Experience with ALH valve cover gaskets - aftermarket on eBay?

I stumbled across these ALH valve cover gaskets today and I'm curious if anyone has any experience using them. Can anyone comment?

www.ebay.com/itm/301566066995

I've never known anyone to need such a thing as the OEM valve cover has an integral gasket that does not detach. If I had one that was torn up really bad, I guess you could try a gasket as it should be much cheaper than a complete valve cover. In this case you'd want to clean out the old gasket material, and then not glue the new one in because it would probably get old, hard, brittle, break and then start to leak, necessitating replacement at regular intervals.

Good luck,

PH

Redneck Truck said:

I stumbled across these ALH valve cover gaskets today and I'm curious if anyone has any experience using them. Can anyone comment?

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I just searched this last week and read every thread I could find on ALH valve cover gaskets, and there's already a few discussions on this particular Ebay gasket. Seems the general consensus is not to buy one.

I know most ALH purists say that the gasket should never need replacing, but mine was most definitely compressed beyond usefulness by a previous mechanic and was leaking like the Exxon Valdez. It had been siliconed previously, so I spent about an hour with a seal pick carefully removing every bit of the previously applied silicone, and the OEM gasket actually looked like brand new underneath it all. Problem was, the gasket no longer protruded past the shoulder on the valve cover. I laid a straight edge across the cover, and you could see that that the gasket was too low to seal properly.

I applied a single 1/8" bead of Permatex 'The Right Stuff" on the gasket, then reinstalled the cover.

My valve cover and new cylinder head are now as dry as a wooden bridge in Africa, and if I have to use a crowbar to pry the valve cover back off next time, I'm OK with that and will deal with it. There was no way I was going to spend the money on a new valve cover for this car.

In any case, if you do decide to try the gasket, please do let us know how it works out.

Rem

... and this can't be an ALH gasket if it covers all those model years..

Vince Waldon said:

... and this can't be an ALH gasket if it covers all those model years..

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Nice catch!

I cleaned both surfaces and used ultra grey rtv and it's been leak free since. I'd suggest going that route.

Yeah, the integral gasket on mine is shrunken badly. Maybe I could lay it in a pan of ATF to see if it'll swell the rubber, but aside from that, I don't have a good solution. Ultra grey is a nice idea, but man, that stuff is so hard to clean off! I'd rather deal with leaks than prep for reassembly after having used that stuff. I may just buy new valve covers for the two vehicles in question - they're only $150 each and will probably last another 10 years/200k miles.

I had gotten one with my head gasket set! I did NOT know they were not supposed to come off!
What a PITA to remove. I got it off and used it!

Ha, that's interesting! Well, how has it worked so far? How many miles have you put on the setup?

I vote we start a charity fund for someone to buy one, run it for 1-2 years and report back in the thread. I nominate redneck truck, oilhammer or another longtime TDI regular and I will donate $2. Who else thinks this is a decent idea? It would solve the debate at least a little bit..

I have about 3k on it and have had it off at least 3 times, without a problem!

KCCats said:

I have about 3k on it and have had it off at least 3 times, without a problem!

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KCCats, you have the ebay 'ahl' valve cover gasket?

Can you post an update on how everything is sealing?

mrrhtuner said:

KCCats, you have the ebay 'ahl' valve cover gasket?

Can you post an update on how everything is sealing?

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Am I reading he actually removed the material from the factory cover and re-used it?

BobnOH said:

Am I reading he actually removed the material from the factory cover and re-used it?

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I don't really understand what his posts are about.

I suspect that he ripped out the OEM gasket from the ALH cover and installed the ebay one.

Unsure.

Regardless, hopefully he can shed some clarity on it.

Yes as a mater of fact I did! What a PITA!
But it is sealing very nicely!

KCCats said:

Yes as a mater of fact I did! What a PITA!
But it is sealing very nicely!

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Great.

Is the one in the initial post...the same one you purchased?

I think I will possibly test this out.

I find it extremely hard to believe that the valve cover seal/gasket is not removable. Obviously it was manufactured as two separate components so unsure why a replacement gaskets don't exist.

Anybody have a spare valve cover with a leaky gasket for me to try and test?

It really was a pain to get it all off! I used the vibratory blade and a belt sander!

KCCats said:

It really was a pain to get it all off! I used the vibratory blade and a belt sander!

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So the original VW gasket wouldn't just 'rip' out? I haven't tried as I don't have a spare cover.

They have to use some really high strength sealer then to keep it in there.

I glued the new one back on, but it seamed the OEM was almost fuzed to it?

Vince Waldon said:

... and this can't be an ALH gasket if it covers all those model years..

Click to expand...

Sort of like an exhaust manifold gasket I saw at Canadian Tire a few years back. Claimed to be for all Chevy V-8 engines from 2xx (can't remember the exact number) to 400 cubic inches. Even though I've never taken a wrench to ANY Chevy engine, I know that it won't fit a 396 cubic inch V-8.

I have one, haven't used it yet, lol.

resurrecting an old thread here, wanted to share my experience with that cover gasket from ebay seller parts2audi. wifes car with 350k had a decent leak and wasn't keen on the $150 cover assembly so I bought that one for $22. the gasket itself seems high quality and the fit was very good. the problem is that the oem gasket is seriously bonded to the cover plus in the case of wifes car, the seal was rock hard. I removed the oil splash shield for better access and used a utility knife to painstakingly remove much of the gasket, then used a small, thin (about 3/16") wire wheel to remove the remaining material. very tedious and the cover is quite soft and easily damaged. finally got things cleaned up and degreased. I applied a thin layer of ultra grey to the cover and using masking tape affixed the gasket to the cover, which was an exercise in frustration. after allowing about 30 minutes for the sealer to partially harden I bolted the cover back on the engine with the tape still in place and left it overnight to harden. I removed the cover and the new gasket was nicely bonded in place. Seems good so far, my verdict is it can be done but isn't an easy job by any means.

Yeah I hear ya, been there done that! PITA!

mrrhtuner said:

Great.
Is the one in the initial post...the same one you purchased?
I think I will possibly test this out.
I find it extremely hard to believe that the valve cover seal/gasket is not removable. Obviously it was manufactured as two separate components so unsure why a replacement gaskets don't exist.
Anybody have a spare valve cover with a leaky gasket for me to try and test?

Click to expand...

not manufactured as two separate components but the rubber gasket is molded to the VC much like rubber grips are molded to the plastic handles of power tools, i believe the industry term is "over molded"

A new valve cover for $175 is ridiculous. I couldn't bring myself to buy the first one...

We've been replacing the valve cover gasket for some time now. It beats returning an engine to service only to have it come back with giant valve cover leaks from a rock-hard, 25 year old seal.

Replacing the seal is not the most fun thing I ever did, but we usually keep a prepared valve cover on the shelf, so we can do a quick turn-around. You replace your plastic oil separator from your old unit. The kit includes a new CCV grommet.

To get yours replaced:
1. Send your valve cover, it's $65. One day service.
2. If we send ours, with a core return, it's $100, $25 refund.

mine is leaking pretty bad, looking at options.
would normally buy from idparts, but hard to swallow spending $200 on something like this...

anybody try one of these $75 valve covers ?

made by "Uro"

https://www.ecstuning.com/b-uro-parts/valve-cover/038103469e~uro/

Bump to old thread but I found these aftermarket gaskets aren't worth squat. I took the time to clean the old gasket off my valve cover, and RTV'd the new gasket to the valve cover and bolted it on. Lasted a few month before it started puking oil all over again. When I pulled it back off, gasket was pretty hard and turned to crap quickly.

My new method it to simply replace the gasket with a 1/4 in bead of RTV. So far no leaks.

I have one of those Uro valve covers, and I'm not at all impressed with it. The gasket came separate from the cover, and to keep it attached I had to use a bead of RTV around the groove. The gasket didn't really want to hold it's shape while the RTV was curing. Even after adding RTV to the corners and fitting the cover I still have a slight leak.

I had previously scraped the old gasket from my original cover and replaced it with an Ebay one, and had similar results. I bought the Uro cover thinking the gasket was permanently attached, but that was not the case. Next time the cover comes off, a new OEM one will go on.

noob_tl said:

I have one of those Uro valve covers, and I'm not at all impressed with it. The gasket came separate from the cover, and to keep it attached I had to use a bead of RTV around the groove. The gasket didn't really want to hold it's shape while the RTV was curing. Even after adding RTV to the corners and fitting the cover I still have a slight leak.

I had previously scraped the old gasket from my original cover and replaced it with an Ebay one, and had similar results. I bought the Uro cover thinking the gasket was permanently attached, but that was not the case. Next time the cover comes off, a new OEM one will go on.

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Same experience here with mine. Added rtv to the gasket, just a light coat. I have one tiny leak, not enough to warrant changing the cover yet

Same experience here with mine aftermarket cover/gasket. Added rtv to the gasket, just a light coat. I have one tiny leak, not enough to warrant changing the cover yet.

I've made custom o rings for bulge forming dies, I wonder if somehow we could apply that concept here. Probably not but just a thought