by Bostonlara » Thu Aug 16, 2012 9:32 pm
Billdo wrote:Coolant is the normal red it should be. No puddles or pooling. I think its a slight leak from the front of the valve cover gasket. The front corners have some oil build up. factor that in with what I'm assuming a crappy oil change and that's that I think. Is changing the gasket a job for someone who is less than mechanically inclines doable? If not, what should it run me at a shop?
the front valve cover is super easy. just remove everything obvious (coils, wiresets, ect. no need to remove spark plugs). rear is kinda a pain but not impossible, just have to remove alot more and if you're new at this stuff it'll take a while. gotta remove intake manifold, and disconnect everything attached to it and then the plug wires. if you wanna tackle it yourself buy a Haynes manual from autozone or whatever is your local auto parts store. it didnt take me long to do but when i did it i was in the middle of replacing my clutch and needed something to do while my flywheel was resurfaced (my rear cover had small leak). my guess is you would need to put aside at least half a day just to be safe. may wanna get a 6 pack too
o and if you remove your EGR pipe thats connected to the throttle body BE VERY CAREFUL not to strip the bolts where they screw in and if its rusty use PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench BEFORE attempting to unscrew. last thing you want is a stripped bolt hole or broken stud, especially if you've never tried something like this
AND REMEMBER TO PROPERLY TORQUE ALL BOLTS, may seem silly but its a good practice.
building a 5.5psi S/C 3MZ 5spd with Meth, 305cc injectors, lite weight crank pulley, Apexi Neo, full exhaust & ypipe, CAI, TB spacer, knock upgrade, jims fuel upgrade, walbro 255, and much much much much more