Valve cover gaskets

Just did this job today. Always do the half moons while you are already in there. Adds another 20-30 minutes of work. It is another possible leak point with there being rtv applied. Don't half ass the job.

 

Mine were leaking for sure and the cause of my burnt oil smell. From what I can tell, it's a pretty common thing with these engines. I'd much rather address this while everything is apart than having to tear it down again later. I did all the gaskets, grommets, half moons, plus checked the valve clearances, and cleaned the spark plugs. I also looked for any cracked hoses.

 

I did mine last year on my v6 with 170k. Also did the PCV and half moons.
Took a couple days for me working on it for a couple hours after work.

 

What do you mean by did the PCV? Did you replace it or clean it?

 

PCV grommet usually during a valve cover job- It's a lot easier to shake the broken bits of rubber out of the cover without it attached to the head

If you haven't tried to replace the grommet before- they become very brittle and don't come out in one piece, and it's hard / nearly impossible to prevent some of the pieces from falling into the cover.

 

Extremely important. In fact, it will leak 100% if not sealed. You can reuse them if you didn't break off the lip on them. They are a very commom area of leakage.

 

When doing valve cover gaskets make sure to get the bolt grommets if they don't come in your valve cover gasket set. They are another potential leaking point.

 

Do you guys feel like you need to let the RTV cure (~24 hours) prior to starting the engine and driving? I am about to finish switching out the gaskets and resealing but wasn't sure regarding the RTV cure time.

 

I'd follow the recommendations on the RTV packaging. I sorta remember that I let mine cure overnight.

 

That is what I do when I use RTV. In addition, when I apply it, I let it setup a bit before putting things together.

 

Yeah I followed the RTV instructions and after everything was back together I let it sit for a day.

 

The bolts are not too tight. Very important not to over tighten, and follow the sequence around the covers

 

I did this job last summer and it went pretty smoothly. To echo what others have said, change the half moons, pcv, etc. while you're in there. With the amount of time it takes there's no reason to half-ass it.

I found these videos to help a bit too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D04eVLXnl1k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEkEySQNsMg&t=460s

 

So I thought I update this tread , my buddy was able to work on my Tacoma on Friday . Took advantage and also changed the pvc, new spark plugs and plug wires . I spent about $275 in parts and gave my buddy$300 for his work . Engines still a little more cleaning , I’ll try and go next week to give a little more detail.