ok, this is just a basic thing, but some people dont know. alot of our jeeps leak at the valve cover, so instead of getting everything oil soaked a suggest changing the valve cover gasket, its easy and shouldn't take more than an hour.

tools you'll need and things i suggest:

1. rubber mallet
2. razor blade
3. new gasket
4. 11mm socket if newer, or 3/8" socket if older
5. flat head screw driver
6. inch pound torque wrench
7. high tack gasket sealent
8. never seize compound
9. degreaser or pressure washer ( or a wife who doesn't mind her sink greasy )
10. scratch pad
11. sand paper 120 grit works best for me
12. primer, and paint

ok, first things first, i ALWAYS disc. nag. bat terminal if im working under the hood, its just safty. make life easy and take you cables off the throtle body so you can move them out of the way.
take your 3/8" socket or 11mm socket and loosen the bolts holding the valve cover on.
if the valve cover is resisting tap it with a rubber mallet as not to dent the cover. NEVER pry the valve cover off, if you do, go look for a new one.
ok, we have it off and on a nice work bench. if you want to clean it up and paint it, go for it, this is mine after i cleaned it up really good



if you clean it up, use degreaser and a scratch pad, then when it drys use sand paper to get it smooth and perfectly clean.
heres mine after three coats of primer, and two coats of blue and taking sand paper over the fins to bring out a shine




ok now down to bisness, get a good gasket, i prefer felpro

and use high take gasket sealent on the valve cover side of gasket and instal on valve cover



i always put never seize on one side of the gasket , just in case it needs to be removed i can still use it
put i generuos coat on


now take your valve cover, set it in place and screw the bolts in finger tight, then torque first to 20inch pounds in a criss-cross pattern then to 55inch pounds in the same pattern, your done yay!


hope this helps, any questions PM me,nick

 

why you paint it blue?

 

me and the gf are doin the body work on the jeep and we decidied to paint it blue, so to match the jeeps final color, i got lucky my gf WANTS to leran auto body and mechanics!

 

O I dont want my Gf to learn car stuff until she learns to COOK!!!

 

eh i stopped trying to teach her how to cook lol

 

I liked your write up. Also I have to add when using a Cork gasket you will have to torque it a few times. Due to the cork compressing. Usually I torque it a few times during instal and then go back a week later and do a final torque you will usually find some still kinda loose on the final torque.

 

true

 

55lb of torque isn't that a lot for a VC

 

it says inch pounds lol

 

Thanks for the nice write-up. I've been meaning to change my valve cover gasket and this really breaks it down. I was also tinkering with the idea of painting it too so I'm really glad you included that as well. Yours turned out rather well! Keep up the great work.

 

thank you very much

 

55inch pounds

my bad

 

lol

 

thats great ! im gonna go do that lil cold for painting . im losing 3 quarts a week could you steer me to the O rings behind the oil filter block thats my next item if im still bleeding

 

This guy eric the car guy saved my bacon today when I changed out my valve cover gasket..showed me how to take off the air intake and carefully remove the 3 cables and get them out of the way so the valve cover can be removed.
The video is about a noise but its really the most helpful video I have seen on how to get this valve cover job done quickly and safely. Watch this in full before you do the job. You will thank this guy when your done...I couldn't find it on his web site for some reason but the video is on youtube at


you can always do a search for it on youtube if this link does not work.

Don't drop your screws..the jeep engine has hidey holes that will keep them forever..I lost one valve cover screw and never found it..

Bernadette