Kia Spectra 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 Kia Spectra Valve Cover Gasket Replacement is $202 with $62 for parts and $140 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

Car	Service	Estimate	Shop/Dealer Price
2002 Kia SpectraL4-1.8L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$291.74	Shop/Dealer Price$329.53 - $434.78
2001 Kia SpectraL4-1.8L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$282.73	Shop/Dealer Price$318.75 - $422.68
2000 Kia SpectraL4-1.8L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$282.73	Shop/Dealer Price$318.77 - $422.72
2006 Kia SpectraL4-2.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$270.15	Shop/Dealer Price$303.05 - $397.56
2005 Kia SpectraL4-2.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$270.15	Shop/Dealer Price$304.52 - $400.14
2008 Kia SpectraL4-2.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$270.15	Shop/Dealer Price$303.19 - $397.81
2003 Kia SpectraL4-1.8L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$282.73	Shop/Dealer Price$318.79 - $422.75
2007 Kia SpectraL4-2.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$270.15	Shop/Dealer Price$303.05 - $397.56

Show example Kia Spectra 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 Kia mechanics

Real customer reviews from Kia owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(8)

Rating Summary

7

1

0

0

0

7

1

0

0

0

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Andrew

12 years of experience

83 reviews

Andrew

12 years of experience

by Carlos Bratcher

Spectra 2004 - Valve Cover Gasket - Tacoma, WA

Very friendly and on time !!!!!!

Ernesto

30 years of experience

28 reviews

Request Ernesto

Ernesto

30 years of experience

Request Ernesto

by Chris Manna

Spectra 2008 - Alternator - Richfield, WI

Ernesto had a great attitude and talked to us very matter of factly about what we needed to fix now vs. what may need to be replaced in the future. Would recommend!

Larry

18 years of experience

54 reviews

Larry

18 years of experience

by Michael chung

Spectra 2009 - Serpentine/Drive Belt - Emeryville, CA

Excellent !!!

Corey

15 years of experience

184 reviews

Corey

15 years of experience

by Javier Avalos

Spectra 2009 - Ignition Cable (Spark plug wires) - Charlotte, NC

Very knowledgeable and courteous. He's professional and friendly. Always explains the repairs clearly so that you understand what is going on. I would recommend him 100%.

Excellent Rating

(8)

Rating Summary

7

1

0

0

0

7

1

0

0

0

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Recent articles & questions

P0976 OBD-II Trouble Code: Shift Solenoid B Control Circuit Low

P0976 means that

How to Register a Car in New York

For For some, moving to New York is a lifelong dream that they will stop at nothing to achieve. While moving to the Big Apple is exciting, there are a number of things that you will need to do. The...

A Buyer’s Guide to the 2012 Nissan Murano

The The 2012 Nissan Murano is a sleek crossover SUV that has all the modern amenities. It has ample interior space with a luxurious feel, and a driver oriented suspension. If you need a vehicle that can hold passengers and...

My wife's car is jerking while switching gears, and got codes P0700 and P0765 from check engine light

Based on those fault codes, there is a faulty shift solenoid. The lack of acceleration is probably due to the transmission going into a failsafe mode. You may want to get a mechanic to look at the transmission to prevent...

When i start my 95 monte 6carlo at 15F it revs at just over 2k, its climb and has made it up to 3.1 before i put it in gear help?

Hello. Thank you for writing in. All vehicles need a higher RPM when cold. The engine needs more fuel and advanced spark timing. The computer monitors all of this with various sesnors. Due to yours being higher than usual, you...

Car wouldn't start in park today it had to be started in neutral got home didn't drive for 30mins now car won't start in any gears

Hi There, It sounds like you may have a problem with the neutral safety switch. Your vehicle has a neutral safety switch (https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/neutral-safety-switch-replacement) that will prevent the vehicle from starting when it is in any gear position other than park...

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