Valve covers, fix or leave

Stealer has been telling me to do it, but I’ve been tightening them for a long time as it’s not too bad. I’m approaching 200k and working on preventative maintenance so I was looking for second opinions.

 

Hard to tell just from that pic concerning leaks but that aside, if your plans are keep this 04, now could be a good time to consider any all big maint. Many of our parts will reach NLA(no longer available ) status. Keep that in mind when making decisions such as this.

 

Yep I would replace them. 2004 gaskets with 200k on them are probably pretty rigid and past their lifespan. Valve cover gaskets are an easy DIY job if you are mechanically inclined and very cheap.

 

At least buy the gaskets and replace them later when they start to leak. Little point replacing them now if they're not leaking, but at least get the part on hand. Store em in a folder in a filing cabinet somewhere.

 

My 06 has minor leaks I have been watching. Have not considered NLA parts. At what age do you think we can not find parts for our 1st gen?

 

Certain items are discontinued from dealer as of now. For instance, while fooling with a P0420 issue, was contemplating replacing my CATs, right CAT 17410-0F030 was discontinued. Problem ended up being rear O2s but that's just one example. Many other items are already discontinued for my 04. Yes, OEM items can be had other places but my first choice is dealer.

 

Tightening is not the solution to this issue, neither is waiting. You could try a ATP's

$22 AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks, 8 Ounce Bottle

AT-205 product to try to rejuvenate the gaskets.

But really, the solution here is to replace them. I just did mine. @txagg just did his. I think @Tundra2 is preparing to do his.

If you're doing it, you just buy: Both valve cover gaskets, all 8 (or 6) spark plug tube gaskets, all of your valve cover fastener gaskets (its cheaper to buy the bolt+gasket washer combo for a Land Cruiser/4R). You'll need some Toyota FIPG to re-seal the half-moon plugs and two corners where the cam cover meets the head on each side.

If you need part numbers, I can pull them.

 

I say just do it, I did mine over a year ago, used a felpro kit from Autozone and haven’t had any issues. Very easy job too.

 

I dunno, they did not make those spark plug tube gaskets easy by any stretch. So I would say "easy" but not "very easy", there is some tedium you don't experience on many, many other vehicles, including but not limited to: Having to pry the tabs and gaskets for spark plug tubes if you do them, having to pull/clean/FIPG in the half-moons if you do them, and having to FIPG both right-angle seams on each cover.

Like, my old Hondas and many of my SBC engines, you just pop the damn valve cover off, clean the surfaces, slap a new gasket on the cover, pop on and torque. 10 minute process, tops. I don't see how you could correctly do the 2UZ-FE covers fully, properly, in less than 60 minutes, and if it's your first time, assuming you found zero other issues to deal with while in there, I don't see how you could finish inn under 90-120mins.

 

well at least for me it was a very easy job, i just used some pliers to bend those tube seal tabs and took the seals out with a flat head screw driver, everything went smooth in my case. I understand that may not be the case for everyone else.

 

I replaced mine at 179K. I plan on keeping my truck for as long as possible, so it was worth it to me.

 

Mine were hard as a rock. Basically have to bend and break them to bits to get them out. If you didn't, maybe the ones you pulled weren't OEM? Or maybe weren't as hard as mine.

 

They were OEM and they were hard also. Basically I carefully hammered a flat head crew driver on the side then pried them up.

 

Ditto.

 

Thanks everyone for the posts! Sorry for the delay. Im going to buy the kit and give it a shot. I dont have any plans on selling or replacing the truck, to me it's family now. Just having other issues so trying to figure out which to start with. Stealer wants $1023 to do it lol. I am mechanically inclined though ive never done any major engine work as in taking apart or rebuilding, mostly service. My father has rebuilt a few cars so he's said hes willing to supervise. Ive watched a few videos and seen posts of people on here that have done it, so i feel confident. Thanks again for the advice! These trucks are a gem for sure.

 

Is this the kit you used? https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...eXgr3M0&irgwc=1&c3ch=Affiliate&c3nid=IR-10579

 

Thanks for the help, is this the FIPG i would need.....

$20 Genuine Seal Packing (FIPG) 103 Liquid Oil Pan gasket 0029500103

https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Packing-Liquid-gasket-0029500103/dp/B000EDDTV0

 

Do it! This may help with the spark plug tube gaskets: https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...-gen-tundra-today.2558/page-1297#post-2692231

Regarding the half-moon plugs, two at the back of each head: https://www.tundras.com/threads/ideas-and-projects-thread.67033/page-4#post-2692288

Where you'll be putting the FIPG if it's not clear: https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...-gen-tundra-today.2558/page-1301#post-2698710

That kit will definitely work. If you're going non-oem, at least get OEM FIPG. Don't forget to pull, clean, and FIPG the half-moon plugs, remembering the FIPG has a work time of 10-15 minutes from the time of application.

Don't forget to replace the sealing washers that go on the valve cover bolts.

If you want to go OEM, here's a parts list for my '06, which may be the same as your '04. If you plug each part number into search at https://parts.toyota.com you can check the 'what this fits' area to confirm. Number in parenthesis () shows how many you'll need.

'03-'06 V8 Passenger VC gasket (1): 112130F010 *
'03-'06 V8 Driver VC gasket (1): 112140F010
Spark plug tube gaskets (8): 1119350010
Valve Cover Bolt with Grommet (18): 9008010330 ***
Toyota FIPG 3 sealant (1): 0029500103

* For '00-'02 V8 trucks, your left & right VC gaskets are 11214-50011 (LEFT) and 11213-50031 (RIGHT)

*** You can pay $3-5/ea for the washer and bolt, buying them separately, or you can buy a bolt + sealing washer combo for the exact same 4.7L engine in the Land Cruiser for around $1.50/ea. I have pics to show they're the exact same washer on both, and the bolt is identical minus the Land Cruiser part being threaded all the way up.​

I'm a Felpro guy through and through. Still, I preferred going OEM on this one.

 

Don't buy "OEM" parts on scAmazon or fleaBay. You're liable to get counterfeits. FIPG part number above ^^

Summit Racing, Rock Auto, both are safe places to order. Avoid Wallymart for same reasons as the counterfeit havens I just listed.

 

Oh, and one last tip.

The FSM will tell you to remove a specific cable bundle that bolts to the front of the driver's side cover. Do it.

Likewise, you really want to get your cover centered and drop it directly on so it's a one-and-done situation, you don't want to set, lift, set the cover because of the FIPG. Since it can be pretty damn cumbersome to finagle the damn cover in, consider using zip-ties on the driver's side to zip-tie lines out of your way. Check this out: https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...-gen-tundra-today.2558/page-1301#post-2698728

If your power steering reservoir is on top of the passenger wheel well, unbolting it and moving it out of the way (keep it as level as possible in the process) and zip-tying its lines out of the way will give space, along with temporarily detaching any vacuum hoses that connect to the intake above the cover (if yours has any, mine had two coming around the back of the head).

 

thanks! this is a huge help.

 

The VC gaskets are indeed different from an 06. The below are the VC gasket #'s from McGeorge for my 04 which is identical to what @04TundraTRD has....04 Salsa Red DC Limited. As for everything else @shifty` posted, it's spot on....spark plug tube seals and bolts. My bolts with washers came 10 to a package.

VC gaskets
11213-50031 - RH
11214-50011 - LH

 

Yes it looks like it, I don’t remember the part # but yes the one by Fel-pro

 

I'm planning to tackle this job next weekend while the wife is away. I ordered parts through Partsourq and comparing the prices to ToyotaPartsDeal it saved about $100 overall. This was the second time I've ordered through them, so I'll respond once I get the parts in (04/06) but here's what I ordered to do everything on my 2003.

# Number Name Make Qty Qty Supplied Price
1 9034110011 PLUG (FOR FRONT DIFFERENTIAL DRAIN) Toyota 1 1 1.53$
2 3517830010 GASKET (FOR TRANSFER OIL PAN) Toyota 1 1 1.22$
3 1121450011 GASKET, CYLINDER HEAD COVER, NO.2 Toyota 1 1 10.27$
4 1121350031 GASKET, CYLINDER HEAD COVER Toyota 1 1 10.27$
5 1119350010 GASKET, SPARK PLUG TUBE Toyota 8 8 1.57$
6 9010906163 BOLT(FOR CYLINDER HEAD COVER LH) Toyota 20 20 0.71$
7 1118350020 PLUG, SEMICIRCULAR Toyota 4 4 3.91$
8 1220450030 VALVE SUB-ASSY, VENTILATION Toyota 1 1 12.96$
9 1711650010 GASKET, INTAKE FLANGE Toyota 1 1 8.37$
10 1717150020 GASKET, INTAKE MANIFOLD TO HEAD, NO.1 Toyota 2 2 12.23$
11 9091901166 PLUG, SPARK Toyota 8 8 2.27$
12 2227150042 GASKET, THROTTLE BODY Toyota 1 1 11.93$
13 9046715021 CLIP OR CLAMP(FOR VENTILATION HOSE) Toyota 2 2 0.44$

Item(s) Subtotal 142.45$
Shipping 37.43$
Total
179.88$

 

I've got my gasket kit and FIPG waiting on me to get off my ass and get it knocked out. One of these days.

 

I'm multi-tasking while I'm in there. Replacing the gaskets on the intake because I need to take the plenum off and do some deep cleaning to get rid of some carbon buildup. I noticed that my nicely spaced list didn't keep the spacing once I hit "post." I already ordered the half-moons cuz I wasn't sure if they were reusable or not. Already ordered the Toyota FIPG from another site.

The grommets should be included with the bolts for the part number listed above.
Yes, the parts are oem, or sometimes it will list a substitute which I think is nice. I opted for OEM.

 

Yup @Mogo Gogo I dove in to do a couple things a week or two ago and also had a bunch of oil trapped. I didn't have replacement gaskets for the intake at the time so I wanted to go ahead and replace them.
What air/oil separator are you going with? I've been thinking about getting one, but wasn't sure how common it is to have oil trapped in the plenum, or what kind of catch can to go with.

The main reason I like that site above is the diagram view and it usually has real pictures of the part which makes it really easy to find what I need.

 

Anything else to order while working with the Valve Covers.

I added a PCV valve, but I only saw a listing for left side

 

PCV is only on driver side. You'll have coil packs out, so it's an easy time to check your spark plugs and replace while in there.

 

I'm considering doing the gaskets/spark plug seals, as well as a PCV valve. My truck has nearly 200k on it and I'm pretty sure they are the originals. They leak along the bottom sides, but not out of any of the bolt holes or on the other sides. You can't ever smell it in the cab but if you've been on the highway for a while you can smell it a bit once you get out.

However, I'm more worried about rust, and snapping off the bolts. I've read a couple times on here that they're pretty easy to snap, and mine definitely have their share of rust. I've snapped off plenty of bolts on this truck, including ones that wouldn't be very likely to rust. The truck is my main mode of transportation and I can't have it out of commission for more than a day or two.

Has anyone snapped off one of the bolts? How difficult is it to drill and tap with the power steering/brake master/battery/etc in the way? Is it possible to heat them up with a torch, or get the engine real warm beforehand?