Replace Valve Cover Gasket | Toyota Camry 1992-2001 

Thank you, Dave. You're too kind. Keep up the DIYing, and you'll retire early!

You're welcome, Bao. I truly appreciate that you took the time to leave me such a thoughtful comment. Thank you!

Nathan, thank you from the bottom of my DIY heart. That's one of the nicest comments I have received. You made my day! Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones.

Thank you, Dave. I hope you're project goes smoothly.

Copy that, Dave.

It works 👍 great!!! Car is done and running great!!!

You did good, my friend! Good for you for fixing the valve cover gasket yourself and saving a bunch of money. I'm glad your car is running great, and that's all due to the stellar mechanic who fixed it--YOU!

Hello, David. I'd look at: 1) clean the throttle body; 2) check the resistance of each spark plug wire with an ohm meter ($10.00 at Harbor Freight); 3) clean the EGR valve tubes (takes a bit of work and be gentle); and 4) look at each vacuum line for breaks.

@@frugaldiy1 Your so sweet!! A friend I met told me that maybe the spark plug wire no 1 in particular might be wicking up the oil before I changed out the valve cover gasket and oring seals. I did clean the throttle body real good. He said spray electrical cleaner in number one cylinder spark plug wire. I did all of them. It's tuff for me to do. I have spine issues. In pain a lot. Amongst other health issues. Turning 60 soon. I have read about how to measure resistance. I'm frugal as well. Had to be. S.S.D.I. don't pay much. Thank God I have a wife that works. It's cold here outside of Philadelphia in the western suburbs. Thank you and have a great Thanksgiving. I'll be home with my girl,Sadie my Pitbull-Boxer mix.

You sound likely a lovely man, Dave. Please don't let your spirits get down. We are ALL differently-abled in some way. Know this--your might and will is strong and to be admired. People who don't have any physical impairment(s) won't tackle what you did. See the exemplary will and determination you have? I do. Never, ever, ever give up or give in. Hold the line! You were born to be a unique person--go be that person. If that's not enough for other people, too bad. You were (and still are) enough the very day you were born. Happy Thanksgiving, and please give Sadie a BIG, LOVING hug for me. I'm an animal lover, through and through. May the Spirit of Christmas find you, just when you need it most. ;)

Dirty Cat?

You're welcome, Luis, and thank you for your thoughtful and kind comment. It means a lot to me. Regarding threadlocker on the valve cover nuts, you may well be on to something there. I can't give an opinion because I've never applied it there. I worry about getting anything in the spark plug tubes, though, as I'm removing the nut. If you do use threadlocker, I'd recommend Locite 242 (blue) or Permatex 24200 (blue). They're both medium strength. If I used it, I'd apply just a little of it to the nut threads with a matchstick or tooth pick I do check the nuts about every mouth because they WILL back out. I hope this helps you.

@@frugaldiy1 gotcha, maybe a little compressed air to get those pesky thread locker particles out of the tubes, or is that a no no? thing is, knowing myself it's guaranteed i won't be routinely tightening them nuts once a month. thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

Luis, I think you'll be fine since you're aware of the concern of the threadlocker particles falling into the tubes as you remove the nuts. I think you'll be okay. But, when you redo the valve cover gasket next time, after you use the threadlocker, just loosen the nuts and pull them straight up and away from the spark plug tubes. No, I would never shoot compressed air into the spark plug tubes, ever. What I do is, after I remove the spark plug wires and before I take the valve cover off, I use a vacuum to remove all of the debris and dirt that sets up in the wells of the valve cover. I works great. Also, since you're replacing your valve cover gasket, it's a GREAT time to replace the PCV valve on the valve cover. I HIGHLY recommend you do so. The PCV valve is $6.00 at AutoZone. If you don't replace the PCV valve now, and it fails and you try to remove the PCV valve while the valve cover is on the car, the PCV valve will likely break apart, because they get brittle with age, and you will have to remove the valve cover gasket to retrieve the broken pieces of the PCV valve that are stuck and loose inside of the valve cover. (Sorry for the way too long sentence there.) When the valve cover is off the car, it's much easier to remove and replace the PCV valve. I use Felpro valve cover gaskets. Please let me know if you need anything else.

@@frugaldiy1 after watching the video again i realized, paper towels (like you used) or something to cover the tubes should do the trick and yes thank you for the tip about the pcv valve! it'd really suck having to redo everything because of it.

Luis, you are one very smart guy. I admire that--a great deal. Though you said you're a first-timer working on your Camry, I just know you can fix just about anything--100%! If you need anything else, holler back.

17 foot pounds, and you're welcome.

Danka Shein!!

;)

You're welcome. Good luck on your project.

Up to 396 thousand on Generation 3 (1992-1996).

You certainly can, but it own't get into the cervices like a dental too. Don't brush hard.

Chris, did you by chance top off the gas when you were filling up the car before this issue started? Have you considered the distributor?

@@frugaldiy1 thanks for the reply and I believe the issue is actually the timing belt from doing some more research. This is beyond my comfort level to repair so I am going to send it to the mechanic for repair.

@@chrisdunlap4517 Okay, Chris.

It stays pliable.

The exact brand and type I use is in the "Show More" area below the video.

Yes.

Because I have before, and it doesn't get any cleaner.