GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello everybody. I have a 2003 Vibe GT, and the valve cover gasket has developed a seep. I got everything taken apart, new gasket put in, and then attempted to change the spark plug tube gaskets. Unfortunately, they're pretty stuck. I tore the middle inner ring of one clean off, and now I'm stumped. I have everything closed back up (loosely), and I honestly have no idea how to get those out of there. I'm wary of scraping, and I'm unsure what solvents I might be able to safely use. Any ideas?

EDIT: I found this which seems to fit my experience. Can anyone confirm if our gaskets also have metal that I can uncover/yank out?

You can look at this tread and see if it helps you.

http://www.toyotanation.com/forum/102-1 ... tubes.html

Be sure to read all the way to the end as this person also has some bad replies (mis-information) to his post. The information there should be closer then the Dodge engine info you linked to. I do not know anything about the toyota tubes but I am sure that it won't be fun. Good luck to you.

Thanks, I really appreciate the reply!
My issue was with the seals on top of the spark plug tubes, not the actual tubes themselves. With some patience and finagling I managed to get them out....

...then I broke off one of the outside bolts that holds on the valve cover Still trying to figure the best way to get that out.

If the bolt is broke off flush with the gasket surface, you will probably have to drill out the broken bolt. Installing a heli-coil thread insert would be the easy fix after drilling. If you have broken just the head of the bolt off then you could try hammering on and around the piece of stud with a punch and hammer while soaking the threads with a lot of penetrating oil. Tapping the stud from the sides and on top will get the penetrating down into the thread and then use a vise grips to grab the stud and try turning it out.

Be careful not to get anything inside the engine. Pack the camshaft area with clean rags to keep metal and rust particles out of the engine. Also be careful not to hammer so hard that you break the cylinder head casting as it is not the force of the hammer but the vibration from the blows that will get the threads broke loose with the penetrating oil.

Thanks again!
It's the front passenger side bolt (bottom left http://i.imgur.com/TDPIhVr.png). It's loose enough that I was able to move it up a little bit with a screwdriver. Now I think it's high enough up that I can pop the VC off and then get it off with vise grips. Any idea what kind of replacement bolt I need? I can't find a Pontiac or Toyota part #.

EDIT: Appears to be M6x1.0

After you get the bolt out, take the pieces of the old bolt to a hardware store and match the bolt up. Almost all hardware stores have a selection of metric bolts and should be able to match something up that will work. Try screwing the old bolt into a nut at the store. When the nut fits, you will know what mm diameter and thread pitch you'll need for the bolt. After that it is just to figure out what length bolt you will need and if the new bolt is to long just cut it off. If the bolt head is different, it's not a big deal because it is not like you are taking the valve cover off all the time. If you go to the dealer to get the same exact bolt, you could be waiting weeks and cost a small fortune.

Thanks, you've been incredibly helpful. I found some bolts I had and figured it to be M6x1.0. My next question was importance of exact length and head style, but you read my mind. Thanks again!