Nissan Pathfinder SE 2003 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement

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pikey23
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:16 pm

Nissan Pathfinder SE 2003 Valve Cover Gasket Replacement

Postby pikey23 » Fri Jan 19, 2018 10:22 pm

I have a 2003 Nissan Pathfinder SE 3.5 V6

I noticed I Am leaking oil out of the back left of my valve cover gasket that has been getting worse and worse over time I've been losing lots of oil and noticed it's smoking bad one time recently I think it was dripping down to the exhaust? I went out and bought a new gasket for both sides and spark plugs... I've never done this job before I was wondering if anyone had any information on it or has done it before or could point me to a step-by-step guide? Any information would be appreciated thank you


ergodf
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2018 9:34 pm
Location: Midlothian, VA

Postby ergodf » Mon Jan 22, 2018 9:49 pm

Hello Pikey,

I own a 2004 SE. I bought mine in 2015 and had the same issue, which actually began after I replaced the valve covers. I made the mistake of NOT applying silicone in the track of each valve cover, so no matter how carefully I re-torqued the bolts it leaked in the passenger rear corner. It has since been re-done.

Since you have the plugs and gaskets already, it seems you are already contemplating pulling the valve covers. I would suggest starting by pulling one plug and inspecting the threads. You'll notice the plugs are in a tube that descend through the valve cover. The issue here is if the 3 center gaskets in each cover that surround the top of the spark tube have degraded, oil will seep down and foul your plugs. These 3 gaskets are built into the valve cover. Mine were cracked and hardened, and so I replaced the valve covers.

I replaced my plugs at around 102,000 mi.

There are some great old threads on this topic on this forum that I would suggest. I credit this R50 pathfinder forum for helping me maintain mine.

Good luck!


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