So I was replacing the valve cover gasket on my Toyota this weekend and with the gasket kit it included new seals for the plugs.  Cool.





I got the first one out and it was a royal pain.  I figured it was because it was old and just stuck in general because of the number of miles it had on it.  Started in removing the second tube seal, same damn thing.  Pain in the ass to get out, but rather than tearing it up like I did the first one I was more careful to pry it out gently.  After I got it out I wondered why in the hell they were damn difficult.  I took a look at the new seal and compared it with the old one, pretty much the same.  So I tried putting a new one in just to test it out.  Holy shit!  What I failed to notice when removing the old ones is that even the new replacements, the outer part of the seal is really damn hard.  Not like flexible or anything you would expect a typical seal to be.  





I further examined the spark plug opening in the cover itself.  Low and behold where you insert the new seal, the cover was machined in such a way that the opening was tapered.  So, when inserting the seal it fits ok, but to work it down into its correct position, the opening became slightly smaller...maybe only like 3/16" deep.  For the life of me I couldn't get that seal to flex in any way to fit down in the opening where it should be.  Of course I can't really use any tools to hammer the sucker in like a screwdriver tip because I don't want to rip the seal using metal nor do I want to start chipping away at the aluminum.  The best I was able to come up with was I found a piece of PVC pipe and tried hammering a bit with that...still no luck.  





Well I never managed to properly get those 2 seal replacement inserted exactly at they should be.  They're in just enough to not move much but they are not forming a proper seal like the original ones.  I've noticed after driving the car for a few days there is a bit of oil seeping into tubes now because of this.  





I have no idea how in the hell to get these seals seated properly.  I used a Fel-Pro kit which I've never had trouble with on other vehicles.  The only other thing I could think of might be to buy a different brand and hope those seals are a little more flexible but it seems like a hail mary to me.  Can anyone suggest a better way to get those seals seated properly?

 

Was there any kind of lube included with the kit?

I know that I was provided a packet of lube when I bought new spark plug wires for my older Altima... and the spark plug boots themselves were lubed with like a silicon grease... I just stuffed them into the holes and pushed hard to make sure they locked in tight but then that was on a Nissan and you're issue is on a Toyota.

I'd suggest that you try to take them back to the store and try a different brand... and maybe compare the new ones to the old one and see if the taper is included.

That's a good idea...will try that.



I've ordered another gasket kit, same FelPro brand, but also ordered Victor Reinz brand for comparison.  I will also give the silicone grease a try.  I'll try to remember to update whenever I can get around to this again.



 

Most Toyotas I have seen have small tabs holding the seals into the V/C. Usually have to lift them slightly with a screwdriver and then bend them over with pliers. After changing the tube seals tap the tabs back down flush. And yes,the socket is the best way to install the seals.

Any chance you have a picture of the inside of the cover?

Final update - got the new seals installed properly.
I ended up getting the Victor Reinz seals installed correctly as they should be.  One thing I noticed was that Fel-Pro seals were made in China.  Victor Reinz made in Japan.  That may have had something to do with it.  I wasn't taking any chances however and here's what I learned did and did not work.
Placing a light amount of oil or silicone on the outside of the seals didn't help at all.  The seals themselves are steel rings with the rubber built around them.  That steel is what is holding its shape and ultimately will make sure to keep oil out of the tube.  Using the socket method of working them into place also didn't work.  It came to a point where i was trying to use a rubber mallet to pound on them in this manner.  I soon realized is this is what I had to resort to to get them to fit, it was not a good solution.
I also tried using a long bolt.  I then placed 1 washer that was slightly larger than the bolt head on it, then placed a second washer that was the same diameter of the seal on it next.  The put that on the seal itself on the valve cover, same washer configuration on the other side then put a nut on the bolt and start tightening down.  Using this method it will move the seal into place however the problem I ran into is once you start getting to a certain torque on the bolt, the washer can start to move a bit and not necessarily stay entirely on the steel ring portion of the seal.  This could end up putting pressure on the rubber inside of the seal, so if you do try this method, make sure you keep the bolt in a precise position to work the seal into place.  Ultimately however this is not the method that worked for me.
What ended up working for me was (yes partly using a different brand of seal, but I also wasn't taking any chances either) placing the seals in the freezer.  Make sure to leave them in there for a minimum of 30 minutes, however I left mine in there overnight as something else came up.  It won't hurt to leave them in there longer.  Next, get a hair dryer or heat gun, set on the highest heat setting and keep it focused on one tube opening at a time.  It's important that you not be in a rush when doing this.  You need to keep the heat on each opening for a minimum of 5 minutes.  You know it's ready when you touch the bare metal and it's very warm to borderline hot.  Make sure any excess oil is wiped away as this can give you a false impression that the metal has been heated enough.  Now once it is at that borderline hot to the touch point, you need to move quickly.  Turn off the heat, go get one of the seals out of the freezer, and work it in place with your thumbs.  You only have a couple of minutes at most to do this once you put the seal into contact with the metal of the valve cover.  
For me, this procedure allowed me to pop each seal into place with practically zero effort.  
I suppose the other takeaway for me is for my old favorite Fel-Pro I can no longer rely on that single brand name anymore as the only gasket brand to get given how terrible of a fit those seals made on my engine.