How-To/How not to- spark plug tube seals/valve cover gasket

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Jerome Adams
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How-To/How not to- spark plug tube seals/valve cover gasket

Post by Jerome Adams » Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:40 am

Read the whole thing first, before trying it...I am going thru the steps the way I did it and the lessons I learned so it is easier for you :thumbup:

Take the valve cover off, yo. Look at the spark plug tube seals and think "this is gonna be easy!" Flip it upside down, grab a pair of pliers and grab a nice meaty chunk of that rubber gasket and give it a nice firm pull...that bad boy should slide right out.

It didn't slide right out? It tore a big chunk out of the seal...they are old and must be brittle...grab a chunk closer to the outside and give it another go. Tore another chunk off?

Hmmmm? Grab a big chunk, right on the edge, squeeze hard and give it a 90° turn and pull hard....shit, ripped again...and it looks like...is that metal...oh shit you just ruined your valve cover. Good thing you have a few extras laying around...but you still need to show that seal who is boss! Keep grabbing and ripping all the way around the seal until there is nothing left to grab onto. Then get a tiny flat head screw driver and try to dig out that thin piece of rubber between the metal ring and the plastic of the valve cover. Shit this is going to take all night and you need the car for work in the morning? Should have thought of that before you started this little journey...in it for the long haul now.

You are probably pissed right now and since you already destroyed your VC, might as well take some frustration out on it and go medieval on those damn seals. Get a big ass flat head screw driver and flip the VC upside right and start trying to push the seals down with the screw driver...something happen?

When you get a chance, take a look at the new spark plug tube seals...they are going to slide in so nice if you ever get these damn seals out...at least they would have if you hadn't torn up the very important metal ring.

Check the Haynes manual if you haven't already....yep, didn't help me either.

Look at the new seals again, give em a little squeeze...pretty firm huh? That metal ring is part of the seal. Go get that big ass screw driver and start prying them out. I found working around the seal with the VC upside down worked pretty well.

New ones slide right in.

The VC gasket is a breeze...just pick a corner and work your way around....well that doesn't quite line up....flip it over...that is better...no wait it still wont quite sit flush. Must be wrong size :banghead: oh wait, what is that little tab...get down in there...oh, there is a little notch in the upper left hand corner that looks a lot like that tab....wait a second...rotates....LIKE A GLOVE!

Put yer shit back together and enjoy a cold one. Then write up a little How to just incase there is somebody else out there who is a mechanical :tardbang: just like you.

I also had to loctite down a spark plug tube. I used a piece of wood and hammer but still mushroomed the top a little...VC didn't want to slide on super easy, but I wiggled it on while "gently adjusting the top of the tube" (being careful not to unstick the bottom of the tube) ....quick test drive and no oil in the #4 spark plug tube and no oil leaking around the VC. I will check peridocally over the next few weeks and hopefully it is fixed.
Jerome

'03 SXT...DODGE NEON CONES

Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #067

occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Tue Jul 26, 2011 7:53 am

:rofl:



Yep them seals got me the first time too.

But a flat blade, a good wack with a hammer to kink them in, and they pop right out. :thumbup:
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

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g_force58
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sparkplug tube seals/vc gasket

Post by g_force58 » Tue Jul 26, 2011 12:20 pm

Dang Jerome, you had me laffin so hard I 'bout peed me pants! :rofl: But if it helps, this almost drove me nuts when I did it until I wised up over a couple of brewskis. Good right up bro! :rockon:
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catalyst
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Post by catalyst » Mon Nov 14, 2011 3:16 pm

I'm about to go start this job. I'll let you know how it goes.
Image
2005 Red SRT4
Stage 2, Maddog 72-4
Still needs a paint job
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Swordfish2Cowboy
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Post by Swordfish2Cowboy » Wed Sep 19, 2012 6:52 pm

This writeup sucks.
ImageImage
:mopar: :runaway:

NickKo
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Post by NickKo » Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:01 pm

Swordfish2Cowboy wrote:This writeup sucks.
:lol:

Nice positive feedback !! :lol:


I suppose pics would be nice.


- Nick
-1998 2-dr SOHC MTX= 57mm TB; Maddog STS
-2000 Ply.LX w/MTX = Maddog STS; CAI; 2.5 exh.; 60mm T/B
-2001 ATX w/Syked PCM + Magnum header
-2001 ACR w/SRT T/B bored out to 55mm

Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #000009

Keith
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Post by Keith » Sun Jun 16, 2013 12:52 pm

Hell as soon as I took the first one out; which, took me about 30 minutes, I noticed the metal in the spark plug tube seal. With the other three, I used a pair of wire cutters and cut them out since the VC kit I bought had a set in them.

alton
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valve cover

Post by alton » Mon May 12, 2014 1:26 pm

well after trying all methods of approach, i still cannot get the rest of the seal out.. iam at a lost, my cover is scaped all to hell now and i need an adult for i know what im doing...

occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Mon May 12, 2014 1:42 pm

From the bottom side if you can get a screwdriver to bite, use a hammer to fold the metal ring inward.
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

alton
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Post by alton » Mon May 12, 2014 6:07 pm

well after much debate... i did that and it worked!!! Thanks

occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Tue May 13, 2014 9:38 am

:thumbup:
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

alton
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Joined: Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:21 pm

vavke cover seal

Post by alton » Tue May 13, 2014 1:35 pm

ok now what side do the seals go in? Im having a bit of trouble with them.

FAC3L3SS
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Post by FAC3L3SS » Tue May 13, 2014 2:34 pm

I always got confused looking at them as well. They go in from the bottom of the VC. If it helps to visualize to make sure they aren't upside down, look from the top and put a coilpack wire in it to see that it seals.
el. oh. el.

alton
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Post by alton » Tue May 13, 2014 7:45 pm

does the seal suppose to fit over the spark plug tubes or inside?

FAC3L3SS
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Post by FAC3L3SS » Wed May 14, 2014 8:13 am

Inside. I saw your post on FB last night but it seemed to already be answered.
el. oh. el.

occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Wed May 14, 2014 9:50 am

As a general rule to seals, the lip always angles in toward the liquid it is sealing. In this case, the metal cup should be facing you with the cover upside down.

Of course making a mental note of how they were before removal always helps, but sometimes aggravation trumps that...
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

Dennis Blewett
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Post by Dennis Blewett » Tue Sep 02, 2014 8:21 pm

Found these videos on YouTube:

By Alexey Gavrilov:
(Part 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6AFbfLOjpk
(Part 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDR5vWIhVMs
(Part 3) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_XJkXKArjU

By Matthumanpizza:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxrtZ44_bqw

Also, I believe it was suggested to me to use RTV blue sealant.

NickKo
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Post by NickKo » Fri Sep 05, 2014 11:05 am

I was at the junkyard with my brother yesterday (in the MoPar section, of course.)


We came back with a wheelbarrow full of parts - Including a full set of spark plug tubes, which I took as spares.

I found these spark plug tubes (all four) stuck to a valvecover, in great shape, so I took them.
It seems they must have gotten so loose in the cylinder head, that they all stuck to the valvecover when it was removed. :lol:


Moral of the story:
"New" spark plug tubes (if you need them), might be found as close as your nearest junkyard.



- NIck
-1998 2-dr SOHC MTX= 57mm TB; Maddog STS
-2000 Ply.LX w/MTX = Maddog STS; CAI; 2.5 exh.; 60mm T/B
-2001 ATX w/Syked PCM + Magnum header
-2001 ACR w/SRT T/B bored out to 55mm

Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #000009

occasional demons
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Post by occasional demons » Fri Sep 05, 2014 12:11 pm

I have had mixed results using used tubes. I roughed up the tubes and bores with sand paper, de greased both with brake clean and used the red bearing locker thread sealer on them. Two of the 4 still came loose after about 20,000 miles.

For a little under $40 with tax, you can get all 4 from the dealer. Dorman sells them for about the same cost, but theirs are made in China. The Mopar ones are anyone's guess.

It takes a bit of hammering on a block of wood to get the new ones in. They are a pretty snug fit.
Bill
Olha Koba, a psychologist in Kyiv, said that “anger and hate in this situation is a normal reaction and important to validate.” But it is important to channel it into something useful, she said, such as making incendiary bombs out of empty bottles.
2000 Neon MTX swap with '02 R/T PCM
1999 neon coupe 2.4 swap
2021 Forester

NickKo
2009 Gold Contributor
Posts: 2248
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2006 11:24 am
Location: IL./WI.border

Post by NickKo » Fri Sep 05, 2014 12:53 pm

occasional demons wrote:I have had mixed results using used tubes. I roughed up the tubes and bores with sand paper, de greased both with brake clean and used the red bearing locker thread sealer on them. Two of the 4 still came loose after about 20,000 miles.

For a little under $40 with tax, you can get all 4 from the dealer. Dorman sells them for about the same cost, but theirs are made in China. The Mopar ones are anyone's guess.
Good points !! :!:


As for myself.....
Given a choice, I'd prefer junkyard OEM Chrysler units...... over replacement Doorman units made in China. :thumbup:


- Nick
-1998 2-dr SOHC MTX= 57mm TB; Maddog STS
-2000 Ply.LX w/MTX = Maddog STS; CAI; 2.5 exh.; 60mm T/B
-2001 ATX w/Syked PCM + Magnum header
-2001 ACR w/SRT T/B bored out to 55mm

Official "I'm Going to Drive My Neon till it Dies" Club #000009

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