OIL ON SPARK PLUG INSTALL
OIL ON SPARK PLUG DRIVER

This is because to get at the head gasket, you need to entirely remove the cylinder head from the engine block, which takes a lot of time and is tricky to do correctly. We’ll warn you right now that replacing a head gasket is one of the more difficult repairs to perform on any engine. Modern head gaskets are a lot more durable than head gaskets from previous decades, but they do still occasionally fail, usually as a result of overheating. Unlike the valve cover gasket, the head gasket in modern cars is usually made from a combination of steel and elastomer, which is a type of rubber. Many cars come from the factory with their valve covers sealed in this way, so take note if this is the case with your car. You may also want to apply some sealant to the valve cover so that it really sticks to the cylinder head.With the gasket in place, you can now reinstall the valve cover back onto the cylinder head.One thing you don’t want to do, however, is run your finger over the gasket as you’re installing it the friction this generates can actually stretch the gasket out, leaving it unable to properly fit on the valve cover.

OIL ON SPARK PLUG INSTALL

When you have the correct gasket on hand, line the gasket up with the edge of the valve cover, and install it by pressing it into place.

Make sure you order a replacement gasket that actually fits your car’s valve cover these gaskets are always designed to fit a specific engine, so it’s important to get one that works with the car you have.

Now that the old gasket is off, you can install the new one.

When the valve cover is off, you can remove the old gasket by simply pulling it off the cover.

The valve cover gasket will be a strip of rubber that runs along the edge of the valve cover. It’ll be a little more expensive if you take your car to a shop to have this done, since you’ll have to add labor costs onto your repair bill, but overall this is one of the easiest repairs to perform on an engine. Luckily, fixing a broken valve cover gasket is pretty cheap, especially if you do it yourself.

If your valve cover gasket is leaking, it should be pretty obvious you’ll likely see oil dripping from under the valve cover. Like the O-rings we just mentioned, the valve cover gasket in your engine is likely made out of rubber or silicone, which makes it more likely to fail due to old age or high temperatures. The valve cover gasket is there to keep all of this oil in where it belongs. Oil is therefore pumped up into the cylinder head and provides these components with the lubrication they need. Within the cylinder head there are tons of components that need oil in order to work properly, like the camshafts, the valve guides, the valve springs, and more. Make sure you install them with the tapers pointing towards the engine, so that they can easily slip over the spark plugs. The last thing to remember is to install the O-rings the right way around inside their holes.

OIL ON SPARK PLUG DRIVER

Using this driver will help prevent you from damaging the O-rings during the installation process.

If you don’t have any soapy water on hand, you can still push the O-rings into place, but you’ll probably need a special tool, namely a driver, to make sure the O-rings are properly seated.

One trick you can use to make the O-rings fit into place more easily is to wet them with some water mixed with a little bit of dish soap, which will give them a bit of extra lubrication.

With the old O-rings out of the valve cover, you can install the new O-rings by pushing them into their holes.

When you have the valve cover off of the engine, use your prying tool to pry the O-rings out from the underside of the valve cover.

If you’ve determined that one or more of your O-rings is leaking, start by removing the valve cover.

All you’ll need is a replacement O-ring and a tool you can use for prying, like a small crowbar or a flathead screwdriver. In general, fixing a leaky O-ring is a pretty quick and inexpensive fix. The O-rings in your engine are usually made of materials like rubber or silicone, which means they’re susceptible to degradation if they’re exposed to high heat or if they just get too old.

Oil on spark plug