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2005 valve cover gasket replacement

41K views 22 replies 12 participants last post by  John Clark 
#1 ·
Hi, I have a couple of questions regarding valve cover gasket replacement. I've been searching for quite a while and can't find the procedure for a 2005.

I see some years need a type of silicone at the corners...does a 2005 need this?
where is the best place to find torque and sequence for removal and replacement of valve cover bolts?

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
If your van has a flat valve cover then no sealant is needed. If your van has raised portions on the cylinder head then you must use the liquid sealant. I remember some guy didn't put sealant on his van and it started leaking.

6-8 pound feet of torque for the valve cover bolts. Use a 1/4 ratchet and once they stop turning, thats it. Don't try to tighten it more. It cannot be tighten more and if you force it, it will snap. For the sequence, I'll try snapping a photo from the shop manual.

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/52-2005-2010-odyssey/151868-gen3-valve-clearance-adjustment.html


 
#4 ·
It's a pretty easy job until you get to removing the rear cover. The wiring harness goes over the top of it and it really makes it a chore to get the cover off. Also, changing the spark plug tube seals is pretty tough, as are the bolt seals. The bolt seals can be done using straight Dawn dishwashing soap but the spark plug tube seals come out pretty hard.
 
#5 ·
Thanks MrRanger and John for the info, links and tips. My parts are in and I'll be doing this next weekend and i'll post how I make out. Really appreciate the help.

JJ
 
#6 ·
I have a question: How do the spark plug seals go in? There are videos showing both ways...I have done this before and the trouble is that when you put them in down (like and upside down cup) they stick out through the gap between the valve cover and the spark plug tubes. The first time I tried to keep the part that stuck in between the two and when they slipped out, half of them were caught in there and cut when pinched.

This is important to me because I am doing this job, AGAIN, because the spark plug tubes leaked.
 
#7 ·
First, there is only one way those seals go in, pretty much the same way you see them when you pull the valve cover.
I will attach a pic below.
I can totally relate to the difficulty of putting valve covers back on and struggling to slip the seals onto tubes without destroying them.
Things I tried are:
1. oil - better than no oil but did not seem to help much
2. silicon spray - it dissipates too quickly and this job requires time and patience
3. Silglyde - this is the ticket, not only is this stuff the only thing I use on brake jobs, it works great for assisting to put the seals back onto tubes without cutting them.

So, apply a thin layer of silglyde onto the seal, place the cover over and then start at either end of the cover and gingerly, assist each seal to sit over the tube. Don't force anything. Dont use screwdrivers. I use my finger nail on my thumb to go around each seal and push it down. Works like a charm at takes fraction of time compared to previous methods I tried.

Auto part Engine Vehicle Car
 
#10 ·
replace the gaskets/grommets on the bolts (many valve cover gasket kits will come with the two gaskets, the 6 spark plug tube gaskets, and the gaskets for the bolts) - as pointed out already, getting the spark plug tube gaskets out can be a bugger.

around the pump - is it oil or PS fluid leaking? could be the pressure line leaking, or the seals in the pump (it's pretty straightforward to pull it apart and replace the seals if that's the case)
 
#11 ·
Hey guys did some searching around. I have the same year Odyssey with the flat valve covers thankfully. I bought the new valve cover gasket and it seems they do not sit flush like the old ones did with the valve cover. Should they sit flush?

Also, while tightening these in the sequence below with the recommended torque setting the #1 bolt on the rear snapped, never stopped turning, im wondering if this due to the extra space created by the gasket I have. I went to auto zone and verified the part, any ideas?

One more thing, should that #1 bolt in the sequence for the rear be shorter than the others? Mine was and I’m having a hard time finding a replacement.
TIA
 
#17 ·
Not sure what you mean by not flush, take a few pics and post here.
These bolts bottom out, so for your sake, I hope you just broke the bolt and did not mess up the threads. As a temporary measure, you can use m6 threaded rod and put a nut
on top of it, but these are special honda bolt, and you need to get a new one from Honda.
Its pretty obvious which bolts go where in the cover. IIRC there is a mix of long and short bolts.
 
#12 ·
Did you tighten to foot pound specs or inch pounds?

The valve cover bolts should tighten down on their shoulders and will leave the valve cover sitting off the head by a very small amount. You have to be careful to make sure the spark plug tube seals seat properly over the spark plug tubes, too.
 
#14 ·
The specs are 8.7 ft-lbs or 104 in-lbs. I don't know how you could possibly break a bolt at 8.7 ft-lbs unless your torque wrench is way out of calibration or you used the wrong scale or something.
 
#15 ·
I once stretched out a 10mm bolt on the intake manifold cover because I used a massive high rating 3/8" drive torque wrench on a small bolt. You need to use a 1/4" drive very low range torque wrench, 40 - 200 in/lb, with a 1/4" drive 10mm socket for those bolts
 
#16 ·
Good point. Remember, you shouldn't use a torque wrench near the top or bottom of its ranges, but especially near the bottom. I've found that you can easily miss the click because it happened right away before you even expected it and you couldn't feel it or hear it. 8.7 ft-lbs is just snug. It doesn't even feel tight when you're not used to it.

I also use a 1/4 drive in-lb torque wrench for those 10mm bolts. Pretty much all 6mm thread (10mm head) fasteners are tightened to that 8-10 ft-lb (104-112 in-lb) range.
 
#20 ·
I've read a lot about the valve cover gasket replacements on this forum and this is what I discovered: 1. I have the corners that need sealant (the i-vtec engine). I read about digging out the sealant that is currently in place in the corners and then replacing it with new. I don't understand why you would dig it out. You would have to end up putting quite a bit of sealant in the corners and then hoping you wouldn't get too much and having it fall into the engine or not having it clean enough so it doesn't bond, etc. It would be very tedious to make it work right. With mine, the sealant in the corners was still perfectly intact. I did check to make sure it wasn't loose or deteriorating. It looked fine and so I put just a new, very small dab of rtv in each corner to make sure it seated well with the new gasket. No leaking. 2. If you want to get the back valve cover gasket off, the best way is to take the power steering pump off and loosen the bolt that holds the wiring bracket that is below it. This is the only way I could see it even being possible to get the back cover off. I don't like to take apart stuff unnecessarily, but it was worth it. It's only two bolts on the power steering pump after gettting the serpentine belt off. Take the time to do these extra steps. It is worth it. 3. The bolt gaskets were very simply replaced. I read what sounded like people struggling with this. It's easy. I got a pick to dig the old gasket out of the washer. Then cut the old gasket with wire cutters and pulled it off the bolt. The washer will then slip off the bolt. Then take the new washer gasket combination and spray some lubricant on the gasket and pull the washer/gasket combo onto the bolt. I didn't find this hard at all. 4. The spark plug tube gaskets were the hardest part. Use a hammer and screwdriver to remove the old gasket. The new gaskets vary in size enough to make some of them almost impossible to get in without wrecking them. I originally had a beck-arnley gasket set and the spark plug tube gaskets were so tight that I ripped two out of 3 on the front trying to force them in. I ended up getting some new plug gaskets that were felpro. They were slightly less tight and that made enough difference to make it possible to get them in. The best method is to put some grease on the gasket and press them in with your fingers as best you can (beck arnley ones would not go in at all by using fingers) and then follow up using a large socket that matches the size of the outer part of the gasket and gently hammer in to finish getting it in all the way. Hope these tips help!
 
#21 ·
You dig out the old and put in fresh RTV because, whether you noticed or not, the old RTV loosens up, gets oil on it, loses some of its adhesion and can fall off and start leaking. Also, the new gasket doesn't have the same shape as the old so it won't seal to it properly. Yes, you have to clean the oil off so that the new will stick. I would NEVER reuse old silicone. Maybe it worked for you, at least for now, but it's an improper repair procedure. You wouldn't put the old gasket on. Why, on earth, would you leave the old silicone? It's good that you added some new but leaving the old in was a mistake. Maybe it will never leak. Maybe it will leak in a week, a month, a year...you just don't know.
 
#22 ·
+1. Also in general silicone sticks to silicone (home stuff like tub n tile) but here it is not only mixed with oil but heated/cooled repeatedly. Unless it is somehow roughed up a little, not sure it would adhere well to fresh. Technically, even for home use, you are "recommended" by the manufacturer to remove and then replace. Even here many just put new over the old without even scraping. I think this person might have followed the latter procedure. And "to each their own" may fit here.
 
#23 ·
Yeah, the "it's not my car" fits here. If it worked then it worked. It could fail later...or not. If I was doing it for someone else it would be scraped and reapplied. I've never had one leak and I've done numerous valve cover jobs on these.
 
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