Valve cover gasket on Hyundai i30 2008

[BobTheBuilder]

Hey folks,

the valve cover gasket on my 10 year /100k miles 1.4l engine work horse is no longer leak proof, as the mechanic noticed a month ago at the regular service. Told me to check again a few weeks later to see if it wasn't just gunk from driving. It is leaking mildly.

They would charge 120€ ($150), most of it labor cost. The part itself is 18€ or so incl. shipping, and I would need a torque wrench.

Am I missing something or is super simple to actually DIY?
I mean it goes like this: remove screws from cover, lift cover, get seal out, clean cover, put new seal in, cover back on motor, torque-wrench it in place- done.

Did somebody do that to his or her car?

[Dave1442397]

It shouldn't be too complicated. Here's a video for an older Hyundai, but it's the same principle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGYWYn1MaW4&pbjreload=10

[Holyoak]

You pretty much summed it up Bob.  I've a done a bunch, and aside from a few ways for the cover to get 'bolted down', it's really that straight forward (after you get anything out of the way).  Make sure to get brake cleaner to de-grease the cover groove for the gasket, and the head mounting surface.  Also, might want to see if your your application requires any RTV type sealant for a few spots along the cover.

A lot of applications technically wont require a T wrench (especially after you do enough/enough of a certain kind), but having one is very nice, and great to have for other repairs you might want to tackle.  Not sure what exact type of emissin system your car has, but now is a good time for PCV inspection/replacement, cleaning Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor, check air filter, clutch/brake fluid, coolant...

Go for it Bob, especially in the day and age of the internet.  Good luck.

[BobTheBuilder]

Thanks for the information, I will give it a try when I have the parts and report back here!

[LightStache]

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

[BobTheBuilder]

Thank you for your answers, much appreciated!

Here comes the update, in case someone wants to do the same thing in the future.

It worked fine, just had to find some time to do it once the parts finally arrived.

0. Clean the car first. I almost had pollen/blossom dropped onto the camshafts.
1. Let the car cool down, the exhaust manifold and to a lesser degree the rest of the motorblock are really hot after driving.
2. Unplug the ignition coils. Mark the coils if necessary to make sure to put them back in the correct order on reassembly
3. Remove all cover screws
4. Lift cover
5. Remove outer seal, clean where the seal was, place new seal
6. Same procedure for the ignition coil seals
7. Reassemble

That's it. As long as you make every small step with a clear head and label what part was where (screws, coils) there really is no secret to it.
I did not need to apply additional RTV sealant.

10/10 would do again :-)

[Holyoak]

Well done Bob.  Pretty much anymore, you will only have to do this job if there is a leak - I used to have to remove the cover every 20-30k miles to check/adjust valve lash for a bunch of cars I owned way back...  Got two or more reuses of the gasket many times, which was nice.  Again, good job.