Cars - For Car Enthusiasts

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.

Context: I am a professional autotech, worked on various models at dealerships for 8 years, and independently for 4.

• 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.

• 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.

• You may need silicone gasket sealer depending on the design to seal where the timing cover, cylinder head, and valve cover meet.

• Get a spark plug socket, you will hate yourself if you don't.

• 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.

• 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.

• Sometimes valve cover gaskets have separate spark plug hole seals, make sure your new valve cover gasket comes with them if it needs them.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

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.

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!