Valve Cover gasket help please! M56

Forum for Infiniti M37, M56 M35h Hybrid and Q70 owners.
dineshsahu
Posts: 8
Joined: Tue Aug 14, 2018 5:21 pm
Car: 2011 Infiniti M56

Post

Hi guys! I have a 2011 Infiniti M56 with 116k miles. I'm leaking a little oil, and the dealership told me that it's from a leaky valve cover gasket. They told me that when I do it I have to replace the covers too (which I don't understand...), and that it would be $1600 total. I saw that the gaskets themselves are only a few dollars. Does anyone know how to do this job, or know of a guide or something. I'm a semi-novice to working on cars, but I do have access to tools. Or anything else I should do when I'm doing this job? Really any advice at all would be appreciated. I'm in the St. Louis area if that matters...


User avatar
AZhitman
Administrator
Posts: 71061
Joined: Mon Apr 29, 2002 2:04 am
Car: 58 L210, 63 Bluebird RHD, 64 NL320, 65 SPL310, 66 411 RHD, 67 WRL411, 68 510 SR20, 75 280Z RB25, 77 620 SR20, 79 B310, 90 S13, 92 SE-R, 92 Silvia Qs, 98 S14.
Location: Surprise, Arizona
Contact:

Post

Welcome aboard, dinesh!

I don't see why they'd say the actual valve covers need to be replaced.

I'd order the whole kit: https://www.ebay.com/i/151767377243

We have the FSM here for you to refer to... Anyone in the STL area want to give a hand?

EdBwoy
Moderator
Posts: 3507
Joined: Tue Dec 25, 2012 12:47 am
Location: Indiana, USA
Contact:

Post

dineshsahu wrote:
Mon Apr 08, 2019 7:10 pm
...a leaky valve cover gasket. They told me that when I do it I have to replace the covers too (which I don't understand...)
... anything else I should do when I'm doing this job?
You are right in that the "replace entire valve cover" story doesn't make sense... yet. That's a call that can only be made upon verifying that the spark plug tube seals are leaking. You can do this yourself by removing the coilpacks and seeing if they are wet with oil. They shouldn't be.

You should also verify that the valve cover gaskets are actually leaking. That's as easy as:
1. Smelling burning oil a little while after you start driving
2. Ideally on a cold engine, rub your hand/paper towel on the outside of the engine Vee along the meeting surface of the valve cover and engine head.

As AZHitman alluded to, the instructions are usually pretty straightforward as shown in the FSM, but I can promise you a not-so-easy time. The V8 engine bay is tightly packed.

I would consider taking the opportunity to address and replace these as needed:
  • PCV valves
  • Spark plugs
  • Vacuum hoses

M37sphoton
Posts: 10
Joined: Sun Apr 14, 2019 3:16 pm
Car: 2012 M37 Sport

Post

havent been around the m37 long enough to be 100 percent, especially on the v8, but i had a leak in my g37 at ~101k and got quotes from a low 500 to 980 at the dealer, so saw a post on g37 that guided 99 percent and went ahead and did it myself-bought me the denzo plugs and the gasket for ~70 and went to town..figured the worst would be a tow to the lower offers...so, unless your cover is damaged or a single unit like in the g35's then just the gasket needs to be replace , no damage on mine...so its doable as that was a first for me... 270 bucks and 6 hrs on a saturday and it was done and it actually ran lol...but really, not a tough job, pending the v8 and its stuffed engine bay...good luck

madmanpauly
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:12 am
Car: 2011 Infiniti M56S

Post

I went for an oil change today and was told the same thing...that I need the entire valve cover replaced @ $2900.00!!! So, I'm gonna do it myself at a fraction of the cost but I'm still curious: Did you need to replace the entire valve cover? Are there any tricks to the job that you can share?

User avatar
ken in az
Posts: 1280
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:18 pm
Car: 2011 Infiniti M56
2002 Chevy Silverado
1989 Nissan 300ZX
2008 Ford F250 Diesel/Canam X3 Turbo

Post

$2900 is a ridiculous amount - that's darn near theft at that point.

Do both sides - if one is only leaking it is only a mater of time till the other one starts eaking too. And - While you're in there, you might as well replace your Ignition coils and spark plugs. Coils can be a little pricey, but definitely do the plugs...10x easier when doing valve cover gaskets.
madmanpauly wrote:
Thu Mar 23, 2023 7:26 am
I went for an oil change today and was told the same thing...that I need the entire valve cover replaced @ $2900.00!!! So, I'm gonna do it myself at a fraction of the cost but I'm still curious: Did you need to replace the entire valve cover? Are there any tricks to the job that you can share?

madmanpauly
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:12 am
Car: 2011 Infiniti M56S

Post

Agreed! The coils and plugs have about 10k miles on them so I’m good there. Any advice from anyone on how to tackle this? Any tips?

User avatar
ken in az
Posts: 1280
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:18 pm
Car: 2011 Infiniti M56
2002 Chevy Silverado
1989 Nissan 300ZX
2008 Ford F250 Diesel/Canam X3 Turbo

Post

Learn some automotive yoga! Lol seriously it's not too bad. Some of the bolts are a pain to get to but have a good set of random size wrenches.

Also, clean and use RTV in the corners where the factory recommends otherwise you'll have leaks. You'll see where when you pull the valve cover's because the factory rtv will still be there.

Finally - don't overtorque the bolts when reinstalling them. You risk cracking them as they're just plastic.

madmanpauly
Posts: 55
Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2018 10:12 am
Car: 2011 Infiniti M56S

Post

Thanks!


Return to “Infiniti M37, M56, M35h Hybrid and Q70 Forum”