Help.....Valve cover gasket question

[JB_96LTD]

Hey guys,

I have just discovered an oil leak this past weekend. I took the 4Runner to my mechanic and he told me the valve cover gaskets are leaking oil. He said the passenger side is worse than the other side. Any ideas what $ range this kind of repair would cost?

[MTL_4runner]

You should be able to do that one yourself pretty easily. It does require removing the intake plenum (it comes off alot faster than you'd think), but overall it's not that bad of a job even for a DIY mechanic.You'll need the valve cover set and 2 plenum seals to do the job properly. If you want to have someone else do it, more than likely you're going to pay through the nose on labor (probably $300-$500) at a shop or dealer.

Just make double and triple sure that the valve cover gasket is indeed where the leak is coming from.

[JB_96LTD]

What other possible sources may be causing the leak?



You should be able to do that one yourself pretty easily. It does require removing the intake plenum (it comes off alot faster than you'd think), but overall it's not that bad of a job even for a DIY mechanic.You'll need the valve cover set and 2 plenum seals to do the job properly. If you want to have someone else do it, more than likely you're going to pay through the nose on labor (probably $300-$500) at a shop or dealer.

Just make double and triple sure that the valve cover gasket is indeed where the leak is coming from.

[MTL_4runner]

All I meant was don't just take the mechanic's word for it, look for yourself.
Use a mechanic's mirror or similar to see stuff on the back side of the head or hard to reach places.

http://www.upmalabs.com/Images/1002.jpg

[JB_96LTD]

Thanks MTL for your help. I will verify the problem area.

[MTL_4runner]

Thanks MTL for your help. I will verify the problem area.


No problem.

I don't have any shots of the intake teardown on my engine (which I should have done but my hands were greasy as heck.....I'll definately do it for the assembly but that's not for a few more weeks). You can see alot of the motor in my thread here anyway if you haven't seen it already.

http://www.ultimateyota.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=2241.0

[JB_96LTD]

MTL,

I appreciate all the info. It was indeed oil leaking from both of the valve covers. The passenger side was worse than I thought. I went ahead and had my mechanic do the work because I do not have enough time to tackle the repair these days. It ended up costing me $470. My mechanic is very meticulous about his work and guarantees what he fixes. All in all I am glad it was not something worse.

[arjan]

My passenger side is leaking pretty bad also. I might just get a local mechanic to look after it for me.
For now, oil is cheap ;) .

[gpcollen]

Ouch - $470!? That is a tough nut for a relatively easy job with a cheap parts list. That is the reason I DIY.

Glad you got it fixed though...