hey guys i was thinking about paiting my valve cover on my 97hx, my question is, i can remove the cover with out haveing to replace any gaskets right? i was thinking about replacing the valve cover gasket it self, but aside from that do i need to/or should i change anything else?

 

The VC gasket should be replaced anyways.

If you use any harsh solvent, it'll probably do damage to your spark plug seals. The entire kit is all of $30 brand new at Honda, it's best to replace it.

 

Right.... NOT! If you want to have oil shooting out the sides/leaking, the answer is a definite no!

You could re-use the gasket for a temp. basis, like maybe a day while you drive to a honda dealership to get a new one.. Yeah, when you take off the gasket, it won't re-seal how it originally had, so you need to buy a new one.

The only gasket you need to buy is the valve cover one, unless the screws with the bushings (the 5 ones holding the cover in place) are really rock hard.

 

I reused mine because the new one got pinched and ripped. The old one was still soft and its been good for almost 8k now. But I would say replace it.

 

I agree. I painted my Valve cover 3 years ago, and am still using the gasket that was on it. No oil leaks. But if you are worried about it then definatley replace it, it wont hurt! And like said Eran said, its only 30 bucks for the kit.

 

I haven't had any problems when I painted two valve covers without changing the gasket.

 

you could just go cheap and use some gasket maker w/ the orig. vc gasket. tube of gasket maker could be found at any auto part store. when i painted my vc i just lined both sides of the vc gasket with it and didn't have a problem with leaks.

 

when you take it off look at the gasket. If it looks damaged then replace it. If not then you can reuse it. Just look at the valve cover when you start up the engine. It will leak shortly if it didnt seal properly.

 

i painted mine and re-used the VC gasket and i got no leaks...but that could be because i changed it about 3k miles ago..im not sure i would get a new one just to be safe

 

if you don't have any rips or anything, just reuse it, your be okay..

 

I repainted mine when I bought my car. That was about 8k miles ago, and I reused the old gasket, and have had no problem with leaks. When you do yours, just make sure you look at the gasket really well, and if you see any rips/tears or notches or anything out of the ordinary, you replace it. Also be sure to use some type of gasket sealer/maker, most people reccomend hondabond, but you dont absolutely have to have that, just go to an auto parts store and find something that is suitable.
When your painting your valve cover, Id reccomend you use a good cleaner, simple green or something, and scrub it really really well. I'd sand it down a little too, then primer it. If you dont use primer, any bit of oil that was on the valve cover that didnt wash off, will cause the paint to run, and it'll look like ****. Good luck!

 

I just painted my VC about 5k ago and i didnt change out my gasket and it doesnt leak at all. I mean i dont see why you HAVE to change it if its not pinched or cracked, but i know its reccommended so im not going to argue with that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Taimaishui14 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I repainted mine when I bought my car. That was about 8k miles ago, and I reused the old gasket, and have had no problem with leaks. When you do yours, just make sure you look at the gasket really well, and if you see any rips/tears or notches or anything out of the ordinary, you replace it. Also be sure to use some type of gasket sealer/maker, most people reccomend hondabond, but you dont absolutely have to have that, just go to an auto parts store and find something that is suitable.
When your painting your valve cover, Id reccomend you use a good cleaner, simple green or something, and scrub it really really well. I'd sand it down a little too, then primer it. If you dont use primer, any bit of oil that was on the valve cover that didnt wash off, will cause the paint to run, and it'll look like ****. Good luck!</TD></TR></TABLE>

i made a trip to walmart, picked up a dish brush, a bottle of CLR oil eater (not the regular stuff) and a giant tupperware bin...poored the CLR in, filled the bin with hot water, soaked the VC in it for 30 mins, then scrubbed it clean....then it sat in my room for a few weeks....when i was ready for paint, i used armorall CLEANING (not protecting) wipes, cleaned it real good and put 3 coats of primer. thats how she sits now as i procrastinate getting some semi-gloss black paint for it thank god i kept my D15Z1 valvecover, which is what she's sporting right now

 

dont paint it have it powder coated comes out a lot better

 

Everyone is forgetting the spark plug seals...

if you use any solvent (ie, aircraft stripper), these are going to get chewed to ****.