Hello All,

I have been fighting with my valve cover gaskets leaking and I HATE HATE HATE that they keep winning. I tighten the screws, a few days later still leaking. And I think they may be leaking from the inside of the valve cover where I can't reach as i am noticing a tiny pool of oil in there.

I have owned my Discovery since Sep 08, and have no idea how the previous 2 owners treated her, (i.e letting it get too hot etc..) It has been running great since i have had it...thank God.

I just received gasket kit http://www.roverparts.com/Parts/STC4082BK.cfm
from AB and plan on replacing all the gaskets from the top all the way down to the valve covers and i am wondering since i'm so close to the heads if i should take them off and replace the head gaskets while I'm there. I really don't mind the job and I would hate hate hate that in a year or so the head gaskets go bad and I have to do the job...again... I want to do this job ONCE... and not again for a long time.

Should I do them now? Or save them for when i NEED it and redo the job later?

Thanks..

BTW...My rig has 61k miles, just finished the 60kmile service a month or two ago and it drives like new... NOTHING on the car leaks except for the valve covers.

 

If you are doing the work and dont mind doing it then I would say yes, do the head gaskets too.
Make sure that you use new head bolts though.

 

head bolts were ordered yesterday!

 

That's a tough call, 61k miles isn't much. I just went through the same dilemma as you and ended up replacing the headgaskets too. I guess if you have the time and don't mind the work than yes, your not really spending that much more money and it's not a bad job. Don't be fooled though, it is a bit more work and it's not easy - those bolts are seriously tight, plus the exhaust manifold has to come off (get new gaskets). I also replaced my valve stem seals, took the rocker shaft completely apart to clean the oil passages and cleaned the valves up too, so it depends on how much you want to get into it. Looking back, I wish that I didn't bother with them only because I really didn't have the time to do it so I was hurried, plus it was the middle of winter in an unheated garage. I would guess that the odds are very much in your favor that they won't leak within the next 60k miles, If they do it's because somebody overheated it. So basically I guess I don't know what to tell you...

 

If your compression is even 150+ and you do not have any leaks (oil / coolant)out of the head gaskets or coolant leaks out of the lower intake gasket in the rear or the front, I would not waste the time energy and money on it, especially with such low mileage (60 K).

Getting to the valve cover gaskets is 1/4 of the way from a labor standpoint, because you onely have to remove the uper section of the intake manifold. I would just replace the valve cover gaskets with the updated black rubber ones, with steel spacers around the bolt holes.

In addition, I would check the tightness of the lower intake bolts. They are always in need of tightening.

 

Great comments guys. I'll have to make the decision when I get to it then... egh.

I just don't want to do the job now and then again later. I think i will save myself more money, time, and work by doing it all NOW as opposed to later and risk the heads needing work. I think if i lived in the mainland i would gladly wait till i HAD to replace the head gaskets but there aren't trust worthy machine shops on St. Croix. I want to save the heads now.

 

You are wasting a lot of time and monet just because of your V/C gaskets.
Remove the screws and use a small amount of Lock Tite tighten them to 10 foot pounds and then go power scrub your engine.
By the way, with an 03 and the SAI heads, you will get in over your head doing head gaskets that are not needed.

 

Again I would hate to leave the orig head gaskets and really have to do them later. Due to my work schedule I won't be able to do such a job again till after Nov 09. I have the time now to do it.

But maybe I'll decide NOT to do them once I get half way and realize what a pain the job actually is! lol... esp with SAI

Im sure the head gaskets are fine and may last another 60k. I'd be very happy if that were true. Maybe i'll take it one day at a time and just do the valve covers for now.

I'd hate to remove the heads and not do the job right and have my baby not run smooth.

I'll let you all know what i decide once i get to the valve covers within the next two weeks.

 

UPDATE:

After replacing the valve covers and valley pan gasket and cleaning up the motor and NOT having any observable coolant loss in my 6 months of ownership I decided NOT to remove the heads. However now that i was there I am more confident that I myself could do them if i have to... even with SAI.

The motor hasn't been leaking anywhere yet after the new gaskets so hopefully that means I did something right. But damn, my head gaskets better last at least another year cuz I don't want to do them any time soon. Thanks guys!!