Engine cover fix (non GT)

[slinkston]

Hey everyone that doesn't have a GT You may already know by now, but if you take off your engine cover, there are 2 10mm nuts and 2 plastic hooks. To take off the engine cover, you need to break the plastic hooks. Well, Toyota suggests to get those replaced by the dealer. Although they are only a couple cents each, I would more or less rather have a permanent fix for it.Here is what I did to my engine cover to replace those 2 hooks. http://www.matrixowners.com/modules.php ... 7061-Slink

[NovaResource]

quote:To take off the engine cover, you need to break the plastic hooks.I've had my engine cover off 3 times and I never broke those.

[Altus]

Is there a specific little trick then to getting it off without snapping them?I've seen tons of posts about how everyone snaps those off the first time they try to remove the cover.....Greg

[slinkston]

How did you take those things off without breaking them? I was careful as heck when taking off the first one and it just snapped on me so I just snapped off the other one... I was talking to a toyota tech on MO and he said they were designed to break when it was taken off. That is interesting nonetheless that you were able to take them off and on without breaking them.-Slink

[ragingfish]

You can try to get a flathead screwdriver under them. I did manage to remove one of them several times without breaking it, but both finally snapped. Local dealer ordered me replacements at no charge.Toyota charges almost $2 each for them!

[NovaResource]

quote:How did you take those things off without breaking them?It's nothing special. I just remove the front 2 nuts and then lift the front of the cover gently. It prys the 2 back ones up and out.

[ragingfish]

quote:I just remove the front 2 nuts and then lift the front of the cover gently. It prys the 2 back ones up and out.I tried that too. You must have the touch!

[Fievel]

The key is to make them lift straight up....I pryed them all the way around to get them to clear the main cover first then gave it a good push from underneath with a flat head screwdriver off my leather man.

[ragingfish]

THe bottom line is they're tough to remove without breaking. Some people have the skill to do it multiple times, hassle free. Others of us try, yet still manage to snap them. It's the way of the world!

[slinkston]

Damn.. Good luck. I have mine on the table and it took me a while. DAMN! $2.00 for each? People that work for Toyota said that thing only costs like 30 cents each.... -Slink

[ragingfish]

When I get around to painting mine, I'm gonna have to remove the cover anyway...My replacement parts should be here in the next day or two...I hope the toyota guy ordered the wrong ones (I think he did, but I can't say for sure) so I can refuse them, tell them I got them from someone who isn't stupid, and get my money back. LOL!

[ragingfish]

Turns out MY biggest problem is not them breaking, but popping out as I lift up the cover and then disappearing into the engine somewhere! Anyone know the chances of them landing on something, melting, and causing problems down in there somewhere? It definitely didn't fall down onto the ground because I moved the car and it was not there!