Joined
·
14,726 Posts
Once you have all of the screws loosened, lift the valve cover off. If it does not come off easily, you can use an interior trim tool remover to wedge the valve cover up off of the cylinder head. Whichever tool you use, be very careful not to scar the cylinder head gasket surface. If you have to, you can remove all of the bolts from the valve cover, but it isn't absolutely necessary. It will be easier to remove the valve cover if you lift from the front so you don't snag the wiring harness with the rear. Once you have the valve cover off, this is what you'll see:
![]()
My particular Cruze had ~35,500 miles on it at this time. I took some pictures of the various valvetrain components:
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Here, you will see the PCV ports inside the cylinder head:
![]()
![]()
After you're done admiring your shiny valvetrain (or recovering from the horror of the sludge you found from using a crappy oil), remove the snap retainer from the old valve cover and put it on the new one.
![]()
IMPORTANT: use compressed air or brake clean to blow out any oil that may be inside the bolt holes. Oil is not compressible and will cause you to strip the threads while tightening if left in there.
Before installing the valve cover, you will need to clean off the old engine sealer at the two joints between the timing cover and the cylinder head, and apply a bead of sealer at those points, shown here:
![]()
Check the valve cover to make sure the gasket is still snugly attached to it. Put the new valve cover on. I recommend sliding it in at an angle so you can tuck underneath the wiring harness.
![]()
Tighten the bolts down by hand with just the socket end until they are snug. Once you have them all even and snug, go around in as star-like of a pattern as you can and tighten them until they are snug but not tight with your ratchet. Unlike valve covers of the past, these actually have a sleeve, and what you tighten down is the sleeve. The gasket acts as a spring for the valve cover itself, and the sleeve holds it down. The correct torque spec for this is 71 inch-pounds, NOT foot-pounds, so these really don't need to be very tight at all. Just snug.
![]()
![]()
Once you have all the bolts snug, start putting everything back into place. Start with the plastic bar you removed earlier. This should just slide right back in and lock with a snap.
![]()
Secure the harness with the snap retainer. Don't forget about the plastic vacuum line underneath!
![]()
Get the rest of the harness tucked inside the retainers:
![]()
Before you put the coil assembly back in, look inside the spark plug boots and check the springs. Those like to snag and bend inside the boot. Wiggling the boot around a bit usually frees them up. Make sure they're all straight, then evenly press the bar back down. Reconnect the connector, and push the connector lock back in.
![]()
Reinstall the oil cap, dipstick, and coil assmebly cover, and you're done!
![]()
As a precaution, start up your car and let it idle. With a flashlight, check the edges of the valve cover to make sure there are no leaks.
Important note: be careful not to get any dirt or oil into the bolt holes. If you do, oil doesn't compress and neither does dirt, and you can easily strip the thread or break the bolt. If you suspect you got any dirt or oil in those holes, blow them out with compressed air. You should be able to screw those bolts in by hand freely until they need to be tightened. If you can't and you start finding a significant amount of resistance, you have debris inside and you need to use a tap to clean out the threads. Just something to be mindful of when you're doing this.
My particular Cruze had ~35,500 miles on it at this time. I took some pictures of the various valvetrain components:
Here, you will see the PCV ports inside the cylinder head:
After you're done admiring your shiny valvetrain (or recovering from the horror of the sludge you found from using a crappy oil), remove the snap retainer from the old valve cover and put it on the new one.
IMPORTANT: use compressed air or brake clean to blow out any oil that may be inside the bolt holes. Oil is not compressible and will cause you to strip the threads while tightening if left in there.
Before installing the valve cover, you will need to clean off the old engine sealer at the two joints between the timing cover and the cylinder head, and apply a bead of sealer at those points, shown here:
Check the valve cover to make sure the gasket is still snugly attached to it. Put the new valve cover on. I recommend sliding it in at an angle so you can tuck underneath the wiring harness.
Tighten the bolts down by hand with just the socket end until they are snug. Once you have them all even and snug, go around in as star-like of a pattern as you can and tighten them until they are snug but not tight with your ratchet. Unlike valve covers of the past, these actually have a sleeve, and what you tighten down is the sleeve. The gasket acts as a spring for the valve cover itself, and the sleeve holds it down. The correct torque spec for this is 71 inch-pounds, NOT foot-pounds, so these really don't need to be very tight at all. Just snug.
Once you have all the bolts snug, start putting everything back into place. Start with the plastic bar you removed earlier. This should just slide right back in and lock with a snap.
Secure the harness with the snap retainer. Don't forget about the plastic vacuum line underneath!
Get the rest of the harness tucked inside the retainers:
Before you put the coil assembly back in, look inside the spark plug boots and check the springs. Those like to snag and bend inside the boot. Wiggling the boot around a bit usually frees them up. Make sure they're all straight, then evenly press the bar back down. Reconnect the connector, and push the connector lock back in.
Reinstall the oil cap, dipstick, and coil assmebly cover, and you're done!
As a precaution, start up your car and let it idle. With a flashlight, check the edges of the valve cover to make sure there are no leaks.
Important note: be careful not to get any dirt or oil into the bolt holes. If you do, oil doesn't compress and neither does dirt, and you can easily strip the thread or break the bolt. If you suspect you got any dirt or oil in those holes, blow them out with compressed air. You should be able to screw those bolts in by hand freely until they need to be tightened. If you can't and you start finding a significant amount of resistance, you have debris inside and you need to use a tap to clean out the threads. Just something to be mindful of when you're doing this.
