Hello all,
Im ordering my parts from courtesy nissan now, and i just have a quick question... I recently (4 months ago) replaced my rear plugs and had to remove the intake manifold etc... i replaced the intake manifold gasket with a new one. When i disassemble everything again to do the rear valve cover, should i be buying another new intake manifold gasket? I cant recall if it crushes into place or not.. Thanks for the info..
Also, when i changed my plugs i had oil in cylinder 5. I recently changed my cylinder 5 ignition coil and a while after it went out again. Can an oil leak in cylinder 5 cause a brand new ignition coil to go bad? or maybe the spark plug? or maybe i just need a new boot for the coil?

 

Did you get CEL of P0305 indicating that you had a cylinder misfire at #5? Seeing that you have a 5.5 gen I anticipate you have ordered a 04 rear valve cover. Get the valve cover gaskets, grommets, spark plug tube seals as well. If you changed your plugs and didn't address the oil in the plug issue you might as well swap out that plug with a new one once you fix the oil leak. I am not sure if oil leaking onto to plug would cause a ignition coil to go bad, I would suspect the spark plug first because its drenched in oil when it should be making it difficult to produce a spark. If you just replaced your plenum gasket 4 months ago I doubt you need another one(should be fine). good luck

ps: don't you think its best to just change all your plugs at the same time?

 

i Havent taken it in to pull the codes, but an "unplug of the igition coil" to determine misfire was done and it is cylinder 5.. Im going in today to pull the codes. Last time i did that however, pulled a "random cylinder misfire" code and was somewhat inconclusive. I did replace all spark plugs the last time though, and i will re-replace them for completeness sake this time again. I did order the 6th gen rear valve cover and gasket. As far as the spark plug tube seals and grommets, arent those part of the valve cover assembly?

 

is this :
http://www.courtesyparts.com/11095-t...4-p-88172.html

what you were referring to?

 

yea but you can get a set from your local auto store(fel-pro is a good brand most guys on the org go with). But yes you need to get those and the grommets as well. The tube seals I dont believe come with the valve cover, you would have to call courtesy or search to find out but I doubt it.

 

Tube seals are made into the A34 valve covers.

 

^^^ I was going to say, when I upgraded to the 6th gen rear valve cover on my 5.5 I did not have any need for extra parts like tubes and grommets ... simply changed the plugs put on the new valve cover installed my NWP spacers and away I went.

 

well guess i learned something new today...thanks for your input guys

 

good thing too because courtesy parts doesnt have those in stock lol, thanks for the help. any recommendations on other things to research here on the org while i have the IM off?

 

NWP spacers. You'll like them.

 

YES, while you got all of that off it would be crazy not to do NWP Spacers while you at it....do the 5 piece set too, you'll get more power. Also a BOP if you don't already have that done.

 

Absolutely, they were a fantastic addition

If your going to be taking off the IM, to replace the rear valve cover ... then yes that is the best opportunity to change the Spark Plugs, replace the 3 Coils and of course install a NWP Spacer kit. The only other thing you may wish to do while things are apart is the SSIM mod which is to remove the shelf inside the IM (SSIM is completely optional as well as the NWP spacers) but the valve cover, spark plugs and coils should all been done at the same time.

 

Leave the shelf in the intake alone. Definately get the Spacers if you can wait to do this work. If you have another car, take it apart, replace what you need in terms of plugs and coil, then wait to reassemble the intake once you've got the Spacers.

 

I could have sworn I seen dyno graphs that showed SSIM lost power and only gained a little power in the upper part of the RPM range 6k +. So if you dont have a rev limit extended leave shelf and get BOP and NWP spacers (5 piece kit).

 

im assuming the BOP you guys are talking about is the NWP vias BOP? correct me if im wrong

 

Aaron's or Cory's.

 

Also, you might come off better at the wallet looking at www.nissanpartsasap.com for your oem parts.

 

Not trying to hijack thread but this is relevant. What silicone seal should I use when replacing the rear valve cover? is it this one http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ntifier=306563

 

I ALSO NEED TO DO THIS ON MY 5.5 THANKS FOR THE INFO. I LOVE THIS FORUM. SO MUCH KNOWLEDGE ON HERE... .. .

 

Perfect.

 

so no need to replace the grommets am i correct?

if so where can i find them?

 

by grommets you mean the seal that seals the valve cover to the spark plug tube? no, they come built onto the valve cover. Also for anyone doing this job, you may want to buy a blow by hose.
http://www.courtesyparts.com/11823-h...4-p-88440.html

It connects both valve covers on the left side.. Mine snapped when i tried unplugging it from the rear vc, it was quite brittle and actually broke off along with the stem going into the front vc. So now the max is in the garage until courtesyparts ships out my order... The part is only 6 bucks so it worth getting...

Also, i noticed not only a ton of gunk oil buildup around the valve covers, but also inside the case. on all my bolts there is a noticeable sludgeball and its gross... ill post some pics later, but how bad is this?

 

 

Agreed....

 

i didnt read every post, but i literally JUST finished changing my rear VC. took me roughly 2.5 hours doing it by myself. some notes..

you CAN reuse the intake manifold gasket if you very carefully remove the manifold, and then very carefully remove the gasket. as long as it is not bent or damaged, you can reuse it.

you do NOT need to fully remove the intake mani. leave the coolant lines attached, disconnect the throttle body from the air intake at the rubber tube on the drivers side. lift and pivot. it rests nicely on the airbox.

DO take care to not over tighten the bolts on the VC. recommended torque is measured in in/lbs i believe. did not need a torque wrench for this, hand tighten til snug, then use your ratchet til you feel them snug VERY GENTLY, then give just a slight tug to finish tightening.

use a touch, and i do mean just a tiny dab of gasket sealer (i used one of those little pouches from advance auto) to hold the gasket into the VC groove so it doesnt fall off when you go to install it. use just enough to hold it in place, but not enough to make it ooze out around the gasket.

inspect your overhead cams while you have the cover off. check for corrosion on anything under the cover.

DO clean the entire edge of the valve housing BEFORE trying to install the new VC. get every bit of gunk off of there.


thats about it. i did not run into any problems with my swap out. feel free to shoot me a pm if you have questions.

 

so what uhh... is the best way to clean all the gunky goo off of of these heads here... i assume i dont want anything falling into the cam area there...

 

anyone think an auto-rx treatment would be beneficial in this case?

 

So where do I place the gasket sealant, besides in the VC groves?

 

a paper thin layer around the mating surface of the gasket to the block. so paper thin, that none should squeeze out when you torque your bolts.

 

I haven't done the valve covers on my 2000 but I did do them on my 96.

The fsm doesn't call for sealant all along the gasket. Just at the corners.

Personally, I wouldn't use sealant as long as you are replacing the gasket.

 

yea theres a lot of conflicting opinions around. Some are saying none, some say at the corners where the leaks tend to spring, and some say a thin layer... i Like uniformity, so i think a thin layer wont hurt.. i could be wrong, however.

 

I copied where the original cover had dried sealant (corners) and have had no problems for 4 years now. I also just changed my front valve cover 2 weeks ago and again copied what the original had (only the passenger side had sealant) and no problems thus far. As far as using such a small amount of sealant that none should seep out when tightening, I disagree. Make a bead, not a smear, of gasket maker. The factory covers had a decent amount of sealant seep out of both sides and I would safely assume they know what they are doing. Make sure you let it dry for at least a couple of hours, preferably overnight.

 

true yea i ended up doing that for the rear... its on... now im just waiting for the front to come in the mail and then im gravy... thanks

 

i only used sealant between the gasket and cover. just enough to "stick" the gasket inside the groove so it didnt fall out when turned over. i did not use any anywhere else, and i have zero leaks.

 

When I did mine I found that the gasket sort of "snapped in" to the recess of the valve cover. No need for silicone to hold it in place. I too followed where the factory put small gobs of sealant - in the corners on the RH side for bank 1, (rear).

 

yea the gasket did "snap" in place on the VC side... i just noticed however, that i put sealant on the opposite side of the VC when i did it.. i guess i'll pop it off today and re do the other side.. How sticky is that RTV stuff anyway? Will i be able to take off the valve cover again without damaging the gasket? or should i just unbolt it and slightly lift the cover and apply some more sealant to the other side?

 

when i did mine, i used a gasket set from autozone. it snapped in for the most part, but was loose on the passanger side corners and it "slid" out of the groove when i turned the VC over is all.