im changing the spark plug seals on the valve cover on my 1mz-fe. however, i took the seals out over a week ago and i forgot how they go back in. one side has a raised ridge, and the other side is caved inside. could anyone help me out PLZ!
spark plug tube seals
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if they are like the 5sfe, the rubber side (pointing down side) face the valve cover and the metal side with the flat side mates to the tube nut. does this help?
Holy crap. I'm replacing my valve cover today and I can't believe how hard the tube seals are to get back in. I tried pounding em with wrench. Slowly turning them, applying lube.. This is absurd. I have them in the freezer now, hoping they will shrink enough to fit back in those hole. Have any of you done these before? Any tips on getting those things back in the hole? I already ripped the old ones out, so I have no choice now. I have the 5vxfe.
Do you mean 3vz-fe? Because that's what the engine is in the 93 v6 listed under your name.
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Yep, they go in REALLY tight. I found a socket that matched the seal's outer diameter pretty close and used it as an insertion tool. Had to carefully beat them in with a hammer. Put a soft rag underneath the valve cover to avoid scratching/denting it up.
A hydraulic press would be just the ticket, if you have access to one.
A hydraulic press would be just the ticket, if you have access to one.
Removing and replacing spark plug tube seals on the 1mzfe, a tutorial..
After hours of frustrating seaches on google for how to deal with the PITA tube seals on the Toyota 1mzfe engine, I will share my new found knowledge for anyone stuck in the same nightmare scenario.
The primary issue with these suckers is that fact that they will likely be so degraded and literally melded to the metal walls of the valve cover that you will nearly go insane trying to figure it out.
Here goes,
After removing the valve cover, DO NOT make the mistake I did and start trying to scrape off to interior of the tube wall thinking you will get anywhere -- you won't. Here's the trick, leverage. Be aware that the tube seals are rubber flexible material in the middle, but are reinforced with steel around the outer edge even though they look like hard rubber/plastic -- they were probably installed with a massive press with extreme force from the factory, so they are now nearly fused with the valve cover.
The best tool I found was a tire tool that has the flat bladed end on it, they are an OEM tool with many cars - if you don't have one, then you will need a heavy duty long flat headed screw driver. With the valve cover upside down, look carefully in the tube holes and you will see a slight gap at the very bottom of the hole that my well look like metal that's part of the valve cover. It isn't. Wedge your flat blade at an angle up under this gap (you may have to hammer it in to get it to grab up under the metal) and then strong-arm your tool downward - lean into it and then let off a bit and repeat, sort of getting a torque effect. The metal ring will eventually dislodge from the tube holes, and voila, you have removed the tube seals.
Clean out the tube holes as well as you can , and get ready for the fun part. You will also notice some little metal tabs at the edge of each side of the tube holes, I'd suggest bending those upward as it helps a ton in keeping the new tube seals in place in order to press them in. Place a new tube seal in the hole (the orientation of the new seals will be raised edge up where as you could insert a 30mm socket into them, which is one way to beat them in). I used a 33 mm socket, which would be a standard axle spindle nut socket - if you don't have one then you will have to improvise with a piece of wood and go from there to get them as far in the holes as you can. Place the socket open side down lined up with edge of the ridge of the new seals - get a solid piece of wood (so you don't break your sockets), place it firmly onto the top of said socket, take your hammer and beat it as hard as you can with precisive blows to keep the pressure as even as you can -- don't hold back, these suckers take massive force to get them pressed in correctly. If you are worried about leakage, then coat the seals with high temp RTV before installing and around the top edge after they've been beaten in. That's it!!! Enjoy!
After hours of frustrating seaches on google for how to deal with the PITA tube seals on the Toyota 1mzfe engine, I will share my new found knowledge for anyone stuck in the same nightmare scenario.
The primary issue with these suckers is that fact that they will likely be so degraded and literally melded to the metal walls of the valve cover that you will nearly go insane trying to figure it out.
Here goes,
After removing the valve cover, DO NOT make the mistake I did and start trying to scrape off to interior of the tube wall thinking you will get anywhere -- you won't. Here's the trick, leverage. Be aware that the tube seals are rubber flexible material in the middle, but are reinforced with steel around the outer edge even though they look like hard rubber/plastic -- they were probably installed with a massive press with extreme force from the factory, so they are now nearly fused with the valve cover.
The best tool I found was a tire tool that has the flat bladed end on it, they are an OEM tool with many cars - if you don't have one, then you will need a heavy duty long flat headed screw driver. With the valve cover upside down, look carefully in the tube holes and you will see a slight gap at the very bottom of the hole that my well look like metal that's part of the valve cover. It isn't. Wedge your flat blade at an angle up under this gap (you may have to hammer it in to get it to grab up under the metal) and then strong-arm your tool downward - lean into it and then let off a bit and repeat, sort of getting a torque effect. The metal ring will eventually dislodge from the tube holes, and voila, you have removed the tube seals.
Clean out the tube holes as well as you can , and get ready for the fun part. You will also notice some little metal tabs at the edge of each side of the tube holes, I'd suggest bending those upward as it helps a ton in keeping the new tube seals in place in order to press them in. Place a new tube seal in the hole (the orientation of the new seals will be raised edge up where as you could insert a 30mm socket into them, which is one way to beat them in). I used a 33 mm socket, which would be a standard axle spindle nut socket - if you don't have one then you will have to improvise with a piece of wood and go from there to get them as far in the holes as you can. Place the socket open side down lined up with edge of the ridge of the new seals - get a solid piece of wood (so you don't break your sockets), place it firmly onto the top of said socket, take your hammer and beat it as hard as you can with precisive blows to keep the pressure as even as you can -- don't hold back, these suckers take massive force to get them pressed in correctly. If you are worried about leakage, then coat the seals with high temp RTV before installing and around the top edge after they've been beaten in. That's it!!! Enjoy!
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Great advice, thank you!
I'm about a month late in typing this, but wanted to let PDIGGITY know that his advice saved the day. Back on December 5th I replaced the LH valve cover gasket on our '98 Sienna (1MZ-FE engine) and had removed the spark plug tube seals before I realized what a pain they are to replace. Only after reading PDIGGITY's post was I able to install the replacement seals.
Time permitting, I hope to replace the RH valve cover gasket (and PCV valve and grommet) this weekend, and I won't pop out the old seals unless they need replacing. But if they do, I'm now armed with good advice!
PDIGGITY, thanks!
I'm about a month late in typing this, but wanted to let PDIGGITY know that his advice saved the day. Back on December 5th I replaced the LH valve cover gasket on our '98 Sienna (1MZ-FE engine) and had removed the spark plug tube seals before I realized what a pain they are to replace. Only after reading PDIGGITY's post was I able to install the replacement seals.
Time permitting, I hope to replace the RH valve cover gasket (and PCV valve and grommet) this weekend, and I won't pop out the old seals unless they need replacing. But if they do, I'm now armed with good advice!
PDIGGITY, thanks!
Follow up with Pics on PITA tube seals
To all struggling with the PITA seals in the Valve Cover tubes the post below is a great write up. I have added 2 pictures to enhance the write up. Not knowing what I was doing I make the mistake of using gasket remover and dissolving the rubber around the seals and then was unsure if there was more to do. I have included 2 labeled photos to help.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5387505935/in/set-72157625904600060/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5387506037/in/set-72157625904600060/
To all struggling with the PITA seals in the Valve Cover tubes the post below is a great write up. I have added 2 pictures to enhance the write up. Not knowing what I was doing I make the mistake of using gasket remover and dissolving the rubber around the seals and then was unsure if there was more to do. I have included 2 labeled photos to help.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5387505935/in/set-72157625904600060/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/5387506037/in/set-72157625904600060/
Thanks!
I had a similar headache. I tore up one set of seals and then found this thread when I realized something wasn't right.
My 2 cents:
Do the easy valve cover first!!! The second one is hard enough to get at it, I was glad to have sorted through the issues on the first one.
I found I needed some grease to help the seals slip over the spark plug tubes, especially on the 2nd valve cover.
Bend those little tabs up, there is no other way around it, thanks a lot Toyota engineers....
:thanks::thanks::thanks::thanks::thanks:
I had a similar headache. I tore up one set of seals and then found this thread when I realized something wasn't right.
My 2 cents:
Do the easy valve cover first!!! The second one is hard enough to get at it, I was glad to have sorted through the issues on the first one.
I found I needed some grease to help the seals slip over the spark plug tubes, especially on the 2nd valve cover.
Bend those little tabs up, there is no other way around it, thanks a lot Toyota engineers....
:thanks::thanks::thanks::thanks::thanks:
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Apologies for resurrecting an 8-year-dead thread, but it's still relevant.
As advertised, the old ones were a pain in the you-know-where to get out. In my case, they were just starting to get brittle, so they came out in two pieces; inner and outer rings. I was able to get good leverage by sticking a flathead screwdriver between the valve cover and the outer ring, through the face of the cover, and prying.
I had no trouble at all getting the new seals in, by first bending one of the two little tabs out of the way, then coating the new seal in fresh 5W-30. It took all the force bare thumbs could muster, but that was enough to get the new seal fully seated. I then put the tabs back down flat, though I highly doubt they'd just slide out of there on their own anyway.
As advertised, the old ones were a pain in the you-know-where to get out. In my case, they were just starting to get brittle, so they came out in two pieces; inner and outer rings. I was able to get good leverage by sticking a flathead screwdriver between the valve cover and the outer ring, through the face of the cover, and prying.
I had no trouble at all getting the new seals in, by first bending one of the two little tabs out of the way, then coating the new seal in fresh 5W-30. It took all the force bare thumbs could muster, but that was enough to get the new seal fully seated. I then put the tabs back down flat, though I highly doubt they'd just slide out of there on their own anyway.
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Omg you just saved my life.
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