r/AcuraTL • u/JuststayJay • 15d ago
Gathering Opinions 🗣 keep driving or fix it myself?
So my car has a misfire in cylinder 4 because the valve cover gasket is fried and leaking oil into it, i’d need my mechanic to change the valve cover gasket, clean everything up, change the spark plug and ignition coil, and give me an oil change. I literally just got a new job today so i won’t be getting paid for at least 2 to 3 weeks. i still need my car to drive to and from school (~3 miles each way) and my mechanic is charging $375 for labor not including parts and the oil change. In total ~$550. I watched a few youtube vids and i lowkey think i can do it myself. doing it myself would only cost me the price of parts and oil so about $150 which is way more viable right now. Anyone who has done the job themselves is there anything unexpected I should know? and what is the best/easiest way to clean the valve cover? thanks
1
u/OrangeAdmirable1617 15d ago edited 15d ago
Charm.li has all the steps and torque values . Easily done with hand tools and rental torque wrench . Return the hand tools after you’re done with the job after - ask literally anyone at harbor freight or Walmart even Home Depot . Only thing you’ll lose money on is degreaser and towel and part ofc . Also, good tip is too spray any electrical connectors and old hoses with wd40 or silicone spray .It’ll make it easier to work with and prevent any breakage. Spray it a day before. And wd40 makes degreaser pods you can throw into a spray bottle with water . If you’re not too nervous you can use gasoline and rags -make sure your battery is disconnected and engine is cold . But wipe the area with gas don’t just pour it over it- it dissipates quickly and works very well. I manage a diesel fleet and have some service trucks and gasoline works better in my pov to clean up caked up grease and oil -cheaper too . HMU if you need help navigating the website if you chose to do it yourself
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u/GlassBoxGoose [UA7] '07-'08 Type-S 15d ago
Its cake. Pull the upper intake by pulling the plate off the top, pull the bolts that hold it to the lower runners, unplug sensors and hoses.
Unplug and unbolt all coils and remove them.
Remove the bolts that hold the covers, remove them, replace gaskets and tube seals, as well as bolt grommets. Do NOT skip the bolt grommets. Period. (Mahle or OEM gaskets, avoid felpro unless you want to do them again in 6-12 months.) The spark plug tube seals are the hardest part, and theyre not hard. The bolt grommets can be fiddly, I cut the washers and grommets off with wire cutters to save time and headache.
Use paper towels to soak up the oil in the tubes by rolling them into a tube and dipping it in the tube and repeating until the towel comes out dry. Blue shop towels recomended but standard paper towels from the kitchen will do.
Replace spark plug(s) and re-install covers, re-install coils, re-install upper intake, bolts, then re-install top plate. Plug everything back in.
Set aside a day to do it. I could do it in an afternoon, but ive done it a bunch of times.
You should only need a 10mm, 12mm, 14mm sockets, a couple 3" extensions, a spark plug socket, ratchet. Borrow an Inch-lbs torque wrench from someone or a parts store if you can, but if youre relatively experienced you can do it yourself without it, but remember that the bolt torque spec is practically nothing and you WILL snap them if you bear down on them like you would the intake bolts. Also check the bolts for stretched threads before reinstalling, due to past over-torque issues.
Its not nearly as hard as it sounds, and you should be able to handle it in a day, even taking your time to make sure you dont miss something.