I have this weird noise coming from my engine (you can read about that here http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=527713) and I've been told by several people that I should probably take the valve cover off to take a look inside to see if there's anything broken/bent. Do I have to replace the valve cover gasket if I do this, or could I just wipe the gasket down real good and screw the valve cover back on after taking a look? I guess I'd just rather avoid the cost of it and the wait time if I have to get it shipped here.

 

it is always good practice to replace gaskets. when i recently pulled my valve covers for some similar inspection, i bought replacements and thought i had the wrong ones. the originals wer so dried up and shrunken (is that a word?) that the new ones looked almost twice as big> getting those covers off is a pain enough - replacing the gaskets falls under "might as well since you're in there" jobs.

 

unless they were recently replaced or you like leaks, I would highly recommend replacing them every time you go in there.

 

With the VE, just take a look at the gasket, especially on the front valve cover (if you are going to remove the rear, you might as well replace the gasket because it's kind of a PITA to access).

If the rubber isn't cracked or dried up, I would try to keep it. I reused mine and just put a little bit of gasket sealer where the cam sensor is.

They are fairly expensive (more than double the VG gaskets) and you can check the front for leaks and correct the problem fairly easy. In other words, try to reuse it if you can, but if it leaks, replace it.