GMC C2500 Suburban Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Costs

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

See availability

Customer Ratings

Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Service

How much does a Valve Cover Gasket Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a GMC C2500 Suburban Valve Cover Gasket Replacement is $173 with $33 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

Car	Service	Estimate	Shop/Dealer Price
1999 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-6.5L Turbo Diesel	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$1189.88	Shop/Dealer Price$1279.97 - $1502.43
1994 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-5.7L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$211.29	Shop/Dealer Price$229.45 - $279.80
1995 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-5.7L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$211.29	Shop/Dealer Price$229.47 - $279.84
1998 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-6.5L Turbo Diesel	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$1136.72	Shop/Dealer Price$1216.53 - $1431.28
1997 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-7.4L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$296.89	Shop/Dealer Price$324.67 - $397.55
1995 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-7.4L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$296.89	Shop/Dealer Price$322.81 - $394.28
1993 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-7.4L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$282.29	Shop/Dealer Price$307.85 - $379.05
1999 GMC C2500 SuburbanV8-5.7L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$269.69	Shop/Dealer Price$288.61 - $339.54

Show example GMC C2500 Suburban Valve Cover Gasket Replacement prices

What is a valve cover gasket and how does it work?

Each cylinder head on your car’s engine has an aluminum or plastic valve cover bolted to it. Between this valve cover and the cylinder head, there is a gasket that keeps engine oil from leaking out. The valve cover bolts keep the gasket compressed, thus preventing leaks. Over time the gasket becomes brittle from the engine’s heat or the bolts loosen, creating an engine oil leak.

When to consider replacing a valve cover gasket?

Look for these signs of oil leakage at the valve cover gasket:

Oil seepage or dripping. Should the joint between the valve cover and the cylinder head fail, oil often becomes visible on the valve cover or cylinder heads. Usually, the oil will attract and hold dirt.
Oil accumulating inside the spark plug well. The spark plug tube seals are part of the valve cover sealing system. If the tube seals are leaking, you will see oil on the spark plugs or wires. The valve cover gasket and tube seals are all replaced at one time if either fails.
Oil leakage at the rubber grommets. The bolts holding the valve cover to the cylinder head sometimes have rubber grommet seals under the bolt heads. If these seals are leaking, you will see oil seepage around the bolt heads.

How do mechanics replace a valve cover gasket?

Remove engine cover. Some engines have plastic covers over the entire top. The plastic engine cover is removed to access the valve cover(s).
Remove components. On 4 cylinder engines, the valve cover is usually readily accessed once any electrical components and emission control tubing are removed, plus any accelerator linkages that might be in the way. On 6 or 8 cylinder engines, depending on which valve cover gasket is leaking, removal of the air intake plenum might be required, as well as additional steps.
Remove valve cover. Once the valve cover(s) is accessed, the cover retaining bolts are removed and the cover pulled off. The valve cover sealing surface is checked with a straight edge to be sure the cover is flat and thus reusable.
Install new gasket. The new valve cover gasket is applied along with new rubber grommets under the retaining bolt heads. If there are spark plug tube seals, these are replaced as well. In some applications, oil resistant RTV (room temperature vulcanization) sealant must be applied to specific segments of the sealing surface, along with the new gasket, to ensure a complete and effective seal. The cover is bolted back on, using a calibrated inch pound torque wrench, and all other components are restored to their original position.
Check for leaks. Finally, the car engine is run and a visual check is made for oil leaks.

Is it safe to drive with a valve cover gasket problem?

Yes, as long as the amount of oil leaking is small, and there is no leak onto hot engine parts such as the exhaust manifold, it is safe to drive your car until you have an opportunity to fix it.

If you notice oil leaking on to the ground beneath your car after it is parked, you do not have a small leak, and it needs to be found and repaired as soon as possible. Any leak, of course, means your oil level is dropping as you drive the car. If you have a leak, be sure to check your oil more frequently than usual so you do not run low on oil and damage the engine.

When replacing a valve cover gasket keep in mind:

The mechanical components of a car engine will typically outlive the gaskets used to seal the engine. However, many of these gaskets, including the valve cover gaskets, are relatively easy to replace.
Never add stop leak type products to engine oil or other vehicle fluids. Not only are these materials not approved or specified by the original equipment manufacturers, but they also can create additional problems that may be costly to repair.
Often, if a car is old enough to have a valve cover oil leak, there will be oil leaks elsewhere on the engine, so you should request a complete leak inspection. It may be more cost effective to repair multiple leaks during one service call.
Often, the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) valve is inserted into a rubber grommet in one of the valve covers. An old rubber grommet is a potential leak source, as well as connections to the PCV valve. These components should be inspected and considered for replacement while there is access to the valve cover.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee

Meet some of our expert GMC mechanics

Real customer reviews from GMC owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(31)

Rating Summary

30

0

0

0

1

30

0

0

0

1

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

John

11 years of experience

94 reviews

John

11 years of experience

by Troy

GMC C2500 Suburban V8-7.4L - Lights (Headlamps/beams/brakes) - Chula Vista, California

John is the man!

Nathan

22 years of experience

298 reviews

Nathan

22 years of experience

by David

GMC C2500 Suburban V8-7.4L - Car is not starting - Austin, Texas

Nice guy

Timothy

23 years of experience

107 reviews

Request Timothy

Timothy

23 years of experience

Request Timothy

by anthony

GMC S15 V6-2.8L - Valve Cover Gasket - Tacoma, Washington

He's great!

Jay

38 years of experience

1035 reviews

Jay

38 years of experience

by Cecelia’s

GMC Envoy XL L6-4.2L - Valve Cover Gasket - Colton, California

Friendly

Excellent Rating

(31)

Rating Summary

30

0

0

0

1

30

0

0

0

1

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Recent articles & questions

How to Obtain an A6 ASE Study Guide and Practice Test

Automotive technician jobs pay more if you’re ASE certified. Get the study guide and practice test to be an A6 Electrical System Repair Technician.

How to Make a Truck Bed Couch

There There are few things as fun, or as iconic, as going to a drive-in movie. And yet, for as fun as drive-in movies are, they pose some simple problems. If you stay inside your vehicle, your vision is impaired...

A Buyer’s Guide to the 2012 Mitsubishi Eclipse

2012 2012 marks the end of an era for the Eclipse and Mitsubishi sends the sporty little car off in style. As affordable sports cars go, the Eclipse has served its segment well with stylish looks, respectable performance, and a...

What is the front crash severity sensor?

The air bag system in your car is much more advanced than those used even just a few years prior. It’s capable of determining just how severe an impact is and whether or not air bags should be inflated, and...

Electrical components malfunction

Your model Mercedes uses an electronic controller called SAM (signal acquisition module) to actually supply power to many electrical components. There are multiple SAMs in your vehicle and one of these is not working properly. A professional mechanic with specific...

On Gear (D) I can't go more than 40MPH speed,

This is likely a transmission problem dealing with the proper shift points. There is an ECU module in the transmission that regulates when the transmission shifts from one gear to the next based upon engine RPMs and activated by a...

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (855) 347-2779 · hi@yourmechanic.com