Toyota FJ Cruiser 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 Toyota FJ Cruiser Valve Cover Gasket Replacement is $429 with $135 for parts and $294 for labor. Prices may vary depending on your location.

Car	Service	Estimate	Shop/Dealer Price
2007 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$667.20	Shop/Dealer Price$760.19 - $1022.13
2010 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$763.18	Shop/Dealer Price$881.18 - $1226.52
2009 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$648.28	Shop/Dealer Price$737.61 - $996.81
2011 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$763.18	Shop/Dealer Price$881.23 - $1226.61
2012 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$763.18	Shop/Dealer Price$884.32 - $1232.02
2013 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$763.18	Shop/Dealer Price$881.53 - $1227.12
2014 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$576.46	Shop/Dealer Price$647.86 - $853.22
2008 Toyota FJ CruiserV6-4.0L	Service typeValve Cover Gasket Replacement	Estimate$648.28	Shop/Dealer Price$737.60 - $996.81

Show example Toyota FJ Cruiser 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 Toyota mechanics

Real customer reviews from Toyota owners like you.

Excellent Rating

(171)

Rating Summary

167

3

0

0

1

167

3

0

0

1

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Daniel

26 years of experience

15 reviews

Daniel

26 years of experience

by Danilo

Toyota FJ Cruiser V6-4.0L - Valve Cover Gasket - Houston, Texas

Great service from start to finish. 10/10

David

14 years of experience

463 reviews

David

14 years of experience

by robin

Toyota FJ Cruiser V6-4.0L - Valve Cover Gasket - Canton, Georgia

Great experience! Experienced mechanic, good communication!

Manuel

33 years of experience

590 reviews

Manuel

33 years of experience

by Daniel

Toyota FJ Cruiser V6-4.0L - Battery - Huntington Beach, California

Mechanic was on time, texted me prior and handle the repair very quickly. Was also very friendly

Joel

12 years of experience

177 reviews

Joel

12 years of experience

by BROOKE

Toyota FJ Cruiser V6-4.0L - Car is not starting - Frisco, Texas

Did a great, fast job on the testing and determining the problem.

Excellent Rating

(171)

Rating Summary

167

3

0

0

1

167

3

0

0

1

SEE REVIEWS NEAR ME

Recent articles & questions

Is it Safe to Drive With a Vacuum Leak?

A leak is the most common problem with the vacuum system. If the vacuum system in your vehicle is leaking, your vehicle...

How to Replace a Brake Hose

Modern Modern cars use a combination of metal lines and rubber hoses to contain and transfer the fluid that applies your brakes. The lines coming out of the brake master cylinder are made of metal to be strong and long...

How Long Does a Cooling/Radiator Fan Motor Last?

The The cooling/radiator fan motor is part of your vehicle’s cooling system. It transports heat away and dissipates it into the outside air. The fan motor is the part that actually powers the cooling fan. The cooling/radiator fan motor keeps...

Gear won't shift of out of park when I start the car

The idle speed is way too high at 2000 RPM. The first thing to correct is the shifting issue, followed by the engine speed. The throttle (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-throttle-body) could be gummed up and the throttle plate could be sticking open, causing...

Strange clunking/knocking noise coming from the front of the driver's side.

The tire wear represents misalignment, notably too much negative camber if the wear is on the inside edge of the tire. Such wear can be caused by worn ball joint but that would have to be evaluated. There are on...

Having starting issues on my 2012 Chevy Malibu 2LT.

Hello. Your particular make and model does not have a serviceable fuel filter. The fuel filter it has is on to the bottom of the fuel pump, known as the fuel strainer. To replace the fuel filter the fuel pump...

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