Ok, this is not thirdgen related but still tech/general engine and i don't know where to go to get reliable information. I know there are people that work as mechanics out there and people who own cars like the one i am about to ask about. Ok i quit my autobody job and i have been taking in sidejobs from friends and it has gone from oil changes, tunes ups to brakes and exhaust jobs. But i just got one that is a little complicated, My girl friends co worker owns a mid 90s Izuzu(spelling) rodeo and it has a V6 not sure the size i just took a quick look at it a little bit ago and it has an oil leak he wants fixed, the car is clean and it looks like it is coming from the valve covers. it has over head cams, or looks that way and the spark plugs go through the covers, and the intake hangs over it a little bit, i just want to know how hard it is to replace these valve covers b/c the payment seems like a good one, about $150. If this was my car i would have no problem doing it but seeing that is not mine i don't want to get in over my head and have the car down for a while, can i do this in a weekend? I am pretty experiance mechanic as is 2 motor swaps and the auto to manual trans swap along with other countless work i have done. Does anyone here own one and have performed this work on it or have access to a manual and could tell me what needs to be taken off to get at these things. I don't want to have the car layed up for a too long in my garage. Do you guys see what i am saying?
thanks
tom

 

wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole, if I wasn't sure what I was doing..especialy if it belonged to someone else.....good luck

 

if i remember the motor your talking about it's probalby a 3.0 liter dohc.(plugs in the center of the vavle covers)

same as anything else you have to take the upper plenum off for,. take off only what you need to.
should be a few senders, the throttle body linkage, and a couple 8 or 10 mil bolts. pull them off, popt the upper pleunum off, then pull the spark plugs wires. and you should be at the vavle covers.

good organization and you shoulb be alright., just make sure you get new plenum gaskets, and don't drop stuff down the holes

Where is annandale? I don't know many body shops round here, that are hiring anyway, but if you wanted to just turn wrenches for a bit, i'm sure you could prolly get hired at pep boys for the winter, it's fairly steady money.

 

if it's a DOHC motor it doesnt have valve covers. are they cam holder covers?

 

Suggest you thumb through a Hayne or Chiltons at the very least.

 

yeah i am gonna take it on

 

 

Uhm..... yes it does. Even though it doesn't have pushrods, it still has valves.

The one thing I would do is what 8Mike9 suggested and get a book. Read it before you take this job on. You may be getting into a lot more work that $150 will cover.

If the intake "hangs over it a little bit" as you say, you may have to remove it. Lord knows I've had to on other cars

My wife has a '93 Mazda MX6 that leaks oil into the sparkplug holes. To remove the valve cover on the back 3 cylinders, I have to remove the intake. I don't wanna. I had to do that on a '95 Monte Carlo, and that wasn't fun with no air tools. And most of the newer manifolds are in two pieces, upper and lower plenums.

I'm sure you'll be able to do it, but as Jim85IROC says in his sig "Weekend Projects Aren't".