I'm changing the valve cover gasket and everything is apart but I can't figure out how to remove the spark plug seals. Is there a trick to it because they coming out by prying or pulling. Also, how do you replace the valve cover bolt grommet/washer? There is a part on the bolt that prevents you from just sliding it off. Thanks in advance

 

Nevermind I figure it out

 

wanna share the fix and pics for others?

 

Just did this...Pry thm out, they get seated in there pretty good. And they are not solid rubber, they have a metal wire that runs through them.

 

I thought the metal ring was part of the valve cover. I was starting to damage it, so that is why I created the thread. Once I realized that it wasn't, I used a little more force: hammer and a small flat head. I tapped lightly around the edge and then was able to pry it out.

 

ahh the ol metal wire in the rubber seal for strength!!

I should have remembered that one from the old chevy valve covers~

 

mine are just disintegrating into little bits. i can pull off like a piece at a time and once I get the wire out, there's still stuck rubber left behind..

 

New seals that need to be put in


leftover chunks n stuff


my overall success


anyone have some technique or special knowledge i'm lacking on how to get these things out easier?

 

bumpage

 

Meh, just keep goin at it...I used a small screwdriver to pry.

 

that's what i've been doing but its so brittle it tears like paper. then i just scrape the rest off. there's no better way? valve cover gaskets just peeled off once i got them goin.

 

can you try from the other side so the seal is pushed out.. rather than pulled?

Im thinking old school where you tap down on an edge to dislodge it

How hot are you getting the motor? a thermostat might be a good idea at this point!
use a real honda part for that

 

there is a seal remover tool that does a better job than screwdriver and wont scratch the surface--you want to protect where the seal seals~
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog...q=seal+removal
thats got the style I was thinking, or parts stores carrry them too
another possible is use a dental pick set, as seen on same page, often on sale for $2
but this car seems to need both to get it all removed

 

Thats the thing, I;d assume that after 101,000 miles (personally), I kinda expect the seals to become stuck in place, after all that is there job... Throw in the heat factor, and the fact that they are supposed to be in there really tight and you've got yourself a recipe for a tough time diggin em' out.

 

tried silicone spray or deep creep (seafoam aerosol) to get between the seal edge and the race?
thats what I am concerned about, scratch damage to the seal area

didnt have a problem with mine at 70 when the plugs were done so no real idea how to do the job you are facing
maybe thats a good reason to change them early

 

cars are made to be assembled as quickly as possible,,not repaired
they dont care how tough it is to remove!!

that also makes me think of removing it from the back

metal responds to cold by shrinking- shoot compressed air can (keyboard cleaner) upside down- at the metal
see if it contracts just enough to break the seal loose

 

tried the pushing from the otherside, it just pushed out the center part up the gasket but it was still attached. tried the air duster thing, that was one of my first ideas. that didn't do anything. im at 179 almost 180 and I really don't think they've ever been changed just because of how brittle the rubber is. it's pathetic. my engine doesn't run abnormally hot that I know of, the temp gauge is always a little under its halfway point.

I ended up getting a big bottle of acetone, soaking the stuff and going at it with an xacto pick i have. its all coming out in little shreds tiny piece by piece. so much effort for sumthing so small....

offtopic- read in an edition of import tuner that thermostat's don't give you power, your making your engine run cooler, so it's producing less heat but the heat is where your engine get's it's power from (or sumthing like that) so your losing a minute amount of power when your adding a thermostat to a dd. ill find the article.


thanks for all the suggestions 01tl4tl! i appreciate it!

 

thats crazy talk on thermostat, the car comes with one for a reason-
and when it wears out and starts to stick or gets stuck in one position, the flow from engine to rad is changed, internal temps change
thats when you see temp go up at stoplights,,and goes down when moving, or worse the temp goes up and stays up as no coolant leaves engine to rad for cooling = thermostat stuck

while doing a wp job with high miles: its smart to replace the rad hoses and the bypass hoses that hold coolant, and the thermostat
its cheap insurance to maintain the expensive job you are doing
do it right and never worry

 

I took a screw driver, and from the other side (while valve cover was on solid wood. went around and around until the metal wall of the gasket was exposed. Used a lock tight clamp plyers and pulled it out... Wasnt easy...