EA82 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Tips

[brianbarber]

I just came in from replacing the left (passenger) side valve cover on my '94 Loyale. It was relatively straightforward, but there are a few things that the Haynes/Chilton manual leave out that I thought that I'd share with you...

 

1) Buy a gasket set that includes new grommets and don't attempt to reuse the old ones. The grommets on my car were in only slightly better shape than the gasket, and it was very bad. To be honest, the thought of using the old grommets didn't even cross my mind.

 

2) Disconnect the lead for the MAF sensor and the hose clamp on the breather, and remove the breather assembly. (You might want to replace the air filter while it's off.) It makes getting to the valve cover easier.

 

3) Disconnect the hose that connects the valve cover to the breather at both ends before you remove the nuts on the valve cover. If the hose has been connected for many years without being moved, it will be next to impossible to disconnect. With the valve cover bolted in, you may get the extra leverage you need to disconnect it. (I couldn't disconnect the hose on my car and had to remove the valve cover with the hose attached, which meant I had to disconnect some more hose brackets in the area to wiggle the cover out of the engine.)

 

4) Buy ratcheting box wrenches that are straight, not offset. The clearances are tight. I bought ratcheting box wrenches that have an offset bend in them. They helped by the offset was a bit of a pain.

 

I'm not as accomplished a mechanic as some of my esteemed colleagues, not by a long shot, but I thought there might be someone who may benefit from my experience.

 

All the best,

BB

 

PS: A bit of background... My car was leaking serious oil from a cracked valve cover gasket. Once I got the cover off, the gasket was so badly dried out that it came out in about 6 pieces.