valve cover gasket leaking...DIY?

[frontier_custom]

okay, so i have oil leaks from both sides of my engine at the valve covers, shop owner told me so, and also said about ballparking $300-350, mostly because of having to remove the silver thing on top the driver's side, (forgot the name of it)

is it possible to do this myself, or better question would be, how hard is it to do myself?

[Cusser]

This depends upon your skill level. Once you get stuff out of the way, valve cover gasket replacements are straightforward.

[Escapehatch]

Since you referred to the intake manifold as a "silver thing" I'm hesitant to say this would be something you could do yourself. It's not a particularly difficult job, but it can be time consuming.

[frontier_custom]

Originally Posted by Escapehatch

Since you referred to the intake manifold as a "silver thing" I'm hesitant to say this would be something you could do yourself. It's not a particularly difficult job, but it can be time consuming.

my bad in bad referencing, i was just beat-down tired from work, but if i can figure it out or find a good manual, i wouldn't mind doing it myself, but i have to put together my other ride first, just incase i can't finish in one day, i'll have something to get around in....think a haynes manual would work? i want one anyways

[x_mods]

I replaced mine on my 2nd gen. it cost me $16 for both gaskets and took me about an hours worth of labor. But I knew what I had to remove, so there was no guess work involved. If you don't know everything you have to do, then 2-3 hours?

On a 2nd gen V6 you don't have to remove the intake manifold, but you do have to remove the upper intake plenum.

What engine do you have? 4 or 6? SC or NA?

[x_mods]

This might help you see what all has to be done. Of course you will have more to remove, since things like the air box and alike are not pictured. The gasket is D on the 4cyl. and K on the 6 in this link:
102 Engine Gasket Kit :: Engine Mechanical :: Genuine Nissan Parts :: Frontier Parts (D22U) 1998-2004 :: Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com

And here you can see it a little better:
111 Cylinder Head & Valve Cover :: Engine Mechanical :: Genuine Nissan Parts :: Frontier Parts (D22U) 1998-2004 :: Nissan Parts, NISMO and Nissan Accessories - Courtesyparts.com

[speedfoos]

Haynes manual will work just fine. And the 1st gen is definitely a lot harder than the 2nd gen and I assume you have a 1st gen since you're posting in the our section.

Since it's a 1st gen, its a minor pain in the arse. Obviously the passenger side is easy since its exposed, however as you mentioned the intake manifold makes the driver's side a minor nightmare. Set aside about 3-4 hours for the job. The major asspain will come from the EGR tube that connects to the driver's side exhaust manifold, the two coolant lines at the back (firewall) side of the intake manifold and the two sensor clips right next to them. The water neck up front will also give you grief because it's connected to the two lines you have to address at the back of the IM. They're bolted to the underside of the IM so it's not like you can just leave them in place either. Once you're past those five things it's pretty straightforward. Watch for the vacuum lines right above the throttle body as well as two of them need to come off.

Things you'll need to complete this job aside from the two valve cover gaskets:

- Upper intake plenum gasket
- torque wrench: torque the IM back down to specs in the Haynes manual. This is very important otherwise it will leak. Trust me. I did the universal German torque spec the first time (guten tight) and mine leaked.
- antifreeze, it will be everywhere when you're done.
- RTV gasket sealant: depending on how you deal with the water neck up front. If you can remove the big hose elbow you won't need RTV, but if you can't (because of corrosion) you'll have to remove the neck itself and will need to reseal it with RTV when you're done


I think that's it for tips, really. The upper wiring harness can just be unclipped and laid to the side, air intake tube and filter box removed, and disconnect your battery to be safe. You will not have to mess with the fuel lines.

Post up here if you have any questions and I'll try to answer them. I've removed the IM a few times.

[Hertz]

The passenger side doesn't even need mentioning because of how simple it is. The drivers side isn't hard, no special skills needed really. Just a lot of patience to get that "silver thing" off.

[x_mods]

Do you guys have to use RTV on the corners of the gasket? 2nd gens require a decent amount RTV on the two front corners of each gasket..

[speedfoos]

No. Its a pretty beefy rubber gasket that doesn't require any RTV.