cam cover gasket

[colin smith]

I noticed I have slight weep from the cam cover on the exhaust side, I think it's just the gasket. Is it a big job the remove the cover and replace it?

 

[JamesO]

Not a quick job (assuming its a lux) and you might as well change the cam belt while your at it. Be ready for the lifters falling out and oil going everywhere when you take the cam tower off. If its not an 8 valve ignore everything I just said.

 

[colin smith]

Sorry should have said it's a S2, does that make it easier or harder????? Also it had it's belts done within the last 10000 miles so I won't do thoses again.

 

[xenon]

Cam Cover gasket on S2 is easy, assuming you can remove the cover hex bolts. A bit of WD40 on the day before you do the job will help. If they come out OK then it's an easy job.

 

[zcacogp]

Easy job - I did exactly the same job on mine last week (as part of a service) and it took no more than 40 minutes. There are more bolts holding it on than you think necessary. And it's a fiddle getting it out from underneath the fuel lines. But far from hard. And you can visually inspect the cam sprockets and chain and tensioner while you are in there (although I think that spotting stretched chains and worn case-hardening is probably a more specialist job, but you can certainly spot cracked slippers and missing teeth). New gaskets are pretty cheap from ECP. Oli.

 

[xenon]

As well as the gasket you should also change the seals on the bolts. Cheap also.

 

[zcacogp]

Seals on the bolts? Didn't notice them. Certainly didn't change them .... <Runs outside to make sure car is not sitting in an oil slick> Oli.

 

[elvis]

Wouldn't worry too much about the seals on the bolts, the bits I would change while you're at it are the big 'o' rings around the spark plug holes (928 104 443 08). If these don't seal then the spark plug recesses fill up with oil and you get misfires. Edit: 30 minute job, make sure you clean the allen key heads out as you don't want to round them and they can be a bit snug if it's not been done for a while.

 

[TTM]

Make sure you also replace the gaskets for the two plastic plugs on the cam cover. I did not replace them last time as I did not have the right tool to take the clips off and now oil sweats through, not enough to be significantly annoying but enough to make the engine look dirtier than it is [8|]

 

[xenon]

ORIGINAL: elvis Wouldn't worry too much about the seals on the bolts, the bits I would change while you're at it are the big 'o' rings around the spark plug holes (928 104 443 08). If these don't seal then the spark plug recesses fill up with oil and you get misfires. Edit: 30 minute job, make sure you clean the allen key heads out as you don't want to round them and they can be a bit snug if it's not been done for a while.

Sorry yes - those were the seals I meant. Well it was six months ago []

 

[colin smith]

where is the best place to buy the gaskets from and do all the bits come as a kit?

 

[zcacogp]

Ahhhh .... OK - those are the ones I specifically took the top off to change! Two were weeping. Spark plug tubes were getting a bit full last time I serviced it (but not this time, interestingly.) It didn't cause a mis-fire, but did make a bit of a mess, and also meant that when the plugs were changed the oil dropped into the cylinder, which then made it a bit smoky and sulky the next time it was started (with the new plugs.) Colin - they can all be bought from EuroCarParts. Spark plug tube gaskets are about £1.50p each, and the one around the edge of the cover is about £12 (from memory). Oli.