Happy New Year friends! A few months back I had posted about my car going through about a quart of oil every 2 weeks or so. Since I didn't see any leaks or smoke I was advised to try switching back to dino oil as well as replace PCV valve. I did both but it did not help. Now I think I know the culprit. As soon as the car starts to warm up it now smokes from under the hood behind engine near the firewall. It looks like oil is leaking from the valve cover gasket. Based on a few posts I read on here I should replace the valve covers and not just the gasket since the grommets aren't replaceable in the spark plug holes. The car is an '06 M35X and is about to hit 200k miles so it must be time! It seems the valve covers are pretty expensive. However, they seem to be much cheaper on A1 Auto compared to other sources. Both valve covers plus 6 injectors for $250....Is this legit? It sounds pretty cheap compared to what I've read on here and seem on a few other sites.

https://www.1aauto.com/nissan-350z-infi ... gJ5_fD_BwE

Thanks in advance!

As the car gets older, the price should go down on such a kit so I would say that is fine to buy.

What I know from experience is that the valve covers are indeed reusable. The issue comes in in the case where the spark plug tube seals are leaking - as those are not replaceable.

One school of thought is that you should plan to buy new ones whenever you mess with the old ones, as you'll likely deform/damage the old ones during removal. The rubber is usually harder and more likely to be plasticized.

I prefer to just thoroughly inspect them before making that decision. However, I have a lot of spares to play with, which cuts down on my cars' downtime.
If I were to buy new ones, I'd do all I could to buy OEM Infiniti/Nissan parts, as a matter of preference.


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I should also mention that I think the issue with bad spark plug tubes is more common with the V6 engines.

Thanks guys. This is helpful. Now I just need to muster of the energy to tackle this job while it's freezing temperatures outside. lol

I have personally never dealt with A1 Auto so I dont know if they are legit or not. I am all for getting cheaper price on parts, but when something seems a bit fishy I tend to stay away. The fact they are giving you both covers and a pack of ignition coils worth about $100 on their own puts it into that "fishy" category for me. Your welcome to go for it, and I hope it works out great for you! If you do decide to go with that cheaper kit, here is the same one from an even cheaper place:
https://www.am-autoparts.com/products/v ... 94503.html

As an alternative, Z1 Motorsports has a good reputation, and you can get OEM ones from them as a replacement kit for $380:
https://www.z1motorsports.com/cylinder- ... -7167.html




Other notes for this project:
Make sure you have some RTV for attaching the new gasket and for reinforcing the mating to the engine.
Start in the morning so you can make sure and have both valve covers out before lunch. Set your RTV and gasket so it can start to dry while you take an hour lunch break.
Think about how long it has been since you changed spark plugs, usually this is around every 100k. You said your at 200k now so it might be a good idea to do your plugs at this same maintenance since youll be in the area anyway. If you do, also inspect your coil boots for damage.

Thanks EniGmA1987. I am a little worried that the quality may not be up to par with a kit that cheap. So maybe I will cough up the extra money and get one from Z1 Motorsports instead. And thanks for the tips about RTV and doing the plugs. This forum is great! So many talented and helpful people. Thanks!