I know that these need to be replaced, becuz my mechanic told me so, the one who works at the mazda dealership my step granfather owns, well the company like got bought or sumthin so he cant do stuff cheap for me anymore, which leaves me w/ a prob, how to go about getting them replaced, Eric said its a cheap fix, and I think I REALLY need to get on it, Ive been putting it off forever, HERES THE DEAL-my dad says I could fix this myself if he showed me, my question is, where the hell is my "rear valve cover gasket"?? I want exact directions to it, I want to see what this sucker is, and what it looks like, and If U know about replacing, and the damage I may have already done, plz tell me....but I want to see them!

 

ok, the rear valve cover is the big red cover on the back side of the engine, just next to the firewall... it's the part that has your oil fill cap attached to it.

I'm not sure what all it will take to get to it, but it's not that bad of a job I'm sure. I've had the upper intake manifold off before, which requires removing a lot of the stuff you'll need to get to the valve cover.. most of it is simply vacuum hoses..

they all only go back on one way, so it'll be pretty easy to remove and reinstall everything.. if your dad has any mechanical ability or knows much about repairing/rebuilding engines, then this will be an easy job.. nothing difficult, just messy..


As for engine damage, I doubt if you've done any damage, except maybe get your engine really dirty with oil.. leaky valve covers are usually more messy than harmful.. the leaking oil CAN cause a fire though, since it's right above your exhaust manifold (which can get up to 1000 deg when you're driving hard).. more than enough to cause oil to burn.. there shouldn't be any internal engine damage, unless the gasket itself breaks into pieces and falls onto internal engine parts..

 

thank u so much, thats really helpful, I guess go take a look at the backside of that red thing that my oil hole is on?? Is that right? I think I am leaking oil (but who knows) this is just something Eric warned me of, Its kinda all black, but not sure if the right area is black to be coming from the gaskets...I bet it is tho....

 

yeah, sounds about right.. it will turn black and greasy where the oil is leaking..

I would recommend buying some sort of repain manual before starting this job... whether it's a Cilton's/ Haynes/ Nissan Service Manual, it doesn't matter... but should you have a problem or question while trying to put it back together, it'll be MUCH easier if you have a book with diagrams.

 

I have had my back cover off like 3 times The back one is easy, just remove any obvious hoses in the way and remove the screws around it. You'll need a long phillips screwdriver and a pair of pliers should be the only tools.

*note-the covers may be loose. The maxima motors have re-usable rubber gaskets and normally last a long time. Check for loose screws first that may be all thats wrong