the mechanic is in there anyway.
The old saying : If It Ain't Broke Don't Fix It. applies.
Replacing the one on the side by thr radiator won't take long.
Replacing the one under the intake manifold is more involved. Labor costs much higher. Also there are parts under the manifold which need to be replaced or serviced sooner or later. Replacing any of those requires removing the intake manifold.
If you are going to keep the car for say five years or longer I recommend replacing other stuff while the mechanic is in there anyway.
12-29-2022, 06:11 PM
#6
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Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 212
You did not mention how many miles are on this car? Usually, after a certain number of miles, suspension parts need to be replaced. You can feel it when you go over a bump when suspension parts weaken over time.
12-29-2022, 06:34 PM
#7
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Join Date: Aug 2022
Posts: 49
Valve cover gaskets are replaced only when there is an oil leak. So like someone said - if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
You did not mention how many miles are on this car? Usually, after a certain number of miles, suspension parts need to be replaced. You can feel it when you go over a bump when suspension parts weaken over time.
You did not mention how many miles are on this car? Usually, after a certain number of miles, suspension parts need to be replaced. You can feel it when you go over a bump when suspension parts weaken over time.
12-29-2022, 07:58 PM
#8
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 2,979
70,000 miles is very low. However certain items break down due to time.
A common malady you will encounter someday is disintegrating plastic bits on the fuel injectors.
The car will display certain symptoms which members will write about. The ones near the radiator are easy to replace. The ones near the radiator are more difficult.
The intake manifold would need to be removed.
The egr system will clog as time passes. It lives under the exhaust manifold. Thr rear valve cover also lives under the manifold. The knock sensor is under there as well.
The manifold removal is kind of a pita.
So your choice is to remove it several times in the future to replace items as they fail. Or you might decide to service all of the items under the manifold at once.
That's somewhat more expensive and a pita.
However you probably won't ever need to do that again.
You might as well familiarize yourself with the repair procedures. Hopefully you won't need to do anything for quite some time.
Another time or mileage related item is replacing the water pump. It's not expensive, but can be a pita to replace. Or a real Bad Bear if you don't follow the instructions and take your time.
Otherwise, it's a good durable car.
A common malady you will encounter someday is disintegrating plastic bits on the fuel injectors.
The car will display certain symptoms which members will write about. The ones near the radiator are easy to replace. The ones near the radiator are more difficult.
The intake manifold would need to be removed.
The egr system will clog as time passes. It lives under the exhaust manifold. Thr rear valve cover also lives under the manifold. The knock sensor is under there as well.
The manifold removal is kind of a pita.
So your choice is to remove it several times in the future to replace items as they fail. Or you might decide to service all of the items under the manifold at once.
That's somewhat more expensive and a pita.
However you probably won't ever need to do that again.
You might as well familiarize yourself with the repair procedures. Hopefully you won't need to do anything for quite some time.
Another time or mileage related item is replacing the water pump. It's not expensive, but can be a pita to replace. Or a real Bad Bear if you don't follow the instructions and take your time.
Otherwise, it's a good durable car.
12-30-2022, 03:59 PM
#9
Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 64
Like other's have said, if it aint broke, dont fix it. I figure you have a few thousand more miles before you start obvious signs of leaks. From my experience, I knew it was time for me to replace the gaskets because i kept seeing small spots of oil underneath my car when it was parked overnight and some smoke coming from the rear of the engine bay as it was running.
If you feel like doing it yourself and saving some $$$, I highly recommend to search the forum for this exact topic. It's a daunting task at first but if you have all the correct tools, time and space, then it is something you can do yourself.
Here is a good video that I used for reference when I replaced my valve cover gaskets.
If you feel like doing it yourself and saving some $$$, I highly recommend to search the forum for this exact topic. It's a daunting task at first but if you have all the correct tools, time and space, then it is something you can do yourself.
Here is a good video that I used for reference when I replaced my valve cover gaskets.
02-21-2023, 01:07 PM
#12
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Join Date: Feb 2023
Posts: 9
Ya i watched that exact youtube video someone share front looks easy back does look like a pita. I can see how you could lose 3 or 4 hours doing it. But thats way shops are anymore charge and arm and leg to do anything anymore. Best to learn to work on things yourself as long as there's no exponential harm to the job. As long as you cover the intake ports as described in the video and make sure everythings plugged back in I don't think you could make it any worse? haha
02-21-2023, 05:07 PM
#13
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Join Date: Jan 2020
Posts: 64
- All the gaskets (throttle body, IACV, EGR tube, manifold)
- Rear fuel injectors
- PCV
- Any hoses that look old/cracked
- Clean out the EGR tube (mine was filled with carbon deposits and i decided to install a new one)
That's all i can think of off the top of my head. I have pulled my manifold several times and its extremely doable, just need time, patience and labeling everything. A case of beer will help as well
https://www.my4dsc.com/maf-tb-iacv-e...nissan-maxima/
I used this for reference for my first time pulling the manifold. Highly recommend for you to search through the forum using google. There is a ton of information on this site
Good luck and report back
02-21-2023, 06:51 PM
#14
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Join Date: Feb 2023
Posts: 9
If you are going to do go through the trouble with replacing the intake manifold/plenum, I would replace the following:
- All the gaskets (throttle body, IACV, EGR tube, manifold)
- Rear fuel injectors
- PCV
- Any hoses that look old/cracked
- Clean out the EGR tube (mine was filled with carbon deposits and i decided to install a new one)
That's all i can think of off the top of my head. I have pulled my manifold several times and its extremely doable, just need time, patience and labeling everything. A case of beer will help as well
https://www.my4dsc.com/maf-tb-iacv-e...nissan-maxima/
I used this for reference for my first time pulling the manifold. Highly recommend for you to search through the forum using google. There is a ton of information on this site
Good luck and report back
- All the gaskets (throttle body, IACV, EGR tube, manifold)
- Rear fuel injectors
- PCV
- Any hoses that look old/cracked
- Clean out the EGR tube (mine was filled with carbon deposits and i decided to install a new one)
That's all i can think of off the top of my head. I have pulled my manifold several times and its extremely doable, just need time, patience and labeling everything. A case of beer will help as well
https://www.my4dsc.com/maf-tb-iacv-e...nissan-maxima/
I used this for reference for my first time pulling the manifold. Highly recommend for you to search through the forum using google. There is a ton of information on this site
Good luck and report back
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