Rocker Cover Gaskets

[RanJ Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close RanJ]

Also. Given its not something you want to do in a hurry again and if there is an issue you find during the changeover your prado is left immobile... can I suggest spend a little extra and get them from your local parts store if possible?

[crembz Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close crembz]

Also. Given its not something you want to do in a hurry again and if there is an issue you find during the changeover your prado is left immobile... can I suggest spend a little extra and get them from your local parts store if possible?

I'm thinking the same. Do it once to last.

[mal58 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mal58]

I used genuine toyota parts for mine and i think it came to around $180 in parts to do.

Hmm... I was quoted just over $300 for the required gaskets and seals including the intake manifold gaskets.

[Darran K Member Find all posts View Profile Close Darran K]

Sounds inflated mate. The cover seals where $80 set, the spark plug seals ~$35 the set, and the intake gaskets x2 was $45. I also changed the rubber washers that hold down the covers at $32 for 16.

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

I'm changing my rocker cover gaskets in a couple of weeks time. The car's done 350,000km and the engine leaks a few drops of oil shortly after being shut off. I got a kit from a local after market parts supplier for $80 which comes with the extra seals. I bought a 450g cartridge of gasket sealant for $26. My goal's to get to half a million km's before I look at buying a newer 4wd. But even at 500,000km it'd still be more reliable than any new model Jeep haha. I've tightened the 10mm bolts holding down the cover many times and they kept working loose. I even put medium strength lock tight on them after a while with less than impressive results. I'm going to use heavier duty "permanent" lock tight on them when I change the gaskets which will hopefully hold them down. I also got a set of 6 Bosch spark plugs for $30 from Supercheap Auto to swap out at the same time.

[Radix Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Radix]

I'm changing my rocker cover gaskets in a couple of weeks time.

Just wondering if you managed to change them and how you went?

Mine have been weeping for a while, however no unusual oil consumption yet. Am contemplating whether I need to give it priority or whether I'll just wait until it starts to use serious oil.

Has done about 260k

[pradosteve97 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pradosteve97]

get new gaskets you may as well check the valve clearances while you have the covers off watch bursons they'll sell you just the rocker gasket by its self you'll want the gasket set that has the rubbers for the bolts and the spark plug gaskets in it.

[hawks667 Member Find all posts View Profile Close hawks667]

Had mine done last month....well, the mechanic changed them....i looked at it & thought, naaa, bugger that.....

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

Just wondering if you managed to change them and how you went?

Mine have been weeping for a while, however no unusual oil consumption yet. Am contemplating whether I need to give it priority or whether I'll just wait until it starts to use serious oil.

Has done about 260k

Mate it went without hitch. Time consuming though. It took me about 12 hrs. Gets fiddly at times, but overall a fairly straight forward job. I've changed a timing belt before and the rocker covers were easier to do that's for sure.
Mine were weeping for 2-3 years before I fixed it. It wasn't losing much oil over a 2 yr period until the final 2 months where it started chewing through it. So I had to bite the bullet and do it and glad I did. Mine were leaking oil from the back of the covers. So much oil blow back under the car that no wonder it never rusted haha. All fixed now though and it doesn't lose a drop.

Some key tips to help:
When removing all of the bolts, write a number starting with 1 on masking tape and wrap it around the bolt thread when you take it out. Put the bolts in a bucket so you don't lose any. Write the corresponding number next to the hole where the bolt came out of.

Watch YouTube videos on it over and over prior. Heaps of vids on YouTube for work being done on the 5VZ-FE engine that are invaluable and give you the confidence to have a go when you watch the work being done. You'll do this job yourself at the cost of about $120, 12 hours of your life and invaluable experience so you can give a mate a hand with the same thing in the future. A mechanic would charge you close to $1,200 for this job for a rocker cover gasket kit and for a day's labour.

Replace the spark plugs at the same time while you've got the plenum chamber off. Spark plugs are an extra $30.
Mechanics charge $120 to change spark plugs. You'll be at the stage anyway of having them exposed for removal so may as well replace them. The spark plugs need replacing every 40,000km approx or around 2 yrs.

When you expose the chamber openings of the centre of the block, cover it with an old shirt ot towell. The brittle plastic wiring harnesses that you have to hold out of the way in order to get the rocker covers off will break and bits will go anywhere and everywhere because they are to brittle from the heat over the years. Buy heat resistant tape to tape them together and seal them again orotecting them from excessive engine heat. A 2nd pair of hands here helps a lot. The drivers side rocker cover is fiddly to remove and get back on due to some wiring that's in the way.

Clean the metal surfaces thoroughly with a rag and metho where the gasket will be sitting, and also where the automotive sealant will need to be applied. Buy a Hayne's/Gregory's manual to assist with this gasket procedure.

Very important, make sure you replace the spark plug tube seals. New ones will come with your rocker cover gasket kit ($80).
These can be tricky little buggers to seat in properly. Took me a while to do al 6. Removing them can be so so, but seating new ones in properly really does have to be done properly. You need an eye for detail to make sure they're seated properly or you'll end up with engine oil in your spark plug tubes after you've put it all back together and driven the car. Not ideal. You need a 32mm socket and a hammer to seat them. Protect the other side of the rocker cover if doing this on bare concrete or you can damage it. Make sure you cover the new seals with a light film of oil before seating them.

You need to buy a torque wrench to do this job too if you don't already have one. You can get a cheaper one for $60. Torquing these bolts back up to spec properly is important due to the heat and expansion fluctuations that occur. You'll need an extension or two as well for the sockets.

My half moons were still sealed in well, so I didn't yank them out and clean them and then apply new sealant. Each to their own if you choose to do this.

I also bought a can of MAF Sensor cleaner and cleaned it while I had the air intake pipe disconnected. Made no difference to the performance and fuel economy of my car afterwards though and I hadn't had it cleaned ever while the car has been in my possession since 2007. I've heard many people talking of improvements though after they had sprayed it.

Everything I've mentioned will make perfect sense when you do this job yourself.
Good luck and let us know how you go. Just remember, believe you're capable of doing the job and you will be. Celebrate at the end with the adding of coke to bourbon.

[hawks667 Member Find all posts View Profile Close hawks667]

A mechanic would charge you close to $1,200 for this job for a rocker cover gasket kit and for a day's labour.

Mine cost me just under $600 which included "4" hours labor....I was happy with that...

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

Nice. I was quoted $1,150 and a full days labour so did it myself. The decision was easy. Maybe your workshop was a bit quiet and they were going to have 2 guys go hammer and tong at it.

[hawks667 Member Find all posts View Profile Close hawks667]

Was only 1 guy on it. Had a good chat to him before hand and he had done a few of them, so no surprises. Its a 4WD workshop who have done a fair bit of work on the old girl (and taken their fair share of cash from me). But overall, happy with the result and the burning oil smell has gone...

[Brett1979 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Brett1979]

Very impressive. He works fast. Stopping the leaks is such a good feeling isn't it.

[Radix Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Radix]

Thanks Brett1979 for your write up. Very informative! I'll have to make the decision at some point.

[Froggy84 Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Froggy84]

Thanks for the post boys. For other people's price reference got my car back from a service at the dealer the other day. They noted that "during service found oil leaking into spark plug tube. Recommend replacement of rocker cover gasket and tube seals ASAP". They quoted $563.24 including parts and labour. That's for a 2009 4.0L 150.