Valve Cover Gasket = Possible Issue?

[redtigerrocks]

I got a 94 V6 Camry with around 162,XXX miles and i took it to a local mechanic the other day and he said that it needs a need Valve Cover Gasket because its supposedly leaking oil. But the today i parked in an empty parking spot with no oil on the concrete and didnt notice any oil dripping. He was going to charge me around $340 to get just the VCG done (overly priced?). Is this a legit price and do you think i should get it replaced even though i see no oil leaking? Also i have a burning smell (slightly) from the engine but i recently replaced my oil at the dealer and they spilt oil all over my engine bay.

[wtftoy]

If its the valve cover leaking, usually its not leaking at the point where you would notice it on the ground. However, I'm at 95k on my camry and it's been leaking since 88k or so and I only notice it when I turn the heat or A/C on and you smell burnt oil. This doesn't happen all the time, but once in awhile, you would smell the oil because it leaks from the rear valve cover, which burns off and the odor will move through the vents. Knowing this, I do check my oil regularly and there's really no change in the level. It basically just drips.

If you can, check your oil for the next few days and if it goes low quickly, then its probably your valve covers gasket.

BTW if you just had an oil change, you would smell burnt oil so that's normal but if its been a couple of days, its most likely the valve cover gaskets.

As for the price, I'm not sure but changing the valve cover gaskets on the v6 is a pain that's why I haven't done it myself. Waiting till this summer to tackle it.


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Forgot to mention, you can clean the engine (or just wipe down the area below the valve cover) and check on it after its been driven to see if there's oil.

[redtigerrocks]

thanks! ive been looking at my dipstick the past few days. Can you tell me if the to Toyota "Dealer" Oil is supposed to be a clearish color? because everytime i take my disptick out all i see is a clear coat of "clear oil" not really the usual dark color

[wtftoy]

You just recently had an oil change correct? The clear / light tea color of oil = new oil. Just take out the dipstick when car is cold (I usually do this in the morning before I go anywhere), wipe, reinsert then check the level. Repeat for a couple of days, if you don't notice a change, you should be fine. I check my oil twice a week, tho.

[akhoundog]

I have a burnt oil smell as well coming from my 95 I4 ever since i changed my valve cover gasket and tube seals, it used to be now and then but now it seems like its all the time. I checked the torque on the bolts and it helped for a bit but came back worse.

[bolink654]

... akhoundog? From you know... that one forum? No way!?

[RichieRichJP]

Originally Posted by redtigerrocks

He was going to charge me around $340 to get just the VCG done

Find a new mechanic.

[ajkalian]

The first thing I would do would be to get a can of engine de-greaser and then visit a self service car wash and clean your engine of all traces of oil and crud. Pay particular attention to the rear of the motor where the leak is suspected. Try to get under the car as much as you can to get any oil that has leaked onto the frame.

Then get a large cardboard box, flatten it out and put it under the car where you park it. A small piece of tape on the car, and one on the cardboard will get it back in the same place each night. In the morning look on the cardboard to see where the oil is leaking, and check the color. Pink or red is power steering or transmission, brown is oil. Once you have an idea of where the oil leak is coming from, then go to that spot and take a look.

Reach behind the engine with a clean cloth where the valve cover mates to the engine block, and see if any oil gets on the rag. Do this every couple of days, to see if it gets worse or stays the same. From the passenger side you can see the back of the engine. Look to see if any oil has run down the back of the engine. If so, then it drips on the Cat and as the exhaust heats up in the morning, you will smell smoke inside the cabin, until the oil burns off.

You can try to tighten the bolts that hold the valve cover, but be warned. The crappy design causes them to bottom out, and over tightening them will break the bolts in the hole and you will have another headache to deal with.

To replace the rear valve cover gasket you must remove the entire top of the engine. It's a PITA, and a couple of calls to different repair shops will get you an idea of what it should cost. I'm betting that you won't be able to find anybody that will do it for less than $250.00. Use OEM gaskets for this repair. You will also need to get a new metal Throttle Body gasket and two EGR metal gaskets as well as a new Plenum gasket. You can re-use the old ones, but it's always a good idea to replace the old ones with new ones. Ask the mechanic if they plan on replacing all of the gaskets. This could add $25-$40 to the repair bill.

All V-6 Camry's leak this way. It's a design flaw in the way the valve covers are bolted and the way the engine is tilted. Search this forum and you will find many DIY's on how to change the valve cover gaskets if you want to do it yourself. It's a real challenge, lots of stuff to keep track of, and lot's of opportunities to do it wrong.

Good luck.

[JohnGD]

The leak is probably on the back side of the rear bank by the firewall. The engine is tiled back so it can leak out of the oil gasket easily.

The Fel-Pro valve cover gasket set with spark plug tube seals is about $20. But to get to the rear valve cover they have to remove the intake plenum. So that adds a lot of time.

The plug tube seals should be replaced while at it. They should also reseal the semi circular plugs. The RTV hardens and will leak.

For a dealer that's probably their price range. Shouldn't take more than 2 hours. The front bank itself should take about 10-15 minutes.

Originally Posted by redtigerrocks

I got a 94 V6 Camry with around 162,XXX miles and i took it to a local mechanic the other day and he said that it needs a need Valve Cover Gasket because its supposedly leaking oil. But the today i parked in an empty parking spot with no oil on the concrete and didnt notice any oil dripping. He was going to charge me around $340 to get just the VCG done (overly priced?). Is this a legit price and do you think i should get it replaced even though i see no oil leaking? Also i have a burning smell (slightly) from the engine but i recently replaced my oil at the dealer and they spilt oil all over my engine bay.

[mazdaverx7]

i tend to disagree with ajkalian.. changing the valve cover gaskets is not a hard job. also the top of the engine does not have to be removed only the following:

-upper intake manifold with throttle body
-air filter and intake tube
-rear egr tube
-a couple of coolant hoses and vacuum lines
-fuel line for the cold start injector
-left bank engine cover
-solenoid rack
-spark plug wires

here is a small writeup that i put together that may help:

[mazdaverx7]

this shortened writeup will cover changing the valve cover gaskets on a Camry with a 3VZ-FE engine.

-remove the left bank engine cover and the upper half of the air box with intake tube:





-remove the solenoid rack and anv vacuum lines blocking the left bank:





-remove the cold start fuel injector's fuel line, ground wire, and the pcv valve's hose and accociated vacuum lines:





-remove the rear egr tube, rear engine hanger and the rear vacuum lines. you will also need to disconnect the throttle sensor on the rear of the throttle body:





-remove the two nuts and the two bolts holding the upper intake manifold to the lower manifold:



-lift the upper intake off and leave the throttle body attached:



now you are ready to remove each valve cover. they are held on with 10mm bolts. the bolts are special and have rubber washers with a metal head under each bolt. these washer should be changed EVERY time the gaskets are replaced.



the bolts that come off will probably look like this:



you will need these new washers form Toyota:

[mazdaverx7]

the valve covers will probably look like the when removed:



clean them thoroughly:



install the new spark plug tube seals first and then the valve cover gasket:



apply sealant to each corner of the mating surface on the cylinder head where the valve cover gasket meets the head. ensure that you clean the surface of any oil or debris. place the valve cover in position and torque the bolts in steps until the proper torque is reached. overtorquing will result in cracking the aluminum valve cover. re-install each component in the reverse order of removal, noting the the torque specs for the upper to lower intake manifold. the toughest part of the process for me was wiggling the rear harness up enough so that i was able to remove the right (rear) valve cover. this is a tight fit.

[OSBrain]

The OP has a V6 1MZ-FE not an I4 so a valve gasket repair will definitely be a PITA as ajkalian stated.

[akhoundog]

Originally Posted by bolink654

... akhoundog? From you know... that one forum? No way!?

dude! you redneck mofo! haha! small world.