oil pan gasket and the valve cover - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

mkt600 · 01-30-2009, 06:06 AM

Hello every body,

I have 1997 Camry, with 152.000 Miles on it... the proplem is that when I went for the oil change the Mechanic told me that there is an oil leak and that I have to change the valve cover and the oil pan gasket...the bigger problem is that it is gonna cost me $400 (as what he told me) $100 for the valve cover, and $300 for the oil pan gasket.. his justification was that it's gonna take him 4 hours to do the jop.. (1 h for the valve cover, and 3 hours for the oil pan gasket)

guys..is this true?? does it really cost this much?? does it really take all this time??

thanks in advance

Stillrunning · 01-30-2009, 06:30 AM

First thing you need to understand is flat rate per hour labor charges are taken from an industry book and do not represent actual time. On average the estimated hours will be over charges of about 30%. Mechanics are paid on charged hours, not actual working hours, so the higher the per hour rate and the faster they do the job, the more money they and the garage make. Dealerships usually charge higher per flat rate hour than independent shops because their overhead is higher and they are supposed to be "experts". Going for quotes is the only way you can try to get a better price. DIYers save themselves $1000s by having some tools and buying a repair manual. Both the valve cover gasket (easy) and pan gasket (harder) are DIY projects. So if you are handy and have a weekend or two you could do the valve cover easily in less than half a day and the pan gasket in a day taking your time. For the pan gasket the hardest part may be removing the exhaust pipe if it is rusted. Get a Haynes manual for about $18 and read it first to understand how to get all the parts before you start.

mkt600 · 01-30-2009, 06:43 AM

thanks stillruning for the reply.. but the thing is that I've never touched the engine.. and I have no idea how to do such things..

my only option is to have a mechanic do it for me..I just want to know the reasonable cost to do it

thanks again

Hajoca · 01-30-2009, 08:57 AM

What you plan on having done is very simple for any repair garage, so a local independant shop will more than likely give you the best quote to do it.

tbone1114 · 01-30-2009, 09:24 AM

mkt - I have had/am having a similar problem. Check my recently posted thread titled 1998 Camry oil leak for more details.

For cost of repair, that seems about right. A valve cover gasket part costs $20, and the labor takes one hour. So about $100 for everything depending on the labor per hour charge. For the oil pan gasket, I am not as sure.

Jimnist · 01-30-2009, 10:09 AM

Most oil pans use a liquid gasket. It's pretty simple to do these if you have the right tools (socket set+ liquid gasket). You might want to consider getting yourself a service manual and start learning how to do things, you'll save so much when you do your own work and it;s much more rewarding.

But basically(oil drained beforehand of course), take the sump off, clean the surfaces(sump and bottom of block), squirt liquid gasket all round the sump, press and bolt back on. New gasket done

Chris Crash · 01-30-2009, 10:39 AM

Valve cover gasket replacement is incredibly easy.

All you need to do is remove the spark plug wires and the big bolts directly under the wires. Remove different hoses going to the valve cover. I think there's 2. One on top and one on the right side ("back" of the engine, if you will). Then, carefully pry up all sides with a flat blade screwdriver. Scrape the old one out, place a new one in and put some gasket sealant around the corners and grooves (might as well put it around the whole thing), then place the valve cover back on! Make sure the nuts under the spark plug wires are pretty tight. If not, the valve cover won't be together well and may leak.

I think they are to be torqued around 35 lbs.

CAMRYTUNER20 · 01-30-2009, 12:24 PM

Don't for get about the two half moons and the 'butt plug' or else its gonna keep leaking and you'll have to do it all over again buddy.

fifa man · 01-30-2009, 12:27 PM

i literally just changed my oil pan gasket Tuesday. It took me about 4 hours following directions (and running into difficulties). If you wanna do it yourself it'll save you a bunch! autozone charged me 10.99 for the gasket and 7.99 for the sealent. If you have a day off grab a Chilton's manual and do it yourself you'll save a fortune. If you got any questions just pm me.

As posted earlier the valve cover gasket is a breeze, i've also replaced it and it took me around 40 min. Yes you do need to torque it or you'll have the same problem as before.

Camry LE 94 · 06-11-2010, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris Crash

Valve cover gasket replacement is incredibly easy.

All you need to do is remove the spark plug wires and the big bolts directly under the wires. Remove different hoses going to the valve cover. I think there's 2. One on top and one on the right side ("back" of the engine, if you will). Then, carefully pry up all sides with a flat blade screwdriver. Scrape the old one out, place a new one in and put some gasket sealant around the corners and grooves (might as well put it around the whole thing), then place the valve cover back on! Make sure the nuts under the spark plug wires are pretty tight. If not, the valve cover won't be together well and may leak.

I think they are to be torqued around 35 lbs.

I believe someone in a separate post said it's supposed to be torqued 17 ft lbs... also, how much gasket sealant are you to apply around the VC? Is there such thing as too much?

Rattlin_Steele · 06-11-2010, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camry LE 94

I believe someone in a separate post said it's supposed to be torqued 17 ft lbs... also, how much gasket sealant are you to apply around the VC? Is there such thing as too much?

17 ft lbs is correct for the Gen3. Too much and you can supposedly crack the cover.

Too much sealant can produce globs inside which can break off and plug up oil passages, etc.

Camry LE 94 · 06-11-2010, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rattlin_Steele

17 ft lbs is correct for the Gen3. Too much and you can supposedly crack the cover.

Too much sealant can produce globs inside which can break off and plug up oil passages, etc.

oh ok, the guy above said 35? that's what got me confused. so where would you recommend placing the sealant?

Chris Crash · 06-11-2010, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Camry LE 94

oh ok, the guy above said 35? that's what got me confused. so where would you recommend placing the sealant?

For the gen 4

Camry LE 94 · 06-11-2010, 11:35 AM

oh i see now. someone also said it's the same for gen 3/4

grandpapa · 09-10-2010, 12:05 PM

I am still confused.
For Gen3, valve cover is torque to 17 ft/lb
For Gen4, 33? 35? or 17 ft/lb??

If you use OEM gasket, you shouldn't need any sealant, right?

What about the torque spec for oil pan on Gen4 (97-01)
I am planning to do both the valve cover and oil pan on my 97, just want to find out the correct torque spec (I am not planning to use any sealant since I am using OEM part from dealer)