DIY Valve Cover Gasket

[green97gt]

how can you tell the difference between the lifters just by eyeballing them?

ive already cutthe tabs and plan on putting it on tommorrow, well see...

[99gtlimited]

did you get it fixed???

[green97gt]

yep.

you werent kidding on those bolts being easy to strip either....

the top middle one had goofed up threads on the head, and the first few on the bolt when i removed it to get the old valve cover gasket off.

figured id be able to salvage/reuse/make do one more time....i was wrong.

drilled out the head and tapped it, put in a heliciol, which i had never used before and was skeptical, chased the threads on the bolt, and it seems to have worked well, at least its not leaking anymore. i was just glad it was one of the bolts on the top of the engine, instead of the bottom.

got my motor mounts and front end seals in the mail today.

[hellaGT]

Just got my gasket set from ebay today, doing this tomorrow :smt026

[hellaGT]

I had the same problem that green97gt had. The old gasket didn't have those tabs that the new one has.. or had cuz I cut them off. So far no leakage (knock on wood)

[hellaGT]

So the new valve cover gaskets are leaking more than the old... it must be because of the tabs I had to cut off.

I then realized that I had installed a JDM engine which was a 96-98 model, had it rebuilt by risingsunengines.com. Went to kregan and saw a picture of 97 model gaskets and they didn't have the extra tabs. Going to install these in the morning.

[datdookie]

so yeah, i did this on my sister car but she has 2001 impreza rs. I was just wandering if this step would work too for a phase 1 2.2.

[99gtlimited]

It should be pretty much the same, just use your intuition and label connections if you're bad at remembering. Good luck

[datdookie]

I just did this today and it was pretty much the same but more simple.

[Bd4mp-dub]

i wish i would have found these gaskets cheaper i paid 100 dollars for the 10 bolt washers 4 plugs gaskets a 2 valve gaskets!!!

[99gtlimited]

i wish i would have found these gaskets cheaper i paid 100 dollars for the 10 bolt washers 4 plugs gaskets a 2 valve gaskets!!!

sorry to hear that... BUT,

better than paying upwards of $400 to have a dealership do it for you...

[Bd4mp-dub]

yeah man it was a pretty fun project lol! gave me something to do haha! when i bought them the guy asked when i was going to set up an appt to have them out it lol. when i told him i was doing it myself he gave me one crazy look

[Drakien]

Thanks for the write up! The 2.2 was WAY easy to do!

Yay for tight working space!

[Okin DaVanh]

I gotta do a 99 Forester in the morning.... thanks for making the research easier! I let you know how I made out.




******edit********


Thanks to this DIY, it was a breeze and nearly identical on Forester.

[Benders]

Op: did you use any RTV or gasket maker in the sharp corners when you did your gasket like was later sugested? If so which corners did you use some, and did you use high temp silicone RTV, or gasket maker? (Yes, there is a difference) ha ha
Thanks,

-Ben

[99gtlimited]

I used RTV on the sharp corners of the head and some gasket maker on the bottom where it had been leaking previously.

[harrymaneuvers]

I just ordered my parts to do this repair. Found out that my local subaru dealer (Maita Subaru) has an online ordering site that prices parts under MSPR... and then I can just come in and pay/pick up my order.


Mechanical Catalog - Subaru
Valve cover gasket, legacy/outback, w/o turbo - 2.5l 2005 2 $12.71 $0.00 $25.42
Status: Ordered
OEM Catalog

GSKT SPARK PL PIP 4 $3.50 $0.00 $14.00
Status: Ordered
OEM Catalog

WASHER ROCKER COVER 10 $2.86 $0.00 $28.60
Status: Ordered
Sub Total $68.02
Tax $5.95
Shipping $0.00
Handling Fee $0.00


Total $73.97


I will be doing half this weekend and half next weekend.

[harrymaneuvers]

Passenger side valve cover gasket, spark plug gaskets, and spark plugs changed. It was actually much easier than I expected... maybe an extra 10 minutes more than the time it takes to replace just the spark plugs.

I did notice that it looks like either the rear main seal or the oil seperator plate is leaking and my passenger side front cam seal might be leaking as well. When I had the timing belt and water pump done, the mechanic (I was helping/watching) replaced the front main seal but it didnt look like the cam seals were leaking at all so we left them alone... that was 30k miles ago... so maybe it is just time.

[harrymaneuvers]

Drivers side is done. Just had to remove the battery, windshield washer bottle and the oil filler neck.

My spark plug boots were all leaking pretty bad to the point where each spark plug hole had a fair amount of sludged oil down at the bottom of them, on top of the spark plug where it is threaded in.

How would everyone else try to clean that sludge out? I ended up wrapping a paper towel over a long 3/8 extension and running it all the way down there... It would only pick up as much as the paper towel would absorb though.

[burningindulge]

So these are the gaskets i need according to subaru parts.
http://www.subarupartsforyou.com/cp_par ... artid=3497
But what are the grommets for?

[harrymaneuvers]

the grommets/washers are for ever bolt that attaches the valve cover...

[Felipe]

Im about to do this. Just wondering if i should do it before, after or during an oil change and How much oil was/is lost while doing this?

[Felipe]

My spark plug boots were all leaking pretty bad to the point where each spark plug hole had a fair amount of sludged oil down at the bottom of them, on top of the spark plug where it is threaded in.

How would everyone else try to clean that sludge out? I ended up wrapping a paper towel over a long 3/8 extension and running it all the way down there... It would only pick up as much as the paper towel would absorb though.

same here

[Odycee]

Im about to do this. Just wondering if i should do it before, after or during an oil change and How much oil was/is lost while doing this?

Most of the oil drains to the pan so you will have a few drops at most if park overnight.

Spray brake fluid on the valve cover and let it soak will remove the sludge.

[hansvonaxion]

I skipped through this thread cos I just had mine changed... I noticed people talking about tabs and no tabs, well the guy told me that the JDM EJ20 has 2 types of rocker cover and gasket and there's no way to know which one is on the engine until they pull it off and check - one has more tabs on the inside - the guys assembling the engines just grabbed whichever. Now surely this doesn't apply to USDM NA engines but it seemed a strange coincidence.

And I was given some good advice, put the side you're doing on ramps so the oil drains to the opposite side.

[1839cc]

I just did this on the red car (2.2). Took about 40 minutes for both sides start to finish. I didn't lose any oil, but it's about two quarts low, so maybe that's why. Very easy to do. I left the oil filler neck attached and used it like a handle. Didn't have any sharp corners or use any RTV.

Old gaskets snapped apart when removed. Definitely time for a change. At 303k I don't think they were the originals. Certainly hope not.

[GTDrifter]

I've done this on my rs and the girls outback...both with new engines and both times I couldn't get the passenger cover off so I just replaced it with what little room I had

[Garrison]

I have done this process twice now with ebay gaskets and both times the leak I have has continued. From the corners on the bottom it drips onto the crossmember and then onto the exhaust.

But the good news is, I have given up on this car. I'll drive it until the engine gives and then start parting her out.