Valve cover Gasket leaking

[esse10]

Has anybody replaced the valve cover gasket and how easy is it to do? Three of my Spark Plugs had oil in the well and a little into the threads of the plugs. It's not affecting performance yet, but rather fix the problem before it becomes one.

[billymade]

Not a terribly hard job; somewhat time consuming: get a quality gasket kit like Victor Reinz or Felpro. Here is a DIY that should give you an idea of the job; the top components are in a slightly different position but very similar.

VWVortex.com - DIY: 1.8T Valve Cover Gasket replacement w/ Pics

[esse10]

Originally Posted by billymade

Not a terribly hard job; somewhat time consuming: get a quality gasket kit like Victor Reinz or Felpro. Here is a DIY that should give you an idea of the job; the top components are in a slightly different position but very similar.

VWVortex.com - DIY: 1.8T Valve Cover Gasket replacement w/ Pics

Hey thanks , good info. The beetle just has more stuff at the top of the cover to remove, but very similar. thanks.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by esse10

Hey thanks , good info. The beetle just has more stuff at the top of the cover to remove, but very similar. thanks.

If you replace the Valve cover gasket you should also replace the cam tensioner gasket and half moon seal. They are very prone to leakage and aren't really that difficult to replace if you have the cam chain tensioner tool. You can get everything from Blauparts like I did. They even rent the tool for $10 bucks or you can buy one from them for $35. Or E-Bay has them starting at 12 bucks but I don't know how good those Made in China tools are. Anyway here is a link to the Blauparts gasket kits:
Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gasket Kit - Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gaskets
I just ordered mine and it should arrive here in a couple of days. I would leave the two cam seals alone since you will have to mess with the timing belt and I wouldn't mess with that unless absolutely necessary. For the half moon gasket and Cam Tensioner seal you don't need to mess with the cams or timing belt. It is located on the right side/drivers side where the chain connects the two cams. Good Luck.

[esse10]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

If you replace the Valve cover gasket you should also replace the cam tensioner gasket and half moon seal. They are very prone to leakage and aren't really that difficult to replace if you have the cam chain tensioner tool. You can get everything from Blauparts like I did. They even rent the tool for $10 bucks or you can buy one from them for $35. Or E-Bay has them starting at 12 bucks but I don't know how good those Made in China tools are. Anyway here is a link to the Blauparts gasket kits:
Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gasket Kit - Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gaskets
I just ordered mine and it should arrive here in a couple of days. I would leave the two cam seals alone since you will have to mess with the timing belt and I wouldn't mess with that unless absolutely necessary. For the half moon gasket and Cam Tensioner seal you don't need to mess with the cams or timing belt. It is located on the right side/drivers side where the chain connects the two cams. Good Luck.

Hey thanks I will keep it in mind. let me know how your job went. I might find some time and do mine around early December cause too busy these days.

[IndyTom]

Originally Posted by esse10

Hey thanks I will keep it in mind. let me know how your job went. I might find some time and do mine around early December cause too busy these days.

Installation went well and the Blauparts Valve Cover kit was complete with everything need except the VW Cam Chain tensioner tool which I purchased from them as well.
With the VW tool I compressed the tensioner which enabled me to lift it enough (about 1/3 of an inch) to pry off the flat gasket and then pry out the rubber half moon seal gasket. I used electronic cleaner to clean out all the oil and gunk on the mating surfaces and then carefully slid in the new half moon rubber gasket. This is where a second pair of hands would come in handy since it is a bit of a challenge to hold up the tensioner and trying to put the new half moon rubber gasket in place. I did it by myself but if you have a buddy that can help in this step it would make it a bit less frustrating. Overall it wasn't too bad and I swapped out the Half Moon and new Flat gasket in about 20 minutes. Once I had my Valve cover off I used that opportunity to thoroughly clean that sucker with some Wheel cleaner I had laying around. Then hosed it off and polished it some more. That thing never shined as much as it does now. Be sure to use the included gasket sealer in the cam channels on both sides and all four corners. Then place the gasket and use a bit more gasket sealer on all corners. Then replace the Valve Cover and make sure the gasket hasn't slipped anywhere then replace the VC nuts and torque to 7ft lbs. Don't overtighten since that will cause the gasket to slip or break. Then just put everything back the way it was on there. The sealant cures in 24 hours and then take it for a test run and check for leaks.
I did have an issue while removing the elbow hose from the Valve cover and it just broke in two. The dealer wanted almost 40 bucks for a hose that isn't even 4 inches total. Crazy!! I ordered it from a Porsche/VW dealership in California that sells everything at wholesale for only 16 bucks and they shipped it the same day. It amazes me that local dealers take advantage of the customers that way. They have over a 140% Markup and I bet the other dealership in California still makes money selling it at 16 bucks. I took advantage of the cheaper prices and also ordered some Coil Connector Housings which needed replacing since I broke those little tabs. Again, my dealer locally wanted 28 bucks per Housing (no wires) and this other dealer sold them to me at 11 bucks a pop. I also got a TT short shifter for 43 bucks and new center caps for my stock wheels for 15 bucks a piece. They had the BEST prices of anyone for OEM VW parts.
Here is a link in case you ever need a OEM replacement part:
http://www.vwoempartsonline.com/part...?siteid=216781

Good Luck with your Valve Cover gasket replacement. It really isn't that bad of a job. Took me about 2 hours total and most of it was spent cleaning the Valve Cover itself Just be careful removing parts especially brittle hoses and connectors. With time they do get heat soaked and just plain old and will give out.

Here is the link to the Blauparts kit which is OEM quality and does include everything except the VW Cam Chain tensioner tool which is necessary to compress the tensioner enough to get the half moon seal and flat seal replaced.

Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gasket Kit - Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gaskets

All you need is the BASE kit. It also includes new Cam seals which I didn't replace since you would have to mess with the timing belt and remove the cams, etc. which unless they are leaking like a siff isn't worth it and would open up a whole new can of worms. Just make sure you replace the VC gasket, the spark plug gasket, the Flat seal and the half Moon seal and you should be good.

Good Luck!

[esse10]

Originally Posted by IndyTom

Installation went well and the Blauparts Valve Cover kit was complete with everything need except the VW Cam Chain tensioner tool which I purchased from them as well.
With the VW tool I compressed the tensioner which enabled me to lift it enough (about 1/3 of an inch) to pry off the flat gasket and then pry out the rubber half moon seal gasket. I used electronic cleaner to clean out all the oil and gunk on the mating surfaces and then carefully slid in the new half moon rubber gasket. This is where a second pair of hands would come in handy since it is a bit of a challenge to hold up the tensioner and trying to put the new half moon rubber gasket in place. I did it by myself but if you have a buddy that can help in this step it would make it a bit less frustrating. Overall it wasn't too bad and I swapped out the Half Moon and new Flat gasket in about 20 minutes. Once I had my Valve cover off I used that opportunity to thoroughly clean that sucker with some Wheel cleaner I had laying around. Then hosed it off and polished it some more. That thing never shined as much as it does now. Be sure to use the included gasket sealer in the cam channels on both sides and all four corners. Then place the gasket and use a bit more gasket sealer on all corners. Then replace the Valve Cover and make sure the gasket hasn't slipped anywhere then replace the VC nuts and torque to 7ft lbs. Don't overtighten since that will cause the gasket to slip or break. Then just put everything back the way it was on there. The sealant cures in 24 hours and then take it for a test run and check for leaks.
I did have an issue while removing the elbow hose from the Valve cover and it just broke in two. The dealer wanted almost 40 bucks for a hose that isn't even 4 inches total. Crazy!! I ordered it from a Porsche/VW dealership in California that sells everything at wholesale for only 16 bucks and they shipped it the same day. It amazes me that local dealers take advantage of the customers that way. They have over a 140% Markup and I bet the other dealership in California still makes money selling it at 16 bucks. I took advantage of the cheaper prices and also ordered some Coil Connector Housings which needed replacing since I broke those little tabs. Again, my dealer locally wanted 28 bucks per Housing (no wires) and this other dealer sold them to me at 11 bucks a pop. I also got a TT short shifter for 43 bucks and new center caps for my stock wheels for 15 bucks a piece. They had the BEST prices of anyone for OEM VW parts.
Here is a link in case you ever need a OEM replacement part:
V.W. AND Audi OEM Parts | Genuine Factory Parts Accessories | Wholesale

Good Luck with your Valve Cover gasket replacement. It really isn't that bad of a job. Took me about 2 hours total and most of it was spent cleaning the Valve Cover itself Just be careful removing parts especially brittle hoses and connectors. With time they do get heat soaked and just plain old and will give out.

Here is the link to the Blauparts kit which is OEM quality and does include everything except the VW Cam Chain tensioner tool which is necessary to compress the tensioner enough to get the half moon seal and flat seal replaced.

Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gasket Kit - Vw Beetle Valve Cover Gaskets

All you need is the BASE kit. It also includes new Cam seals which I didn't replace since you would have to mess with the timing belt and remove the cams, etc. which unless they are leaking like a siff isn't worth it and would open up a whole new can of worms. Just make sure you replace the VC gasket, the spark plug gasket, the Flat seal and the half Moon seal and you should be good.

Good Luck!

Hey cool! thanks man.