GMC Safari Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Costs

Estimate price near me

Service Location

Customer Ratings

Included for free with this service

Online Booking

Mechanic comes to you

12-month / 12k-mile warranty

Free 50 point safety inspection

Our certified mobile mechanics can come to your home or office 7 days a week between 7 AM and 9 PM.

See availability

Customer Ratings

Valve Cover Gasket Replacement Service

How much does a Valve Cover Gasket Replacement cost?

On average, the cost for a GMC Safari Valve Cover Gasket Replacement is $242 with $46 for parts and $196 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

Car	Service	Estimate	Shop/Dealer Price
2005 GMC SafariV6-4.3L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$308.16	Shop/Dealer Price$335.99 - $408.14
1990 GMC SafariV6-4.3L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$648.21	Shop/Dealer Price$716.67 - $910.92
1990 GMC SafariL4-2.5L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$526.32	Shop/Dealer Price$592.09 - $781.44
1995 GMC SafariV6-4.3L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$295.55	Shop/Dealer Price$320.94 - $391.26
1993 GMC SafariV6-4.3L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$522.46	Shop/Dealer Price$593.38 - $792.64
1997 GMC SafariV6-4.3L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$295.55	Shop/Dealer Price$321.13 - $391.60
1998 GMC SafariV6-4.3L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$295.55	Shop/Dealer Price$320.96 - $391.30
2002 GMC SafariV6-4.3L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$295.55	Shop/Dealer Price$320.94 - $391.26

Show example GMC Safari Valve Cover Gasket Replacement prices

What is a valve cover gasket and how does it work?

Each cylinder head on your car’s engine has an aluminum or plastic valve cover bolted to it. Between this valve cover and the cylinder head, there is a gasket that keeps engine oil from leaking out. The valve cover bolts keep the gasket compressed, thus preventing leaks. Over time the gasket becomes brittle from the engine’s heat or the bolts loosen, creating an engine oil leak.

When to consider replacing a valve cover gasket?

Look for these signs of oil leakage at the valve cover gasket:

Oil seepage or dripping. Should the joint between the valve cover and the cylinder head fail, oil often becomes visible on the valve cover or cylinder heads. Usually, the oil will attract and hold dirt.
Oil accumulating inside the spark plug well. The spark plug tube seals are part of the valve cover sealing system. If the tube seals are leaking, you will see oil on the spark plugs or wires. The valve cover gasket and tube seals are all replaced at one time if either fails.
Oil leakage at the rubber grommets. The bolts holding the valve cover to the cylinder head sometimes have rubber grommet seals under the bolt heads. If these seals are leaking, you will see oil seepage around the bolt heads.

How do mechanics replace a valve cover gasket?

Remove engine cover. Some engines have plastic covers over the entire top. The plastic engine cover is removed to access the valve cover(s).
Remove components. On 4 cylinder engines, the valve cover is usually readily accessed once any electrical components and emission control tubing are removed, plus any accelerator linkages that might be in the way. On 6 or 8 cylinder engines, depending on which valve cover gasket is leaking, removal of the air intake plenum might be required, as well as additional steps.
Remove valve cover. Once the valve cover(s) is accessed, the cover retaining bolts are removed and the cover pulled off. The valve cover sealing surface is checked with a straight edge to be sure the cover is flat and thus reusable.
Install new gasket. The new valve cover gasket is applied along with new rubber grommets under the retaining bolt heads. If there are spark plug tube seals, these are replaced as well. In some applications, oil resistant RTV (room temperature vulcanization) sealant must be applied to specific segments of the sealing surface, along with the new gasket, to ensure a complete and effective seal. The cover is bolted back on, using a calibrated inch pound torque wrench, and all other components are restored to their original position.
Check for leaks. Finally, the car engine is run and a visual check is made for oil leaks.

Is it safe to drive with a valve cover gasket problem?

Yes, as long as the amount of oil leaking is small, and there is no leak onto hot engine parts such as the exhaust manifold, it is safe to drive your car until you have an opportunity to fix it.

If you notice oil leaking on to the ground beneath your car after it is parked, you do not have a small leak, and it needs to be found and repaired as soon as possible. Any leak, of course, means your oil level is dropping as you drive the car. If you have a leak, be sure to check your oil more frequently than usual so you do not run low on oil and damage the engine.

When replacing a valve cover gasket keep in mind:

The mechanical components of a car engine will typically outlive the gaskets used to seal the engine. However, many of these gaskets, including the valve cover gaskets, are relatively easy to replace.
Never add stop leak type products to engine oil or other vehicle fluids. Not only are these materials not approved or specified by the original equipment manufacturers, but they also can create additional problems that may be costly to repair.
Often, if a car is old enough to have a valve cover oil leak, there will be oil leaks elsewhere on the engine, so you should request a complete leak inspection. It may be more cost effective to repair multiple leaks during one service call.
Often, the PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) valve is inserted into a rubber grommet in one of the valve covers. An old rubber grommet is a potential leak source, as well as connections to the PCV valve. These components should be inspected and considered for replacement while there is access to the valve cover.

Fast and easy service at your home or office

Backed by 12-month, 12.000-mile guarantee

Meet some of our expert GMC mechanics

Real customer reviews from GMC owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(53)

Rating Summary

48

1

1

1

2

48

1

1

1

2

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Adam

16 years of experience

142 reviews

Adam

16 years of experience

by Matthew Law

Safari 2004 - ABS Light is on - Delray Beach, FL

A real Professional. You can tell his experience.

Michael

35 years of experience

131 reviews

Request Michael

Michael

35 years of experience

Request Michael

by John Sideri

Safari 2003 - ABS Light is on - Brea, CA

I wish that I knew about your company, “New Mechanic “ earlier. Michael is very conscientious and professional. I would highly recommend.John Sideri.

Michael

0 years of experience

243 reviews

Request Michael

Michael

0 years of experience

Request Michael

by tetsu tsuboi

Safari 2004 - Control Arm Assembly - Las Vegas, NV

professional work

Michael

0 years of experience

243 reviews

Request Michael

Michael

0 years of experience

Request Michael

by tetsu tsuboi

Safari 2004 - Wheel Hub Assembly - Las Vegas, NV

professional work

Excellent Rating

(53)

Rating Summary

48

1

1

1

2

48

1

1

1

2

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Recent articles & questions

A Buyer’s Guide to the 2012 Hyundai Genesis

The The 2012 Hyundai Genesis is a midsize luxury sedan that is both powerful and well equipped with lots of standard features. It has an elegant look with the choice between V6 or two V8 engines. This four door sedan...

How Long Does a Clutch Slave Cylinder Last?

The The clutch slave cylinder is located on the inside or outside of the transmission. If the slave cylinder is mounted on the outside of the transmission, it is normally attached by two bolts. Every time hydraulic pressure is applied,...

All About Snow Tires

Your Your knuckles are white as you grip the steering wheel - and it’s not only because it’s cold. The wind is blowing strong from the north, polishing the roads to a deceptively dull shine. You struggle to maintain control...

How do I view the range?

The range is an estimation of how many miles you can drive on your current tank of gas, based on how much fuel remains in the tank, and on the fuel economy that you have averaged in past trips. To...

Oil change due, now car is bouncing and shaking

Hello. The oil change should not cause the car to bounce or shake. This may be unrelated to the oil change and may be a sign of a more serious problem and should be looked at by a qualified mechanic...

Second opinion] Hi, I have an M156 engine that me and my friend took apart replaced the faulty cylinder headbolts and other gaskets and now that we've put everything back together the oil is mixing with the [coolant](/topics-coolant-mercedes/) and producing chocolate milkshake kind of fluid. When we pour approximately 1 liter or more of water into the coolant holder thingy (forgot the name) it pours out the oil pan in the bottom after 10 or 20 seconds. We've tried to narrow down the problem and found out that it is probably from the water pump entry. We disconnected the hose that goes into the thermostat and it still leaks but when we remove the water pump hose from the radiator it doesn't leak. We took out the water pump and it looks fine and also has a new gasket and when we pour water right into the water pump opening it comes right back out and doesn't go in, so it looks like a mystery to use but maybe someone more experienced can help us out.

How can we help?

Our service team is available 7 days a week, Monday - Friday from 6 AM to 5 PM PST, Saturday - Sunday 7 AM - 4 PM PST.

1 (844) 997-3624 · hi@yourmechanic.com