logo

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

(2,686)

$100.87 - $1,006.08

Price range for all vehicles

YourMechanic Benefits

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

(2,686)

How much does Valve Cover Gasket Replacement cost?

It depends on the type of car you drive and the auto repair shop you go to. Our mechanics are mobile, which means they don't have the overhead that repair shops have. They provide you convenience by coming to your home or office.

Cars Estimate Parts Cost Labor Cost Savings Average Dealer Price
2011 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 $126 $45.84 $79.99 17% $153.34
2016 Dodge Journey $498 $250.16 $247.96 14% $583.41
2010 Dodge Avenger $132 $52.22 $79.99 17% $159.72
2015 BMW 320i $493 $133.29 $359.95 20% $617.04
2011 Infiniti M56 $171 $82.56 $87.98 15% $200.81
2016 Jaguar XF $604 $140.08 $463.94 20% $763.58

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee

Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Service

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

Recent Valve Cover Gasket Replacement reviews

Excellent Rating

(2,686)
Rating Summary
2,539
76
15
8
48
2,539
76
15
8
48

Patrick

33 years of experience
1269 reviews
Request Patrick
Patrick
33 years of experience
Request Patrick
by Bob
Volvo XC90 - Valve Cover Gasket - Austin, Texas
Patrick is a very nice guy and an excellent mechanic. His work is stellar and I highly recommend him. A very nice person to work with and goes beyond the extra mile.
by Don
Toyota Tundra - Valve Cover Gasket - Pflugerville, Texas
Patrick was very professional. Showed up early before scheduled time. Before he started he analyzed the problem and helped me save money. Patrick is probably the most honest person I've met. And he is really knowledgeable and informative. He explained everything and what to look out for in the future. I will definitely use him again. This is the second time so far. Thanks Patrick.

Matthew

33 years of experience
1017 reviews
Request Matthew
Matthew
33 years of experience
Request Matthew
by Patricia
Nissan Altima - Valve Cover Gasket - Norfolk, Virginia
Finding a good mechanic can be very stressful. Matthew has service my vehicle for the second time and I am very happy. He is very knowledgeable, friendly and he explains issues concerning my car so I can understand. I highly recommend him.
by Kate
Infiniti G35 - Valve Cover Gasket - Williamsburg, Virginia
Always great service! He worked on my car for several hours and was as cordial and responsive as when he arrived.

Rusty

23 years of experience
447 reviews
Request Rusty
Rusty
23 years of experience
Request Rusty
by Christopher
Hyundai Accent - Valve Cover Gasket - Arlington, Texas
This was my second time to have Rusty work on one of my vehicles. He's very professional and punctual. I would definitely use him again.
by Brenda
Chrysler Pacifica - Valve Cover Gasket - Arlington, Texas
Very pleasant and knowledgeable auto technician. Fixed everything I had with my vehicle in a timely manner and did not oversell any services. He was on time and got the repairs made in a shorter period of time than was expected but did not cut corners. Highly recommend Rusty and he will be my mechanic of choice from here on out!

Casey

19 years of experience
41 reviews
Request Casey
Casey
19 years of experience
Request Casey
by Mike
Toyota Venza - Valve Cover Gasket - Katy, Texas
Casey was very thorough in completing our work and diagnosis of future repairs that we might expect to make. Thanks, Mike
by Robert
Hyundai Santa Fe - Valve Cover Gasket - Katy, Texas
Casey is a fantastic person. I’ll use his services for all my family’s cars from now on after seeing first hand how much he cares about his work and helping people. After repairing a gasket for my mother in laws’ suv there was an unrelated issue that caused the car to stall later that night. When we called Casey he immediately cut his dinner short and drove straight to us to diagnose the issue and help us get up and running. Great character, very happy to find someone who cares and shows up when you need it the most. Rockstar!
Valve Cover Gasket Replacement NEAR ME
More cities
  1. Home
  2. Auto Repair and Maintenance Services
  3. Valve Cover Gasket Replacement

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

Read FAQ
GET A QUOTE