I have oil around the engine and have determined I need a new valve cover, so: are all valve cover gaskets the same thing? I see some for 10 bucks and some for close to 30. and replacing it is just a matter of taking the cover off, removing the old one and putting the onew one in, or are there any precautions or steps I should follow? for instance, do I need to remove the spark plugs? should I apply anything the the new gasket before putting it in? Also are there any sprays to clean all the oil off the engine, its all over the place.

thanks for any help. If someone found a video, it'd be heavenly, I didn't.

Accord 93 10th ANN 125 K

 

BTW, how do i clean all the oil that is now all over the place, any sprays?

 

You need a new valve cover or just a new gasket? It's pretty easy either way.

Clean up the crud with degreaser. Simple Green, Purple Power, whatever. For really tough tarry sludge there's solvent type of degreasers at AutoZone-type stores.

I've used a Felpro brand gasket, it was OK. Make sure the gasket "set" includes the 4 round gaskets that go around the spark plug holes. Sometimes those are sold separately. Most of the sets also include new washers with rubber grommets under them.

Get some "HondaBond" which is really Permatex Ultra-Grey you can buy at AutoZone. Kinda like silicone RTV goop.

- Lay the new gasket out so it has some time to lay flat.

- Unplug the spark plug wires, no need to remove the plugs themselves. If you want to unplug the wires from the distributor too, make sure you draw a picture of which one goes on which post...

- There's a couple hoses to disconnect (PCV and crankcase vent). You probably have to push a wiring bundle away from one end of the cover. Sometimes there's a ground wire you have to remove??

- Unbolt the cover & take it off. Occasionally it sticks, just hit it with your fist or something. Have some rags because more oil will leak out now.

- Remove the old gaskets & note the shape of the little round ones. Don't put the new ones upside-down.

- The big gasket curves up & over the camshaft at both ends. Put a TINY bit of HondaBond on the sharp corner of the gasket because that's the only place likely to leak.

- Make sure the gasket stays in place as you set the valve cover back down. You may have to use some grease to stick it in place??

- Don't overtighten the bolts. They're easy to break. Someone will probably chime in with a tightening torque, so if you own a torque wrench you can use that.

- Put all the hoses & spark plug wires back together.

 

I know this is an old thread but thought I would put my two cents in just in case someone else reads the thread in the future.

1) I SECOND THE DON'T TIGHTEN THE BOLTS TOO TIGHT COMMENT. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A TORQUE WRENCH. I BROKE ON OF THE BOLTS BECAUSE IT STARTED TO RAIN AND I WAS IN A RUSH. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE THEM SNUG AND THEN SNAP.

2) YOU DO NOT HAVE TO TAKE YOUR SPARK PLUGS OUT. YOU WILL GET NEW RUBBER SEALS FOR WHERE THE SPARK PLUG TUBES INSERT INTO THE VALVE COVER. MAKE SURE YOU PUT THESE SEALS IN THE RIGHT WAY. THEY FIT IN UPSIDE DOWN AND THEN THEY WILL NOT EASILY COME OUT WITHOUT TEARING.

3) THE OLD GASKET MIGHT BE A PAIN TO REMOVE FROM THE VALVE COVER. THIS WILL MAKE A 30MIN JOB INTO AN ALL MORNING ORDEAL SO BE SURE TO GIVE YOURSELF PLENTY OF TIME.

THAT IS IT FROM MY EXPERIENCE.

 

Hello, I was under the impression that when I removed the old Valve cover gasket it was going to be in pieces or at least in bad shape. But I just did and it looks as good as the new one (the new one doesn't fit) I was wanting to know if maybe the reason I had leaks could be that the bolts were actually very loose, it didn't take any effort from me to turn them.

 

With age & heat, the gasket compresses & deforms over time. The change will be pretty subtle.

Is the new one the wrong type? VTEC vs. non-VTEC engine? Why doesn't it fit?

The gasket is trapped inside a groove. When you tighten the bolts you pull the valve cover down to metal-to-metal contact with the head, alongside that groove. Any further tightening of the bolts will not give a better seal.

 

I went back to the store and complained that the gasket was the wrong one for my car, they gave me another one, same packaging, same serial and model number...It went in perfectly, so someone wasn't paying attetion at the packing plant. on a related subject, I put in the new grommet covers. the gasket and the plug covers...but in the box also came these 4 skinnier rings, where do they go?

 

Those should be the lower sparkplug-tube seals (#19). If oil leaks down onto the spark plugs, the upper seals (at the valve cover) should be the first suspicion.

As you can see, these lower seals require much more disassembly. You have to remove the valve gear & the camshaft bearing caps. That can be a DIY, but it's not a job for the beginner.

 

Any thought on how to remove all that oil that spilled while I didnt change the gasket? any sprays that do the job without scrubbing required?

 

Simple Green
Purple Power
Stuff like that. I've never found one that works without ANY scrubbing.

For stuff that doesn't come off with these, there's some solvent-based stuff from GUNK brand or similar things at car-parts chain stores.