How to Repair Valve Cover Gaskets That Leak Oil in a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan

The 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan base model came standard with a 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder engine and a front-wheel-drive configuration. The valve cover is mounted on the top of the cylinder head and serves as the cover for the valve train. A leaking valve cover gasket will cause oil to leak out onto the cylinder head and down the sides of the engine. No special tools are required to remove and replace the valve cover gasket, but the coil pack and plug wires must be removed.

Instructions

Removal

1

Lift the vehicle hood and support it with the hood prop rod. Disconnect the negative battery cable with the socket and ratchet.

2

Place a piece of tape on the valve cover just behind each of the spark plug wires. Label them from one to four starting from left and working right with the pen. Wrap a piece of tape around each plug wire and label each wire in respect to its position on the valve cover.

3

Remove each spark plug wire from the engine, leaving the wires plugged into the coil pack. Remove the four bolts securing the coil pack to the valve cover with the socket and ratchet. Lift the coil pack off of the valve cover and set it aside, making sure the plug wires are still attached. Remove the nut securing the ground strap to the front of the valve cover with the socket and ratchet.

4

Remove the eight bolts holding the valve cover to the cylinder head with the socket and ratchet. Lift the valve cover off of the engine carefully.

5

Remove the old rubber valve cover gasket and the four o-rings at the holes for the spark plug wires. Spray the inside of the valve cover down with brake cleaner to remove any old oil from the seat of the valve cover gasket and spark plug o-rings. Remove any leftover silicone sealer from the half-circle rounds at each end of the valve cover, as well as the mating surface on the cylinder head.

Installation

6

Install the new spark plug o-rings and valve cover gasket onto the valve cover. Apply a small amount of RTV silicone at the half rounds for the camshaft caps at each end of the valve cover.

7

Place the valve cover onto the cylinder head. Thread each mounting bolt until hand tight.

8

Tighten each bolt in the following sequence: top center, bottom center, right center, left center, bottom right, top left, top right, bottom left. Tighten all bolts one time to 40 inch-pounds, then again in sequence to 80 inch-pounds, and again in sequence to 105 inch-pounds.

9

Set the coil pack into position and tighten the mounting bolts to 105 inch-pounds with the torque wrench. Install the ground strap and tighten the nut with the socket and ratchet.

10

Install each spark plug wire onto their respective spark plug according to the labels made previously. Install the battery ground cable and tighten with the socket and ratchet. Latch the vehicle hood.