Hello All,

I have an 01 civic ex 4 door. 265,000 miles original owner and still runs strong. I had a CEL and Misfire on 2 cylinders, when I checked I had some oil on one of my spark plug boots. I am by no means a mechanic but took on the job of replacing the Valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals. I used the Fel Pro (Felpro Valve Cover Gasket Set VS 50606 R: Shop the best Valve Cover Gasket at Advance Auto Parts). I noticed in the set that there are 4 spark plug tube seals that fit on the valve cover. There are 4 others that are slightly smaller. I am not able to figure out what they are used for. None of the videos I watched online mentioned what these additional spark plug tube seals would be for.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

smaller ones are the grommets that go on the bolts which hold the valve cover down. They can leak over time, too.

Look at the link you provided us.

Specifications:
Kit/Set Contents: Valve Cover, Grommets, Tube Seals
Primary Gasket Material: Rubber
Quantity Of Pieces: 14

Customer Q&A:

Q:
How do you get the new valve cover bolt grommets on the bolts of a 2003 Honda civic? The grommets are too tight to go over the "step" on the bolt?

Asked on 12/17/2013 by Forte' from Boca Raton, FL

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1 answer




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A:
Hi Forte, glad to assist you! Mark the spark plug wires with the tape and marker, so you know where they go when you put the engine back together. Remove the wires by twisting them from side to side and pulling at the same time. Remove the valve cover bolts or nuts, using a 10 mm socket. Start from the outside and work inward, alternating ends -- remove the two fasteners on the front end of the cover, then two at the rear end, then two more on the front and so on. Lift the valve cover off the cylinder head. Make sure the sealing grommets don't fall into the head when you remove the cover. If the valve cover sticks, pry each of the corners up about 1/16-inch at a time, to loosen it. Clean the gasket-mating surfaces of the cover and the head, using the plastic scraper and the shop rags. Smear a thin layer of RTV silicone on the valve cover gasket-mating surface. Position the valve cover gasket onto the valve cover and press it into the silicone. Allow it to set for two to three minutes. Apply a 1/2-inch bead of silicone to the corners of the gasket where it meets the head and camshaft journal cap. Allow it to skin over -- this means that when you touch it and it doesn't stick to your finger, it has cured enough and is ready to use. Position the valve cover on the head. Install the grommets into the grommet holes. Tighten the valve cover retaining bolts or nuts to 86 inch-pounds of torque for all four-cylinder engines.

Answered on 12/18/2013 by Vincent from AAP

 

Thank you for your reply. I was not refferring to the small grommets that surround the bolts that hold the valve cover down. My confusion has to do with the 4 rubber seals that are slightly smaller than the spark plug tube seals.

 

the ones with metal on them are for the valve cover bolts the ones without metal are for the plugs. make sure the plug seals are rite side up otherwise the valve cover won't seat properly.

 

The second set of four rubber donuts are the lower spark plug tube seals.
Think about this, how does oil get inside the tubes when there is no oil found around the top seal in the valve cover?
The oil is coming up from underneath around the lower seals.
The lower seals come in the Fel-Pro valve cover kit.
I will be replacing mine in a 2001 Civic 1.7L but I can find no one that has done this yet.
The rocker arm assembly may need to be removed.
But I seen the tubes are held in with clips on the rocker arms.
They may just pry up far enough to change the rubber seal.
When I am done, I will post how it was done.
No one appears to know these seals exist.
Will post when done.