2006 XC90 cam cover gasket dealer replacement cost vs DIY

flatlander84 · Post by **flatlander84** » 13 Mar 2014, 21:07

Hi,

What would dealer quote me to replace cam cover gasket? Is this DIYable?

Please advise! Engine started to leak.

Post by **precopster** » 15 Mar 2014, 06:24

EVERYTHING'S DIYable except for the machining flat of engine surfaces and even that's been handled by geniuses pulling their cylinder head over a flat sheet of 4mm glass with sandpaper attached

The cam cover reseal is around a 5-6 hour job. It would be a good time to replace cam seals and timing belt while it's apart.

sparkchaser81 · Post by **sparkchaser81** » 15 Mar 2014, 11:37

I did my own cover and it took me about 5 hours to do... make CERTAIN you use anerobic sealer on it. You might want to get that special tool also, which costs around $300-700. I chose to DIY because the dealership quoted me $2700 to reseal. They say its like a 14hr job. The cheapest I found was $2100...be extremely careful not warp or crack the cover on removal, I was told by dealership that the cover is made specifically for that engine alone. So, you cannot just get a replacement for it... you would have to get both halves as a set.... so they told me.

sparkchaser81 · Post by **sparkchaser81** » 15 Mar 2014, 11:39

Also, do not scrape off old sealant(i did, but very carefully), it should be chemically removed.

flatlander84 · Post by **flatlander84** » 16 Mar 2014, 21:04

precopster wrote:EVERYTHING'S DIYable except for the machining flat of engine surfaces and even that's been handled by geniuses pulling their cylinder head over a flat sheet of 4mm glass with sandpaper attached

The cam cover reseal is around a 5-6 hour job. It would be a good time to replace cam seals and timing belt while it's apart.

Hi!

Thank you for the answer.

Yes I was thinking about doing timing belt as it's about time. This 2006 2.5T XC90 just hit 100k on clock.

But you don't have to open the cam cover in order to replace the timing belt do you? I saw XC70 video on Youtube and it looked straight forward and doable as long as I have all the tools and be able to align the gears properly.

flatlander84 · Post by **flatlander84** » 16 Mar 2014, 21:05

sparkchaser81 wrote:Also, do not scrape off old sealant(i did, but very carefully), it should be chemically removed.

Does this mean I I should use specially designed remover?

sparkchaser81 · Post by **sparkchaser81** » 18 Mar 2014, 09:32

I dont know what kind of chemical it is. But the dealership here told me about it. Maybe your dealer/indie mechanic can inform you on what it is.

Post by **jimmy57** » 18 Mar 2014, 10:38

Are you sure the cover is leaking? THE oil filler cap seal is the culprit usually followed by leaks at one or more bolts that can be sealed individually.

The chemical used to removed the sealer residue is the same as the GOOD paint stripper you can get at a professional paint store (not home depot or lowe's).
Paint it on with a cheap brush and let it sit for 10 or more minutes to dissolve the sealer.

flatlander84 · Post by **flatlander84** » 18 Mar 2014, 15:17

Thx guys for responding!

Yes it's 100% it is cam cover. You can see it slowly drip and as oil reaches hot part (behind engine) oil will burn and make nasty smoke.

Seen lots of Youtube videos (other car brands) and read articles how to replace gasket and it seems fairly easy and straight forward.

Does anyone know if XC90 is NOT necessarily that easy to replace gasket? I read piston will try to pop out and you need to follow some special procedure not to ruin any metal parts?