Wilson2000

I was doing an oil change and some other minor maintenance today, so while waiting for the oil to drain, I decided to check my valve cover bolts. In spite of having no valve cover oil leaks, the bolts were all very loose, and I proceeded to tighten them to 53 inch pounds with my 1/4" torque wrench.

The driver's side has easy access to all but one bolt at the top front corner of the cover. "Easy" is relative. I should say easy when you have the tools like a good 1/4" socket set, extensions with a swivel end, various length 1/4" extensions, and patience! To get to the problem bolt I had to remove the hydraulic valve that controls the VVTi cam timing, plus a couple of bolts that keep the wiring harness in place.

The passenger side is a little trickier still. You have to remove the airbox that sits perpendicular to the throttle body air intake duct to get access to all the bolts. Removing the entire air duct along with it was easiest, and it gave me an opportunity to clean the throttle body/plate. I also took the time to clean the MAF sensor. Removing the lid to the filter box helped in doing so. But the trickiest part of the passenger side is the back/lower bolt, which can only be seen with the aid of a mirror. If you have ever had to use a mirror to position a wrench/socket, you know how difficult it can be to get your brain to move the wrench in the right direction, as everything is flipped from your normal perception! But, once the socket/torque wrench were engaged, it tightened up nicely!

I'm hoping by doing this job every once in a while, I'll stave off having to replace the valve cover gaskets indefinitely. I'm all about preventative maintenance, and went ahead and changed out the power steering fluid (again) in the reservoir.

Just wanted to share the trials and tribulations of this job for anyone else interested in tackling it, and I encourage everyone to give it try before having to change out the valve cover gaskets. I did that job on my Tundra V8 recently, and it's much more envolved as you have to deal with the spark plug tube seals which are a PITA!

Raven01750

My experience with the valve covers is that the gasket doesn't really fail. It just softens maybe. I don't know for certain if that is what is happening (the gaskets getting soft). But regardless, you shouldn't have to replace them. Just check the torque about once a year. Save yourself some time and money. Thanks for the report. Hopefully it helps many.

Paul

gleeson

thought i’d revive this thread because during a recent meet, wilson taught jonas’s RX and me how to re-torque the valve cover bolts by demonstrating on my 2002 with 280k miles, driver’s side only. yes, they were loose! i’ll do the passenger side myself now that i know how.

as i recall, you suggested starting with middle bolts and then working out towards the corners, though now i forget why. also, avoid swivel sockets if possible and use wobble extension instead to minimize distorting the actual torque applied.

thanks for the lesson and tips wilson!

jonas's RX

Hey Wilson and Gleeson, we need to get together on the next round again to work on the cars . More glass polishing and finish the bolt tightening

Let’s try to hook up soon !