3.4L valve cover leaks

This is my second Tacoma with a 3.4L.. 3 engines and 6 valve cover gasket replacements between the 2 trucks. The gaskets have always been done by professional shops. I'm done, I'm doing this repair myself this time. Why do these valve covers keep leaking? What's the fix? They didn't leak when they were new so... Am I going to need any special tools for the job? I was told the intake manifold has to come off, wtf?

Thanks in advance from your local old school American V8 mechanic

 

Check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5fAXAuGozI

After you get your plenum and stuff off, use tape like Timmy sez and
take advantage of access to clean your valleys and everything else
you can reach while all that stuff is off...

-Mike

 

Early in my DIY car maintenance experience, I used only black rubber OEM gaskets. Those lasted roughly 3 years before they started leaking. It was always the "hard to reach" gasket under the intake plenum that would leak first. So a friend in the parts business suggested I try the blue silicone gaskets from FelPro. I have other engines with valve covers and gaskets that are very similar to the ones on a 3.4L. Those are the only valve gaskets that last on that engine. So I got over the whole OEM VC gasket thing and switched to silicone. Recently, when I refurbished the 3.4L, I went with the best silicone gaskets that I could find. So far so good. Though I think it takes 5+ years to really tell how a gasket performs.

I've learned to freeze the spark plug tube seals before installation. That makes them contract so they are easier to install.



Leaky VC gaskets just drive me crazy.

 

damn- that is one good looking engine. I will have to remember this for future replacement

 

the fel-pro blue silicone gaskets are the only things that work on my sbc. everything else starts to leak sooner or later, but those really did do the trick.
Good to know they work for the 3.4l too

 

do you have a link where you can get that kit for the future?

 

Video about keeping gaskets dry during installation.

https://youtu.be/5i3n_wiRfk0

 

That is awesome, thank you.

 

Awesome, thank you for the tips.

 

Definitely, I've used them in the same application as you did.

 

Try re snugging the bolts first. They tend to loosen up over time.

 

I don't know if you've seen them but there are sbc header gaskets made solely out of a bunch of layers of aluminum that are crimped together so they stay together during install. They never leak and are reuseable.

 

Are the bolts accessible without major disassembly? I noticed in the video posted above there are a lot more gaskets up there than just the valve cover gaskets. Nothing like what I'm used to. There are even gaskets on the VC bolts. Crazy.

 

For the VC bolts and grommets, I replace those with new OEM. It's cheaper just to buy a set of them.

 

I agree. This guy pinned the proper look for our engine bays.

 

Lost my post. www.rockauto.com FelPro VS50422R $25.79 then use the TacomaWorld discount code for taking off 5%.

 

Not withstanding Tim's most excellent video (which is probably all you'll need,) if you email me at zach141b at gmail dot com, I will send you a Word doc detailing my experience with doing the VC job.

 

Just did mine using all OEM gaskets. Good time to send the injectors out for cleaning and servicing too, if you can wait. That's where I'm at now, waiting for my injectors to come back. Here's how the truck sits now.



You do have to remove the upper 2 halves of the intake since it covers the driver side valve cover. Also a good time to replace the TB gasket and some of the vacuum hoses that are at the back of the engine and can't be easily reached with the intake in place.

 

Sounds like great advice to me, thanks. Also thanks for the excellent pic of that stage of the process.
Although I bought this 4WD to off road with a friend and his Blazer, we have yet to get out once. So my truck is pretty much a street queen, lol. So when I do the job I'm going to do a ton of detail work and make the engine bay look like I used to make my hot rods and boats engine bays look (spotless).

 

Just detailed mine today, two months after the valve cover/ top end work