Is this a single valve cover gasket leak?

are you going to steam clean it?

how many miles are on this engine

 

valve covers are leaking, also replace the half moons on the valve covers. hows the flywheel area are u leaking at the rear main seal?

 

Dealer said it was just a valve cover gasket. Not sure what a flywheel is

120,xxxmi. I was going to spray engine bay with degreaser at the house, drive it to a self service car wash, leave it running and spray the engine bay mindfully. Then do it with armorall

 

that's about the mileage when i noticed the first weep out of the passenger side on mine, a minor one but got it nipped quick as i could
i was not aware at the time to just try and tighten the bolts first for awhile and see if it stopped leak, now i wait and anticipate the rear moon plug things to start a weep and end up having to redo the whole thing again along with a new clutch that is going to be needing done fairly soon, I wonder how much the Orange County place you mention wants to do a clutch job hahah

 

WHAT EVER you do DONT TIGHT those valve cover
Bolts to much, inch pounds, NOT foot pounds

They snap VERY easily and then you have more problems.

These gaskets all were out in time and leak

 

If you have any mechanical inclination or curious to learn this is a relatively simple job on a relatively simple truck to get started and there is a great video and sticky above with pictures of what you will run across.

It's 20 yrs. old. You'll need more work done soon so it's best to tackle yourself.


Buying tools is a good investment, right up there with stocks. You'll make money in the long run.

 

Recently noticed my passenger side is weeping oil. Seems to be a trend around here!

Think I will inspect those bolts this weekend and see if they need to be re-torqued.

I've read elsewhere on here people finding these bolts loose enough to turn by hand.

Can anyone verify what to torque these bolts to? My memory says 53 or 55 inch/pounds.

 

is a valve cover gasket new included with a head gasket procedure

 

I would think so. Now how complete, I don't know. Knocking out spark plug seals and resealing moons that are not required to be removed

 

Just make sure that the valve cover replacement parts who ever does it includes,

OEM parts

Cam seal plugs
Spark plug seals
Valve cover gasket
Half moon seals
Intake gasket,
Bolt washers

 

anyone have part #s for a 6cyl 5vz-fe

2002 prerunner

 

Rockauto.com does.

 

Just fyi, do not over tighten them or they will leak worse or break the bolts. The torque spec on those bolts is in inch/lbs, it's not much more than finger tight

 

AND the washers too,

This is what a new one looks like and an old one,
No wonder why the bolts get loose

 

I didn't read far enough ahead, @1997tacomav6 covered it lol

 

idk either

 

Shouldn’t be a hard job, just watch a YouTube video and buy some tools. I agree with the suggestion for craftsman, gearwrench or Pittsburgh, just don’t go to harbour freight and buy the cheapest junk they sell, it really is junk. The Pittsburgh or Pittsburgh pro stuff is good for the price. take lots of pictures and don’t be afraid to get some masking tape and a sharpie and label things so you know what goes back where. Also might consider doing plugs and other maintenance items.
It’s a 20 he old truck if you don’t learn to do the basic maintenance and repair things on it you will get nickeled and dimed to death by a shop

 

All oem part numbers can be found here:

https://youtu.be/N5fAXAuGozI

Don’t bring it to a dealership - they don’t necessarily have good techs and have a premium on parts. Buy your own parts from an online parts dealership and check to see if any of your local dealerships do online parts sales so you don’t have to pay shipping. My local dealership sells online and I just pay $3 to pick the parts up when they come in.

Find the best rated independent mechanic in your area - you’ll be able to figure out if the reviews are good (for the most part) if you call them up and have someone that doesn’t suck at customer service when you speak with them.

Pittsburg tools are HF are perfect for a diy’er - I’ve replaced an engine and transmission and a bunch of custom mods on my truck with tools from Amazon and HF. It’s more about taking your time and doing things right than how expensive your tools are. Here’s a third party comparison between a Snap On torque wrench and a HF torque wrench and the HF ends up with better accuracy than the Snap On.

https://youtu.be/ck_O5U1Tyz8

 

i find the nickel and diming to be mostly from the rather steep markUps on them oem parts som'them try to shovel on the invoice, that practice REALLY can add up quickly!
recently i priced the timing belt stuff against their estimate with new 4 belts wp thermo etc. and the savings buying at an oem wholesale dealer parts shop was nearly $100 less

 

That extra 100 I guess is to cover a warranty issue if the dealership does the work.

My 1st clutch job done by the dealership had to be redone because of a defective clutch