Took my valve cover off today to repaint it on my 99 civic EX (D16Y8). Anyways, I thought I would remove the spark plug seals on the inside of the valve cover (I have new ones I never installed before) but for the life of me I can not pry them out. They just break like they are made of plastic. Any tips, I can't seem to get them to scrape out and I don't want to scratch the aluminum too much. Should I torch them gently?

 

Well I figured it out. I didn't realize the metal ring (which I though was a flange that was part of the valve cover) is built into those gaskets. The best way is, don't even pull on the rubber. Just use a flat head, wedge it down in there and push down on it like a lever. I will post a picture later to show in case someone else ever encounters this same problem.