Found oil in the spark pug wells so I am going to throw in a valve cover gasket & spark plug seals. Anyone ever come across a write up for the procedure? Or does anyone have some tips on the procedure?
Thanks!

 

There is probably a write up somewhere. It is NOT rocket science.

Guard covers ON.

Top cover off, unplug the coil loom, lift the loom out of the clips CAREFULLY, hook it under the wiper arm to keep it out of the way.

Remove the coils.

Undo the hose clamp on the breather hose, and push the hose off, being carefull NOT to split said hose.

Undo the larger "torx" screws that hold the BIG cover in place, no need to remove them from the cover, as they are held in place by the rubber sleeves,, remove the oil cap, put your fingers in the hole, lift off the cover.

On the bench, remove the old gasket, and CLEAN that groove, then CLEAN it again.

Remove the spark plug seals from the cover, or the cylinder head, wherever they have ended up, and CLEAN that area also, and the mating surface of the cylinder head that the seals sit on. When I say CLEAN, I mean solvent clean, yeh I am fussy.

Fit the plug seals to the cover, they should sit firmly in place, if in doubt a SMALL spot of RTV to hold them in place is acceptable.

Fit the new gasket to the outer groove, again a few SPOTS of RTV to keep it located is acceptable also.

Invert the cover, and ensure ALL the seals are staying where they belong.

I use a small bead of RTV on the seats of the "half moon" area, just to be sure.

Walk out to the beast, fit the cover, and SLOWLY insert the larger "torx" bolts until they are all "finger tight". Now check that the seals etc are still in place, run your fingers around the edge, take particular attention to the half moon area, look in the plug holes, then DO IT ALL AGAIN. Once you are happy, slowly tighten the torx bolts from the centre to the outer ends.

DO NOT overtighten those torx bolts, they are a "shanked bolt" and tighten to a pre-determined length, which gives the correct "crush" on the gaskets, so NICE AND FIRM is my way. The other reason to NOT overtighten those bolts is that they BREAK, and that is just going to eat into your drinking time, so BE WARNED.

Refit the coils, loom, breather hose, top cover, then wipe it all nice and pretty, turn the key, and observe the oil leaks, JUST KIDDING, its NOT a V12, go have a drink or 2 or 3.

It sounds involved, but my first time took 1 hour flat, now I can off and on that cover in 30 minutes without getting sweaty.

Enjoy

 

Inspect the inside of the cover for peeling paint. Ours has the finish bubbling on the outside, and for whatever reason, the inside was painted also. Clean the inside completely for both gunk and flaking paint.

 

Thanks again for breaking it all down for me Grant. I really appreciate it. Those tips are gunna make my life a lot easier and now the procedure shouldn't cut into my drinking time if I do all as stated. & Thanks for your tips as well 5 speed
& Grant, to say the least... several rounds &/or a 12 pack will be on me when you make it back to Hawaii for all your help locating the PDF for the shock job & breaking down the entire valve cover gasket job. No good deed goes unnoticed.
Mahalo, Aloha, O ka Ko O he'e Nalu
hahaha
Cheers

 

The bolt seal washers also establish the gasket compression. They take a set and you might not get enough gasket compression. If you are still getting leaks keep this in mind, or just get the kit that includes new bolt washers.

 

My tips:

Don`t, please, don`t buy cheap aftermarket valve cover gasket from Ebay for couple of bucks. It`s an absolute nightmare, don`t repeat my mistakes. That POS is possible to install only with sealant, because it`s just not matching size correctly.

Do not overtorque the damn bolts. The thread in the cylinder head snaps super easily. I`ve stripped two threads and was forced to fix it with Helicoil. Be gentle. If you have leaks, don`t try to tighten the bolts more - there`s most likely another cause of leaks (crappy gasket, warped valve cover, not clean enough contact surfaces. etc).

 

I just replaced the cover gasket last month and it leaked at the same corner at the passenger and fire wall. Unfortunately, I will have to redo and will add addition gasket maker paste at this particular corner.

 

Did you use an aftermarket gasket?

URO makes an acceptable gasket for the spark plug wells, but they don't make a camcover gasket.

There is no acceptable aftermarket manufacturer of camcover gaskets. They are too big and will not permanently resolve any leak issues you might have.

Futhermore, you will need 13 bolt gaskets as well. Rock auto seems to sell these at a reasonable price.

 

I did not realized the need for 13 bolts gaskets. I will order some from Rock Auto for my XJS as well. thanks