I just need some advice

I took my 2000 accord to have the valve gasket replaced. They told me everything was "glued" on (the gasket and o-rings were difficult to pull off) so I had to go find a new valve cover which they then installed.

I kept my old valve cover. They scraped off the valve gasket fine but were not able to remove the O-rings. They did try but essentially warped/cracked the space where the rings sit.

Is this valve cover done for? Should I just trash it. I was hoping I could get the rings off and scrape the stuck rubber to resell.

 

Every picture tells a story........oh that is a song, I like it so I'll stay with it .

Hard to tell from the pic's. The first pic and the top plug hole "looks" like they did a "number on it". So hard to say if you can save it or not.

So, IMHO it depends on what you think your time is worth and the return....don't take this wrong...but you already decided your time was not worth it to do the job yourself....so spending ~45 minutes to clean it up without more damage to get $20~30 for a used valve cover...you decide.

 

I'm getting ready to change my gasket and O-rings, had a little oil on top of my plugs. (And no, my engine doesn't have the O-rings farther down the tube like earlier model engines did. I had a long conversation with Honda telling them what I was trying to buy and finally a tech came out who knew the motor and said they stopped using the O-rings under the rocker assembly and they just use gasket sealer when putting it back on.)

Anyway, the tech I know up there also said that these are really hard to get off and they often burn them out. So before I start the project, I'm wondering if I should at all, I don't want to replace my valve cover. Has anyone else done this, and how big of a deal was it really to remove the gaskets?

Are these pictures the result of a knucklehead or the result of them being near impossible to remove?

 

The cover looks terrible, that looks like a pretty desperate and aggressive attempt to remove the o-rings/seals. It is hard to say whether or not the cover is salvageable. If you take a torch and burn out the seals, like they should have done, then its a matter of if the seat is clean and clear enough to put the new seals in. The seals, when seated, sit a few millimeters above the valve cover's seats so they should be able to seal properly, as long as you file down/chisel away any burrs I think your in the go. I would use a light coating of gasket sealant in between the seals and the cover.

 

Looks like they pulled the rubber off the seals but left the steel rings of the seals in the cover.
Flip the cover so it is upright, using a flat head screwdriver and a hammer, tap(what's left) the seal out.
If not...
Bend the steel 'O' into a sector(Pac-man shape) it should release from the cover, just be careful not to damage the softer aluminum cover.

And never bring it back to that garage again. They are muppets to not be able to simply replace those seals.