Mercury Marauder Valve Cover Gasket Replacement at your home or office.

Our mobile mechanics offer services 7 days a week. Upfront and transparent pricing.

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

(20)

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.

Customer Ratings

(20)

Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Service

How much does a Valve Cover Gasket Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a Mercury Marauder Valve Cover Gasket Replacement is $660 with $223 for parts and $437 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

CarServiceEstimateShop/Dealer Price
1967 Mercury MarauderV8-6.7LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$974.19Shop/Dealer Price$1131.51 - $1499.95
1970 Mercury MarauderV8-7.0LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$882.19Shop/Dealer Price$1039.59 - $1408.09
2003 Mercury MarauderV8-4.6LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$1005.43Shop/Dealer Price$1193.63 - $1654.56
1966 Mercury MarauderV8-7.0LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$882.19Shop/Dealer Price$1039.48 - $1407.90
1965 Mercury MarauderV8-6.4LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$882.19Shop/Dealer Price$1039.66 - $1408.20
1964 Mercury MarauderV8-7.0LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$882.19Shop/Dealer Price$1039.58 - $1408.08
2004 Mercury MarauderV8-4.6LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$1037.15Shop/Dealer Price$1226.91 - $1693.90
1966 Mercury MarauderV8-6.4LService typeValve Cover Gasket ReplacementEstimate$905.19Shop/Dealer Price$1063.67 - $1432.98
Show example Mercury Marauder 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 Mercury mechanics

Real customer reviews from Mercury owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(20)

Rating Summary
20
0
0
0
0
20
0
0
0
0

Yoel

5 years of experience
187 reviews
Yoel
5 years of experience
Marauder 2003 - Ball Joint Front - Philadelphia, PA
Overall good mechanic knows what he's doing haven't had a problem with his work

Yoel

5 years of experience
187 reviews
Yoel
5 years of experience
Marauder 2003 - Parking brake won't hold car - Philadelphia, PA
All around good mechanic if you're not sure of a problem he'll find it & fix it

Leslie

10 years of experience
84 reviews
Leslie
10 years of experience
Marauder 2003 - Thermostat - Philadelphia, PA
He always does a good job

Rodric

9 years of experience
477 reviews
Rodric
9 years of experience
Marauder 2003 - Fuel Pump - Atlanta, GA
Rodric is an EXCELLENT mechanic! He is EXTREMELY competent, Knowledgeable, professional, and cares about the customer and the job he does on the vehicle. He is an ASSET to Your Mechanic! Thank You!

Excellent Rating

(20)

Rating Summary
20
0
0
0
0
20
0
0
0
0
Number of Mercury Marauder services completed
220+
services done by our mechanics
TOTAL NUMBER OF EXPERT Mercury MECHANICS
600+
experts on our platform

Recent articles & questions

How Automatic Sliding Doors Work on Minivans
Here’s Here’s an interesting formula (don’t get bored, it’s not what you think – it’s fun): ARD=((rt+rw)+(cd+p+g)*ep) Do you know what it is and what it means? Try this: it's a description of a minivan with automatic doors. Okay, it...
Symptoms of a Bad or Failing AC Pressure Switch
If the AC is cutting on and off rapidly, unable to cool the cabin, or failing to turn on the compressor, you should replace your AC pressure switch.
How to Make Your Car Look High End
Even if you drive a basic commuter car, you want it to look good. Detail your car, install chrome trim, and put on a dark tint to improve its style.

How do I set the ignition switch all door unlock mode?

When your car is in ignition switch all door unlock mode, then all of the doors will automatically unlock when the car is turned off. As soon as the ignition switch is turned out of the On setting, all four...

The car is overheating

The normal opening temperature of the thermostat is between 85c and 102c. Your car is running in the middle and this is good. You should not be overheating as this is the normal operating range for your engine. If you...

Car wont shift into reverse 2005 Hyundai Tiburon

Hello - I believe the shifter cable (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-long-does-a-shift-selector-cable-last) itself may be worn enough to prevent Reverse engagement. Given that you can manually engage Reverse at the transmission, and have replaced the bushings, adjustment or wear would be the limiting issue...

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