The valve cover on a Honda Accord uses grommets as well as the gasket to keep oil in the head. When the grommets fail, oil leaks down onto the spark plugs, which affects how the vehicle runs. If the leak is bad, the vehicle may not start, because one or more plugs will be completely oil-fouled. When you buy the valve cover, it should come with new grommets. If either the valve cover or the grommets leak, replace both or you will end up doing the job again within a short period of time.
Mark the spark plug wires with the tape and marker, so you know where they go when you put the engine back together. Remove the wires by twisting them from side to side and pulling at the same time.
Remove the valve cover bolts or nuts, depending on the year Accord using a 10mm socket. Start from the outside and work inward, alternating ends -- remove the two fasteners on the front end of the cover, then two at the rear end, then two more on the front and so on.
Lift the valve cover off the cylinder head. Make sure the sealing grommets don't fall into the head when you remove the cover. If the valve cover sticks, pry each of the corners up about 1/16-inch at a time, to loosen it.
Clean the gasket-mating surfaces of the cover and the head, using the plastic scraper and the shop rags. Smear a thin layer of RTV silicone on the valve cover gasket-mating surface. Position the valve cover gasket onto the valve cover and press it into the silicone. Allow it to set for two to three minutes.
Apply a 1/2-inch bead of silicone to the corners of the gasket where it meets the head and camshaft journal cap. Allow it to skin over -- this means that when you touch it and it doesn't stick to your finger, it has cured enough and is ready to use.
Position the valve cover on the head. Install the grommets into the grommet holes. Tighten the valve cover retaining bolts or nuts to 86 inch-pounds of torque for all four-cylinder engines. Tighten them to 108 inch-pounds of torque for the 3.0-liter engine. Reattach the spark plug wires.
