Fx35 Valve Cover Replacement Alternative

P

puhahacj

Member
Location
South Bay 310
Hi guys, I searched some information about our flawed OEM valve covers and leaking in the spark plug compartment due to cracks, and heard that there is an alternative to replacing those expensive covers.

From RND Factory of Montebello -

"
fx35 and g35 does share same valve covers....yes, it would be 720 to replace both valve covers with oem covers...however we have came up with a solution to cut down the cost of replacing valve covers..we actually manufacture o-ring grommet and found a way just to replace the o-rings. along with that of course we replace outer gasket and pcv valve..you are looking at 400 for everything......that would be an alternate option that only we can provide for customers...please let us know when you would like to bring your car in...thank you
"

I figured on doing the spark plugs myself but dreaded the thought of seeing a pool of oil in any compartment. Even if there was no oil, this would be like extra insurance with prolonging the life of the valve covers right? I already emailed back to the RND Factory owner so waiting for a response from him about this O-Ring Gromment/Gasket/PCV Valve replacement.

Have you guys ever heard of this alternative??
 
Never heard of a different alternative but I'm glad to hear there is a aftermarket replacement for them.
 
So far there's no issues with a car from the g35 forums who chose this alternative.

I'll bite the bullet and set up an appointment with them next week Monday. Currently off a month for paid family leave, gotta love California. :rofl:
 
Interested in this as well. For my current build, I had to buy new OEM valve covers just to have these new seals - they are not sold separately OEM. It would be great if these can be purchased as replacement seals - I'd like a set just to have as a spare.

Guess I should mention though - a brand new OEM set of valve covers is $400 from InfinitipartsUSA.com. So paying $400 for parts & labor just for seals doesn't sound that great of a deal...
 
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Pretty sure something we could do ourselves....

I want to do the spark plugs myself but just scared of pulling out the coil and seeing a pool of oil there so i'll pay the $90 labor fee that they charge for spark plugs. If there isn't any oil, then I lose out $90, if there is, then the car is already there and pay extra $310 for the total package.
 
I would like to see how it's done because if Nissan has made it as an unservicable part, how do they get around that. And if they do it and put it back together you really don't know what was done .

I'm not hating on this idea so please don't take that way, I'd just lie to get some more info on it before I'd go for it.
 
Well under warranty all my coils and valve cover and O rings from the driver side were replaced due to oil leak.. I know there were other members here that went thru the same issues. So seriously for 400 this is a he'll of a deal. I hope the aftermarket ones are better than the OEM ones tho.
 
At what mileage does the failure typically occur? I just changed my plugs at 59K and have no leakage.

I have no idea about the physical nature of the grommets but logically it's hard for me to believe that they are impossible or even difficult to replace. Not being able to buy the seals separately from Nissan is one thing, but if a replacement could be found it seems like the actual swap would be fairly simple. It is after all, a rubber seal in a metal valve cover... It's not like they could be welded together or something.

Does anyone have a picture or illustration of the parts in question?
 
you got metal valve covers??? :) there actually a plastic composite, I wish could get aluminum vavle covers



I took my valve covers off my old engine thinking they were fine, hadn't noticed any issues & had no reason to think there was a problem, but both sides had oil at the plugs, one on one side & 2 on the other. the rubbers get dry & cracked from the heat over the years, mine had over 90k miles, but no signs of missing or any other indication before really... guess over time it may have eventually soaked through the plug boot & started to miss, but just because it's not, doesn't mean there fine...

I'm willing to bet they found a somewhst matching seal that there sticking in there... if it really is a tight correct fit then it should do the job really, it'll be soft again & hopefully take years to dry out & get brittle again, the trick is to find the right seal, I'd also bet they're not going to tell what application they found a seal to work from either... could be anything really,I'm sure there are other cars that do have the seals available as a seperate part, trick is to figure out what would work
 
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turbocad6 said:
you got metal valve covers??? :) there actually a plastic composite, I wish could get aluminum vavle covers



I took my valve covers off my old engine thinking they were fine, hadn't noticed any issues & had no reason to think there was a problem, but both sides had oil at the plugs, one on one side & 2 on the other. the rubbers get dry & cracked from the heat over the years, mine had over 90k miles, but no signs of missing or any other indication before really... guess over time it may have eventually soaked through the plug boot & started to miss, but just because it's not, doesn't mean there fine...

I'm willing to bet they found a somewhst matching seal that there sticking in there... if it really is a tight correct fit then it should do the job really, it'll be soft again & hopefully take years to dry out & get brittle again, the trick is to find the right seal, I'd also bet they're not going to tell what application they found a seal to work from either... could be anything really,I'm sure there are other cars that do have the seals available as a seperate part, trick is to figure out what would work
Click to expand...

Heh, I just assumed they were aluminum... :embarrassed:
 
At 110K miles I had two leaking seals - oil in the spark plug wells.

My brand new OEM valve covers (with seals) were $400. Not tough to install DIY - there is just a lot of stuff you have to remove and get out of the way. Luckily, my replacement was part of my engine build so everything was easy to reach and install.
 
Well, instead of getting the valve cover O-ring / gasket kit, RnD performed a regular spark plug change. They ended up finding oil in the #5 and #6 spark plug areas but told me that it shouldn't be a problem with performance, which is my main concern. I only have 68K miles and was told that it could keep going til 100K or more and keep an eye out for oil consumption.

---------- Post added at 05:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:13 PM ----------
jumbosrule said:
At 110K miles I had two leaking seals - oil in the spark plug wells.

My brand new OEM valve covers (with seals) were $400. Not tough to install DIY - there is just a lot of stuff you have to remove and get out of the way. Luckily, my replacement was part of my engine build so everything was easy to reach and install.
Click to expand...

Did you 'feel' any difference after the vc replaced?
 
puhahacj said:
Well, instead of getting the valve cover O-ring / gasket kit, RnD performed a regular spark plug change. They ended up finding oil in the #5 and #6 spark plug areas but told me that it shouldn't be a problem with performance, which is my main concern. I only have 68K miles and was told that it could keep going til 100K or more and keep an eye out for oil consumption.

---------- Post added at 05:14 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:13 PM ----------

Did you 'feel' any difference after the vc replaced?
Click to expand...

Thread from the dead... must have missed the question!

No change in feel afterward. I had no idea there was oil in a spark plug well and never noticed a difference after the valve covers were replaced.

So am I to understand these gaskets are available for purchase? I would like to get a set for future use...
 
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