I finally completed my first repair attempt on my new 2000 Vette, replacing the valve cover gaskets, grommets, cleaning the grime off the engine, and tossed in a K&N air filter just for kicks. I was orginally planning to do the passenger side only, but saw that the driver's side was filthy also. Ironically, the leaks weren't from the gasket, they were from the grommets, but because of this the oil/dirt was confined to the top of the engine for the most part so the cleanup was a snap. And of course I made sure to take plenty of pics for my project album and to show off my newly sparkling clean engine:

The passenger side before starting.


The oil and grime had run down the front of the block too.


Driver's side didn't look as dirty, or so I thought....



And so it began...passenger side first:


Putting it back together:




And on to the driver's side:


Putting this side back together:



And it's finished:



I started it up and let it run for a while and didn't detect any leaks from the gaskets or the grommets. I also took it around the block and everything seems to be holding up great. I was a little worried about this repair, but now I feel great knowing that I'm finally back in a car that I can actually work on. I saved almost $500 by doing this myself.

Now to soak my aching back while drinking a cold one....

 

I wanted to make sure and add my thanks to those who helped out with tips and info; your help was invaluable. You guys rock!

 

Nice job! Did you use the OEM valve cover gaskets & grommets or aftermarket brand? I used the Fel-Pro brand gasket kit when I did my valve springs, and was very happy with it ... and the price was good too.

 

I did mine a couple of summers ago, and I went with the FelPro gaskets/grommets. No issues...

 

Thank you, it was a long day but well worth the effort in the end. The engine looks the way it should now, and should run a bit cooler with the grime cleaned off.

I used Fel-Pro gaskets and grommets. The OEM gaskets/grommets did not hold up as well as I feel they should have so I decided to go with a brand that has proven itself well to me over the years. I could have gone with Mr. Gasket high performance stuff, but I don't have the HP to justify the cost, which is double that of Fel-Pro.

 

Now that was'nt so hard was it?

 

No, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, although it did take me several hours to get things as clean as I wanted them. It sure was nice to be able to work on my own car again; it's been over 20 years since I had a car with a motor that faced the right direction. Ironically enough, that car was a '70 Chevy Nova that I owned as a teen. It's great knowing that I'm not paying the dealer outrageous amounts for basic repairs anymore because I can do them myself, or at least most of them.

 

Thanks for the post! I haven’t changed valve cover gaskets on a v8 in about 20 years. This by far was the easiest V8 I ever did. It’s so nice that the valves are practically recessed into the heads, so u don’t have to work the cover around valves and also, there’s only 4 bolts in the center of the cover, rather than 8-10 all around with a few in spots u can’t get a torque wrench into. I have done quite a bit of wrenching on this car and it was FINALLY nice to do a job right in my face without twisting and turning my body like a contortionist. Luckily I detail my engine so I didn’t have to clean much, overall the job took about an hour and a half including degreasing, hosing down the engine and blowing it dry with a leaf blower at the end. I highly recommend to anyone DIY, all u need is a 1/4 ratchet, 8mm regular or deep socket, 10mm deep socket, 1/4 torque wrench “106 INCH lbs” for 8mm valve cover bolts. Also I believe a 5/8 socket to back out the alternator screw to get to one of the coil bracket screws. Super easy job people, don’t pay someone to do this job and if u don’t have a 1/4 torque wrench order a cheap one, I bought mine from Harbor Freight a couple years ago for $9.99.

 

fel-pro makes great gaskets for these cars

 

 

Ok so what about the plugs and wires while you were this far along?

 

Since this discussion has been "resurrected", I'll add one thing to the discussion. Most people, I think, will ignore the grommets, when changing the gaskets. What I found that to mean, is that when you go to your friendly, local parts store, the gaskets that you buy might be "fresh", therefore pliable, and well sealing. The grommets, however, may have been sitting on the shelf for a LONG time, and are somewhat dried out, and less pliable. Therefor, when you try to stretch them over the valve cover retaining bolts, they'll crack or tear.

If you have any doubts about the grommets, warm them up a little, before trying to install them on the bolts.

 

 

I bought my first Corvette 3 months ago... an '01 C5 base 6MT, 123k miles. I'm a Finance guy with very limited mechanical knowledge/experience, so I have a habit of turning 1-hour repairs into half-day jobs. Both valve covers were leaking on my C5, though, and the passenger side was obvious. With the help of this thread, I decided to tackle this job myself... and (I think) I'm glad I did.

Before-and-after, passenger side:







Before-and-after, driver side:



I also replaced the PCV tube assembly after re-installing the valve covers. As you can see from the first pic, there were oil leaks from the PCV valve and adjacent hose. That hose was very brittle and cracked/tore when I disconnected it from the intake.

My one concern about the valve cover gaskets is the gap I've got between the valve covers and the heads. It's about 1/8", and I was expecting them to be almost flush. I DID torque the bolts to spec (106 inch-lbs). On two of the "after" pics above, you can see the bright blue Felpro gasket. I wasn't expecting it to be so visible/obvious. Is this normal?