Acura 97-01 Integra Type R B18C5 Valve Cover Gasket Set 12030-P73-000

Genuine Acura Valve Cover Gasket Set (12030-P73-000) - 97-01 Integra Type R (B18C5)

If your Type R is leaving oil on the exhaust manifold or you've found oil pooling in the spark plug wells, this is the fix. Valve cover gaskets harden with age and heat, and on a B18C5 that's now twenty-five years old and spent its life at high rpm, yours have earned their retirement. This is the complete genuine Acura set: the valve cover gasket, four spark plug tube seals, and eight hardware grommets.

The Complete Set, Not Just The Perimeter Gasket

Worth being clear about, because this is where people get caught short.

A valve cover job needs three different seals, and the perimeter gasket is only one of them. This set has all of it:

• Valve cover gasket
• Four spark plug tube seals
• Eight valve cover hardware grommets

Buy just the main gasket and you'll get the cover back on with hardened tube seals still in place, which is how oil ends up in your plug wells. The grommets matter too, since they seal around the retaining bolts and they harden exactly like everything else rubber on a car this age.

Oil In The Spark Plug Wells

This is the symptom that sends most people looking, so it's worth knowing what it means.

The spark plug tube seals keep oil out of the wells where your plugs sit. When they harden, oil seeps in and pools around the plugs and coil packs. That causes misfires, fouls plugs, and eventually degrades the coils sitting in it.

If you've pulled a plug and found oil down the well, those seals are the reason, and they're in this set. It's not a difficult fix, it's just one that gets ignored until the misfires start.

Oil On The Exhaust Manifold

The other classic symptom. A perimeter gasket that's hardened lets oil weep out the side of the head, and on a B-series it typically runs down onto the exhaust manifold. That's what produces the burning oil smell and the light haze after a hard drive.

Annoying rather than dangerous in small amounts, but it gets worse, it makes a mess of the bay, and oil on a hot manifold isn't something to leave indefinitely.

Use The Genuine Set On A Type R

The B18C5 is the engine that made these cars, and Type R owners generally aren't the crowd looking to save a few dollars on sealing components. Genuine Acura rubber holds up to the heat cycling this engine produces and seats correctly against the head without needing sealant to make up the difference.

It's also part of keeping the car correct. If you're maintaining records on a Type R, and most owners are, genuine parts belong in that history.

While You're In There

The valve cover coming off is good access, so make use of it. It's a natural moment to check your valve clearances, since the B18C5 uses solid lifters and adjustment is part of proper maintenance on this engine rather than optional.

Take a look at your cover for warping or damage at the sealing surface while it's off, and clean both mating surfaces properly before reassembly. A new gasket sealing against old baked-on residue defeats the purpose.

Fitment

1997-2001 Acura Integra Type R (B18C5)

Who Should Grab This Set

This is for the Type R owner chasing an oil leak, dealing with oil in the plug wells, or doing a valve adjustment and wanting fresh seals going back on. It's inexpensive, it's the complete set rather than a partial one, and it's the genuine part on an engine that deserves it. Get the surfaces clean, torque it properly, and put an end to the mess.

Fits: 1997-2001 Acura Integra Type R (B18C5). Part number: 12030-P73-000. Type: genuine Acura valve cover gasket set. Includes: valve cover gasket, four spark plug tube seals, and eight valve cover hardware grommets.