Hello! I own a 08 Acura TL that has an oil leak from a bad valve cover gasket. I took it to my mechanic for some other things, but also wanted a quote for a replacement. The number they gave me was too high for my liking, and I did some research and decided to attempt the replacement myself. The shop would’ve done a spark plug replacement as well, so I also plan to do that. My issue is I have never done work on a car, not even an oil change. In total so far, I need 2 sets of valve cover gaskets, spark plugs, an intake plenum gasket, and maybe an air filter boot (since I’ve heard they have a tendency to crack, if anyone has a good source please let me know). What other parts should I preventatively replace, and what are the normal steps to working on the top of the engine?
Don’t be afraid to try this if you can follow basic instructions. Cars are pretty stout and unless you do something crazy this should go fine.
I would guess you can find some good YouTube videos that will walk through he specific steps/process for your car. Or a car forum/FB group to search any specific issues changing valve covers. Generally this is a pretty straightforward job.
I have no idea what maintenance has been done previously etc. But if it has plug wires might consider changing them as well, however a lot of cars today have coils right on the plugs so no maintenance needed if yours is like that.
Realize the small bolts holding the valve cover on will not take a ton of force to tighten. They’re small bolts going into small holes. Pay attention to how tight they are when taking them off if you don’t plan to use a torque wrench to tighten them. Make them snug not crazy tight.
Thanks for the reply! I already did find a couple videos and forum posts about this specific job, so I’m hoping it’ll go fairly smoothly. I do believe the coils are right on top of the plugs, along with a plug boot. Are the coils worth replacing, and what exactly is a plug boot? From what I’m reading, them being missing can cause some issues in removing the plugs. I do plan on grabbing a rental torque wrench just to be sure I don’t do anything crazy 😂
I’m honestly not sure what a plug boot is. What I’ve seen is for the coil -on-plug style they’re one piece and no need to replace unless one dies and even then you just replace the bad one. The connectors on them can also have goofy locking connectors that are likely easy to break so just pay attention.
A torque wrench that will work with those small valve cover bolts will be a 3/8" one and be able to measure inch lbs. (Aka small values).
While this isn’t a foolproof tip, if you call AutoZone, or Acura and ask if they have plug boots for your car and they say no that would be at least a decent indicator they’re not normal maintenance items. Use that forum to search and see what they are if people are changing them.
Plug boots are the little grippy bits on your ignition coil that the spark plug fits into. They wear out eventually-- Rockauto.com has them, had to pop new ones on 06 rav4 because it got cranky after checking the spark plugs. (I’m not a mechanic, but a spiteful 01 Subaru owner who refused to dish out 5k for a gasket job and elected to diy.) OP, make sure you have your service manual for torque specs.
I assumed that by the name I just wasn’t aware they were two pieces.
I would say Honda coils are darn reliable and if you aren’t experiencing a problem, don’t sweat it. They are easy to replace if that time ever comes. I’ve had a couple DOA aftermarket coils and certified parts were stupid expensive.
The plug boot mostly just keeps dirt out of the plug hole. It can degrade if the spark plug is failing allowing some blowby to heat things up.
Good, the prices I’ve seen for the coils would not make my wallet happy lmao. I might try @[email protected]’s suggestion and hit up Autozone about the boots
Autozone or Oreillys should also have a torque wrench to borrow for tightening the valve covers and intake (you rent it, but they only keep the money if you keep it too long so it’s free unless you forget to return on time).
Context: I am a professional autotech, worked on various models at dealerships for 8 years, and independently for 4.
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Do not allow dirt/dust/debris to get anywhere inside the cylinder head or timing cover while the valve cover is off because it can cause damage such as scratched or gouged cam lobes.
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Be careful not to overtighten the valve cover bolts/nuts. Also be ready in case the valve cover breaks during removal, if its made of plastic its very common for them to break. Also properly follow the manufacturer specs for tightening order and torque.
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You may need silicone gasket sealer depending on the design to seal where the timing cover, cylinder head, and valve cover meet.
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Get a spark plug socket, you will hate yourself if you don’t.
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Don’t drop the spark plugs. If you do, buy new ones since there may be a hairline crack in the insulator you can’t see and its not worth trying to fiddle over which one is damaged later.
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Make sure the gap on the spark plugs is correct per manufacturers specifications. Sometimes the gap is not.pre-gapped or is wrong when you get them from the parts shop.
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Sometimes valve cover gaskets have separate spark plug hole seals, make sure your new valve cover gasket comes with them if it needs them.
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Do not drop anything into the spark plug holes. Those go directly to the engine cylinder and youll have a hard time fishing it out. If something falls in there fish it out before starting the engine, as irreversible damage will occur.
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If you pull the cover and the oil in the head is very dark and very thick, just stop and don’t do any more work on it. Personally I recommend replacing a sludged engine over gambling on trying to clean it out. But if there is no sludge you’re fine.
I’ve read it’s a good idea to clean up the engine bay before starting to prevent number one, will that help at all? This engine also does need those spark plug seals, but I found a well reviewed kit for a decent price. And when you mention sludge, what would that indicate?
You can clean it if you want but be careful with where you get the water. Also let it dry completely before starting to work on it because you dont want water getting into the oil.
I never clean the engine bay, but I do get some painter’s masking plastic and I lay it over the top of the exposed cylinder head once I remove the valve cover to keep debris out.
Sludge would mean you didn’t change the engine oil often enough (in some cases it can also indicate very excessive blow-by, but in my experience I have only seen that once). I don’t know the past history of maintenance but I find it more times than I want to when working on customer vehicles. If you take care of your engine you probably have nothing to worry about.
Also, sometimes the underside of the oil cap or the inside of the valve cover can sometimes have a slightly milky yellow film on it, this is fine as it is a mixture of oil and condensation build up. As long as it is not all over the whole cylinder head, it is okay to just wipe it off or spray it off with something like brake cleaner.
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Tasca Parts and Rock Auto are my usual go-to for car parts online.
I think you are getting everything you should do along with the VCG. You do want to check the condition of things under the intake while you are in there. Since you are doing a lot, you might as well do the accessory drive belt(s) and tensioner if they have not been done recently. At least check the condition of the belt.
You will want to get some grey insta-gasket and have some plastic razor blades to scrape off the old gasket material that was applied at the seams between the heads and the timing cover and where there are 90 degree angles of mating surface to the gasket. You don’t need much, just a dab to help bridge the transition/corner.
I do also want to warn you that you are taking on a fairly hard job for a neophyte to take on, there is a lot going on but if you read the factory workshop manual and take your time, it shouldn’t be a giant ideal. I think that job calls for 3-3.5 hours to do, so plan on it taking twice that if you run into problems. I hope you have a car-guy/gal you can call if you run into a problem. The big challenge will be getting at all the nuts/bolts on the back half of the engine, there is a reason mechanics have such big tool boxes.
Best of luck to you, Godspeed, and let the 10mm always be with you.
Thanks for the info! I did have my belts replaced fairly recently after an oil change, but I can definitely take a look at the tensioner as well. The insta gasket is something I had forgotten about though, thanks for the reminder! I also realize this may not be the best job to start out on, but I do beat on the car a bit more than I should and felt like this would be a good opportunity to get my foot in the door with doing my own maintenance from now on. Also plan on taking a weekend to make sure I’ll be able to get to work afterwards
I think while tasca has good prices on the actual parts, their shipping costs make them nearly as much as going to the dealer. (At least that’s been my experience with my Ford)
You aren’t wrong, they are more of my fallback from Rock Auto. Sometimes they are the best option though.
Done this (kinda) before on a accord V6 so basically the same engine. Have to take the manifold off which is pretty straightforward. Don’t drop anything inside or you’ll have a bad day. Gaskets are pretty easy. Know your torque specs when you reassemble. Different bolts have different loads.
Spark plugs are right there too. Don’t over crank or you’ll have a bad day. These engines use coil-on-plug, so you don’t have to replace wires. The ECU will tell you if it misfires anyway. Do not do not do not cheap out on spark plugs and get some crap Bosch bs to save a few bucks. Why do I know? It’s called plug ejection and it leaves you stranded on the side of the road. The spark plug takes the cylinder threads with it as it’s launched into space. I replaced all the plugs and 3 others were broken in some way. Don’t be like me. Slapped NGK plugs in and not a problem since. Stick with those.
I will mention it would be a great time to check/adjust valve clearances especially if you are around 200,000 miles. Mine needed it pretty bad.
Upgrade-wise there is a manifold spacer which supposedly increases torque. Kinda wish I did that then (new gaskets needed) but I thought my car was on its last leg so I didn’t want to throw cash at it. Surprise, reliable ever since.
Oh, and there is a gasket on the throttle body that is easy to tear. Be gentle and you can reuse it.
I’m interested in this manifold spacer, do you have any more info on that? What would checking the clearances entail?
Feeler gauge tool, wrench/screwdriver, and a cheat sheet of what position your crankshaft is in for each valve. You turn it a little to open/shut the valves so they’re in the right spot to check the clearance.
Project CHARM has some factory service manuals available for the 2008 TL. I am not sure there is an explicit instruction set for resealing the valve covers exactly, but they likely can be inferred from the reassembly instructions of a head-removal job.
There’s a few things I would recommend to someone wrenching for the first time to save many headaches, all having to do with reassembly:
First, when reinstalling screws, turn them counter-clockwise until they “click” and fall down a little before turning clockwise to tighten. This ensures that the screw is lined up in the proper thread and won’t cross-thread.
Second, buy a cheap Harbor Freight torque wrench, for a valve cover you’ll probably just need a 1/4" flavor. Screws with a 8mm or 10mm head (M6 thread) often get torqued down to 80in/lbs and no more. This’ll avoid stripping the threads in the soft aluminum head, which will be a super expensive fix if you can’t do that yourself. In general I look up torque specs as much as I can to get a feel for how much I need to tighten a fastener.
Finally, finger tight all bolts first, and then go around again and tighten all bolts in a criss-cross pattern. Once you tighten one bolt, tighten the bolt farthest away, and repeat until all are tightened. This will prevent parts from warping and gaskets from deforming.
Good luck fam, wrenching is a fun and valuable skill. Be proud that you can do it!
