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Valve Cover Gasket Replacement at your home or office

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$99.47 - $996.34

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Average rating from customers who
received a Valve Cover Gasket Replacement.
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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
2016 Nissan NV3500 $290 $74.01 $215.97 20% $364.26
2015 GMC Savana 3500 $1099 $299.10 $799.90 20% $1374.10
2013 Dodge Challenger $445 $229.22 $215.97 14% $519.47
2015 Lexus ES300h $241 $73.14 $167.97 19% $298.89
2010 Cadillac SRX $468 $188.24 $279.96 17% $564.49
2014 Jaguar XJ $602 $114.08 $487.93 21% $769.83

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

YourMechanic Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Service

Average Rating

4.9/5

Number of Reviews

2,436

Rating Summary
2,299
71
13
8
45
2,299
71
13
8
45

Chris

21 years of experience
1828 reviews
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Chris
21 years of experience
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by Albert
Kia Optima - Valve Cover Gasket Replacement - Riverside, California
Was able to come 3 hours earlier he’s great fast clean and did a great job will be using him again for sure with family members also
by Lisa
Nissan Maxima - Valve Cover Gasket - San Clemente, California
Chris is a straight up guy. Very honest and let's you know of its needed for your car at the time or can replace the part later where as some mechanics will tell its needed now when it isn't just to make extra. I highly recommend chris he knows his work very well.he is the only guy I call

Gustavo

16 years of experience
145 reviews
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Gustavo
16 years of experience
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by Trey
Jeep Grand Cherokee - Valve Cover Gasket - New Braunfels, Texas
Gustavo did an awesome job explaining what work was going to be done. He was very punctual and knowledgeable. Will definitely use him again and recommend him to family and friends.
by Thomas
Dodge Neon - Valve Cover Gasket - San Antonio, Texas
Gustavo arrived on time, was familiar with my car, and also pointed out an issue with spark plug wires.

Matt

14 years of experience
75 reviews
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Matt
14 years of experience
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by Terri
Nissan Altima - Valve Cover Gasket - Tempe, Arizona
Matt was very professional and arrived in a timely manner. He definitely went above and beyond to get my car running as well as possible. I would definitely recommend Matt to friends and family and would hire him again.

Nicholas

10 years of experience
349 reviews
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Nicholas
10 years of experience
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by Freddie
Ford Five Hundred - Valve Cover Gasket - Durham, North Carolina
I was extremely pleased with Nicholas's knowledge and professionalism.he worked quickly and explained everything very competent and courteous.Highly recommend !
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