Valve Cover Gasket DIY?

[Tusin]

I plan on changing mine out tomorrow. I have yet to find a DIY on this. I have Elsa-Win, so have the tq and sequence. And it does looks pretty straight forward. Remove PCV (not even sure if that is necessary), remove rear PCV, one other hose, then the bolts holding the valve cover on. I have never gone a VC gasket on any car though.

If there isn't one out there, I will take a bunch of pictures and make one.

[Coderedpl]

Did you ever do this or find a DIY?

[viziers]

I'll be installing the Eurojet VC on Thursday....



vizi

[agkellyboy]

If anyone needs the bolt tightening order from the Bentley let me know and I'll take a screen.

[Coderedpl]

If anyone needs the bolt tightening order from the Bentley let me know and I'll take a screen.

Would be nice

[vannyhuj]

I don't have a DIY, but I have done this. It is extremely simple, just follow the torque sequence and specs and you'll have no problems. It's basically removing the coil packs & harness, remove two torx screws from the timing belt cover, removing two hoses on the passenger side, PCV & hose on the driver side. I cleaned it up first, put the new gasket on and followed the torque sequencing. Then hooked everything back up. It should only take about 30 min to 1 hour to do. PM me, I can send the images from ELSAWIN.

[Quattro]

interesting!

[vannyhuj]

[audib7maniac]

I need to change my valvecover gasket, are you guys using the OEM one?

[vannyhuj]

I need to change my valvecover gasket, are you guys using the OEM one?

I would say definitely yes. Not an area you'd want to get frugal on. Especially with the cam follower issues, not the area you'd want to leak and have lubrication issues. Also, it's not expensive ($16, part #: 06F-103-483-D), and I don't even know who would make an aftermarket one.

[naiku]

I need to carry out this repair on my car in the next week or two. I have the valve cover gasket already, but am pretty sure my torque wrench is too big, is that something required? or can I get away without it?

Also, anything else I should be aware of when changing the gasket?

[agkellyboy]

The valve cover bolts should be hand tight, but don't crank down on them, 10 Nm is only 7.4 ft-lb. There's a little rubber grommet attached to each bolt, and if you squish that too much you'll know you went to hard.

[naiku]

The valve cover bolts should be hand tight, but don't crank down on them, 10 Nm is only 7.4 ft-lb. There's a little rubber grommet attached to each bolt, and if you squish that too much you'll know you went to hard.

You know I almost wonder if the bolt is actually the cause of my oil leak. Most of the oil is around the one bolt, for it to come from the gasket it would have to come out and upwards (possible I know, but how likely) and when I looked the rubber grommet looked a little squashed. Might take another look later, and maybe loosen then hand tighten that one bolt back up, clean up the oil and see what happens.

[naiku]

Getting the valve cover off was a pain in the ass, had to really pry on it to get it to budge. When it finally came off a small piece fell down into the engine somewhere. The old gasket was brittle and fell to pieces as I took it off, which is why a piece fell as I lifted the cover.

[b7kevin]

this is one of those things you really don't have to read into to much....

[mec]

I am looking to swap out my valve cover gasket as well, does anyone know if the sealant is necessary, I called the dealership and they told me the gasket is $16 and the sealant is $97, ecs has it for $70 but still for some sealant, that's ridiculous...

[digitalAUDI]

i've taken my valve cover off before, not to change the gasket because it was fine, but to paint it, and I didn't go through any sequences or torque specs. I did see a buddy of mine do it first though. He's an audi/vw mechanic who told me there is no big deal to all that. Just make sure to hand tighten the screws without overtightening or stripping them. When he did it, I thought I had a leak, which I did, but wasn't from there and he didn't mention anything about sealant when he was doing it...

[Charles.waite]

You can pick up any hi-temp sealant from an auto parts store, just ask them what they recommend. I used Permatex Black silicon sealant on my B6 1.8t earlier this year and its holding strong. As far as where to use it, use it on the corners or any place where the gasket has any strange shapes (the 1.8t has a weird half-moon shape that requires sealant). The bentley doesn't mention sealant, so its not a requirement, just a good preventative measure.

FIY I am replacing my Valve Cover Gasket this weekend so I'll try to take some pics and make note of any strangeness. Might even put a nice DIY together, though I'm not that organised.

Edit: also the sequence isn't massively important, just try to alternate sides and don't torque too much. The point of alternating is to ensure even pressure on the gasket and making sure the Valve Cover itself doesn't distort which could create a leak down the line.

[shiro1745]

can somebody point me in the right direction for getting a good torque wrench with low range torque? I have a big and small one but they're the cheap ones autozone has. I don't really trust them 100%. So I'd like to get a sensitive one for low torque jobs but I don't know much about them.

[mec]

You can pick up any hi-temp sealant from an auto parts store, just ask them what they recommend. I used Permatex Black silicon sealant on my B6 1.8t earlier this year and its holding strong. As far as where to use it, use it on the corners or any place where the gasket has any strange shapes (the 1.8t has a weird half-moon shape that requires sealant). The bentley doesn't mention sealant, so its not a requirement, just a good preventative measure.

FIY I am replacing my Valve Cover Gasket this weekend so I'll try to take some pics and make note of any strangeness. Might even put a nice DIY together, though I'm not that organised.

Edit: also the sequence isn't massively important, just try to alternate sides and don't torque too much. The point of alternating is to ensure even pressure on the gasket and making sure the Valve Cover itself doesn't distort which could create a leak down the line.

Thank you! I would really appreciate some pictures, and also thanks for clearing up that sealant business.

[Charles.waite]

So it was too cold for me to take pics, so I'm going to be stealing pics from audi[]viruz's PCV Valve walkthrough. Thanks in advance man!

I just wanted to get it done (I even bagged out on changing the oil, I was being super lazy!) but it was INCREDIBLY simple. Seriously a walk in the park if you've ever worked on a 1.8t engine.

Tools:
Torx drivers of various sizes. The engine has 3 different sizes of torx bolts that they use so make sure you have the right sizes.
A good ratchet
3" wobble extension
4-6" extension
Phillips head screwdriver (if you choose to remove the air snorkel)
2 Hose clamps (roughly 1-1.25" diameter)
Valve Cover Gasket P/N: 06F103483D
Ultra-Black gasket sealer (optional) I used Permatex brand from my local Auto parts store, no need to buy the ultra expensive Audi stuff

1) Unscrew the Oil Cap to release the pressure in the crankcase. Pop off PCV hoses:


Hoses 2 and 3 are simple: just pinch the sides of the connector and pull off. For 1 you just pop the retaining clip up and over the valve nipple thing with a flathead. It shouldn't take much force so be careful not to break it. After you pop that over it should just slide right of. Just move the hoses out of the way.

2) Unhook the HPFP connector.
Unbolt the PCV valve:


Bolts 1, 2, & 3 are easy to get to, just unbolt them and make sure NOT TO DROP THEM! For the 4th I found it easiest to get at it with a wobble extension. Be extremely careful with this bolt that it doesn't fall into the Intake Manifold area as its tough to get down there and there are lots of grooves for it to get lodged in.

Pull the PCV valve off. Its probably a good idea to blow into the hose that connects to the pancake valve to check for leaks. If you can blow through it then its time for a new PCV valve! Lucky you!

3) Time to remove the air snorkel. This step is optional, but it gives you more room to wrestle with the hoses in the next step. Unscrew the two phillips head screws at the front of the bay, directly to the left of the radiator fans. Pull up on the back of the snorkel and pull out.

4) Now you have to wrestle with these two hoses:

I pulled both one-time use clamps off because I hate them and I wanted to replace them with screw clamps, but you only need to remove the bottom one. Once they are off, pull the metal hose out. Its a bit tough but just be careful an move slowly, brute force is not your friend.
For 3, I actually couldn't get the hose off to save my life. It was pretty well adhered on to the valve cover, so I just left it on and folded the valve cover back on it. Worked fine for me, but YMMV.

5) Unscrew Coil Pack Harness holddowns. They are two small torx bolts. You can't miss them. Then pull the coil packs. I bought a Coil Pack puller and I would seriously recommend anyone to get one. It makes life much easier!

6) Unscrew 2 bolts from front of Timing belt cover. You can see one here:

The other is right next to that.

6) Time to unscrew the Valve Cover. Now I can't find a good pic so I may update with a pic of my own. There are like 16 or 17 bolts holding it down. They are Torx head screws that are semi captive so you should be able to back them all the way out without fear of them falling out. What I did was back them out all the way and just pull them out. There were a few stubborn ones but I just left them in as I moved on to the next step...

7) Now you need to break the valve cover free from the head. The gasket had adhered to the had somewhat to I just rocked the valve cover back and forth with some force to pop it loose. It took some force but I got it loose after 2 minutes of tugging. Once its free pull it making sure the bolts are either all out or at least still held into the valve cover. for any stubborn bolts, just push it out of the VC from underneath.

8) Pull the gasket off the VC or the head. My gasket was in one piece, but you may not be so lucky.

9) Clean up the Valve cover well underneath.

10) Clean the mating surfaces well on the head where the gasket sits. Mine has some weird rubbery gunk all around the spark plug shafts. Be careful and just clean it up as best you can. The cleaner the surface is the better the new gasket will seal.

11) Place gasket in grooves in Valve Cover. I applied some Ultra-Black Gasket Sealer to the corners on the groove that slots into the VC just to hold it in place.

12) (optional) I also smeared a bit of the Gasket sealer on the lower edge of the gasket mating surface of the head. Since that edge is lower, it sees more pressure and (at least on my engine) was leaking worse than the top edge.

13) Place VC, with gasket, back on top of head. Be careful so that the gasket doesn't dislodge or move around. If it falls out or seats wrong you will to do this all again soon!

14) Put bolts back in. Start off tightening by hand so you don't crossthread them. Tighten them in a pattern from the inner bolts outward. I just barely snugged them, then just went around in a semi star pattern and gave them slight turns until the rubber grommets on the bolts bulged ever so slightly. I believe the torque specs are 10nm or ~7ft/lbs for people who want to be exact.

15) Replace parts you removed in reverse order.

16) Have a beer and enjoy the satisfaction of DIY'ing and saving some money!

[CorneliusRox]

how do our gaskets hold up in general? I have done some before where the gasket takes about 2 hours to get all of it off the cover... worst part of the whole job.

[Charles.waite]

how do our gaskets hold up in general? I have done some before where the gasket takes about 2 hours to get all of it off the cover... worst part of the whole job.

My 2.0t came off in one piece. My 1.8t came off in a number of pieces. Either way they came off fairly easily though and didn't leave anything on the VC or the head.

[DRAKLORE]

I've had my VC off a few times, the gasket is the rubberized reusable type. If you need a DIY to remove it... Prob just let somebody who knows what they are doing take care of it. I tightened the bolts to a comfortable hand tight feel, I also don't remember using any silicone sealant, though I may have.

[QuattroTi]

Its a good thing i replaced it myself a few months ago; thats when i discovered that the stealership stripped one of the torx screws on the PCV when the latest revision was installed under warranty.

[Charles.waite]

I've had my VC off a few times, the gasket is the rubberized reusable type. If you need a DIY to remove it... Prob just let somebody who knows what they are doing take care of it. I tightened the bolts to a comfortable hand tight feel, I also don't remember using any silicone sealant, though I may have.

Come on now. You're saying if you can't change a VC gasket without a DIY you shouldn't touch your car. That's a shitty attitude, everyone's got to start somewhere! I know its simple, but who the fuck cares. I've seen DIYs for things FAR FAR simpler than this. Just jumping into a VC gasket swap blind isn't for a lot of people, me included when I first did it on my 1.8t last June. I found the procedure in the bentley manual I have and I figured I would help some people out and do a step by step with some pics. There was literally NOTHING on how to do this online so I thought I would help some fellow AZ'ers out.

The gasket sealer is optional hence my (Optional) tag on that step. I used it mainly to keep the gasket firmly attached to the VC. And I'm pretty sure I also said hand tight on the bolts. Did you read my DIY or did you just think its child's play because you've done it a few times and skip to the end?

Not trying to get defensive, just your critiques of my DIY are fairly unwarranted and unfair to people who want to learn about their cars. Its simple as hell, but that doesn't mean they need to stumble blindly through the procedure.

[DRAKLORE]

I wasn't attacking your DIY, and i lm certain everyone starts somewhere. But I just think 1.most ppl won't begin by doing a VC removal. 2. If you are mechanically inclined enough to do an oil change... Than the VC is one step behind that IMO

For me i think the fact that we have an oil change DIY is a bit bogus, but I understand this site caters to members of all occupations and skill levels. Generally if you can look at something. ^see and feel the bolts and seams... It's a no brained type thing. Remove the pieces in bolts that clearly restrict the part from being removed and then ^see if it budges...

Not a dig at your diy or you, I'm actually glad and respect you for doing it up and doing a good job at it, because I prob would have half assed a write up

[Charles.waite]

Funny you should say that as the first thing I'd ever done on a car ever, including oil changes, was a VC Gasket change.

Don't worry I wasn't taking it personally. I just disagree and think this type of basic info is really helpful in getting over the apprehension of attempting DIY repairs, regardless of the audience of a site. I'm fairly mechanically inclined but I get nervous about doing things to my engine without fairly clear instructions and, ideally, pictures. Its not that I couldn't figure it out, but lets just say that at a minimum I'd like to do no harm to my car.

Working on cars in general is MUCH easier than most people envision it. Personally though I don't like venturing into uncharted territory.

[DRAKLORE]

Very true, I think I've molested my share of vehicles where I have a hard time relating to the general audience on this site. The most I ever look up is a torque spec.
Though the rs4 injectors gave me a run for my money trying to find a few hidden bolts. But I went blindly into the clutch/turbo as well.

I will add that a4mods.com has just about every DIY readily available. And they are more than on par with phils

[doublezero30]

I need to change my valvecover gasket, are you guys using the OEM one?

i noticed mine leaking a couple weeks ago and picked mine up at the dealer for about $15. its so cheap why wouldnt you go with a oem one? my b6 VCG was over $50.

[Charles.waite]

i noticed mine leaking a couple weeks ago and picked mine up at the dealer for about $15. its so cheap why wouldnt you go with a oem one? my b6 VCG was over $50.

I know, I did a double take when I saw how much cheaper the 2.0t VCG was!

A4mods is a great resource. Definitely hav to give them credit for inspiring me to upgrade my b6 brakes. Probably going for some hp2s or some b7 brakes.

[dcchristopher]

I'll be tackling this bad boy some day this week. Also doing the cam follower while I'm at it.

$70 for a tube of silicone sounds like a waste of money (BTW, some DIYs show an application of sealant all along the mating surfaces whereas the Bentley manual just mentions dabbing it here and there, mostly along corners and bends).

Here is the sealant that is recommended for the Victor Reinz gasket made for the A4 B7:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Reinzosil/ES1967642/

Here's the gasket itself:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B7_A4-...sket/ES251664/

... hmm, and here's the Audi/VW part:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Audi-B7_A4-...sket/ES281109/

Now why didn't I see that the first time? Son of a ...

I guess I'll keep you guys posted on how the "frugal" option holds up ...

[Charles.waite]

What do you mean by frugal option?

When I chagned my VCG I used Permatex Ultra-Black RTV. Its been working for 5 months now.

[DRAKLORE]

I may be wrong, but I feel as if any rtv should hold up pretty good?
Unless there is something particularly special about the Audi stuff?

[crazytex21]

i am doing this friday. had some oil on the coil.... packs

[DRAKLORE]

Sorry :-(
I'm going to see if I can get new VC bolts and the rubber things they sit in from the dealer. With the Vast VC they are pretty exposed and I never thought to keep them "pretty"
Lol

[crazytex21]

Sorry :-(
I'm going to see if I can get new VC bolts and the rubber things they sit in from the dealer. With the Vast VC they are pretty exposed and I never thought to keep them "pretty"
Lol

I was going to go with the Vast VC, but i had self control and spent 40 bucks for a new gasket opposed to 500 for the new VC. i have about 2500 dollars worth of stuff i have to get put on/in the car, so i should not be spending anymore money on parts right now. ha

[dcchristopher]

What do you mean by frugal option?

When I chagned my VCG I used Permatex Ultra-Black RTV. Its been working for 5 months now.

Sorry, I was referring to what vannyhuj stated about the VCG being something one ought not skimp on. I didn't notice the Audi/VW part on the ECS Tuning site. I don't mind paying an extra $5 or whatever the difference was to get closer to OEM. For all I know, though, Victor Reinz IS their OEM product.

So, between my cheaper VCG and sealant, let's see how well everything holds up.

I may be wrong, but I feel as if any rtv should hold up pretty good?
Unless there is something particularly special about the Audi stuff?

Yeah, let's hope that's how it turns out for mine. Sometimes things cost more for a good reason ... and then there's red wine, coffee, and Audi! :)

Sorry :-(
I'm going to see if I can get new VC bolts and the rubber things they sit in from the dealer. With the Vast VC they are pretty exposed and I never thought to keep them "pretty"
Lol

Now THAT's something I've been thinking about more and more as I am about to do this VCG replacement. What if it's the friggin' bolts? I've read posts where people claimed the source of the leak was through the holes for the bolts. Man, I'll be pissed!

[Charles.waite]

I REALLY don't know why Audi uses the rubber-isolated bolts they use on the 2.0T Valve Cover. Because the rubber degrades and splits/cracks. its nearly impossible to tell how much torque you're putting on the bolts and I went and checked the bolts the other day and a few were actually loose. Audi is Idiotic for using a plastic Valve Cover for SO many reasons, that being one of them, the ability to strip the PCV bolt holes is another...

I noticed a bit of oil seepage (really minor) on the passenger front side of the block. between the frontmost breather tube and the Timing belt cover. It was right where the bolts were loose, but if I were you, I'd but an extra dab of RTV in that spot.

[dcchristopher]

I REALLY don't know why Audi uses the rubber-isolated bolts they use on the 2.0T Valve Cover. Because the rubber degrades and splits/cracks. its nearly impossible to tell how much torque you're putting on the bolts and I went and checked the bolts the other day and a few were actually loose. Audi is Idiotic for using a plastic Valve Cover for SO many reasons, that being one of them, the ability to strip the PCV bolt holes is another...

I noticed a bit of oil seepage (really minor) on the passenger front side of the block. between the frontmost breather tube and the Timing belt cover. It was right where the bolts were loose, but if I were you, I'd but an extra dab of RTV in that spot.

Adding sealant around the trouble areas sounds like a great idea. Thank you for the advice and for the very encouraging DIY. I'll be doing this tomorrow and I can't wait!