Replacing Valve Cover Gasket

Replacing Valve Cover Gasket
by Jim Portteus and Pete Dunham

The valve cover gasket is fairly easy to do. Figure 1.5 to 3 hours. You will want to get a new upper to lower intake gasket as well as the valve cover gasket. Forget the cork valve cover gasket that came as original equipment and is standard in some top end gasket kits or some engine rebuild gasket kits. There are at least 2 “rubber” type gaskets with metal grommets around the bolt holes to help prevent over torqueing. Felpro makes a blue one, Felpro Part # 50043 R-1, comes in a set with part # VS 50043 R-1. Ford also makes one from a black material. Some people feel it is the best. I’ve used the Felpro and had it on and off at least a dozen times at this point. That’s the beauty of the rubber ones, they are reusable, resist over torqueing and much less leak prone than cork. They are also easier to install than the cork version. And you don’t need to use sealers. The Ford Part # - F57Z-6584A

1. Remove all hoses to the upper intake. There is one from the vacuum tree to the fitting on the upper front of the upper intake. From the same intake fitting there is a short line to the Fuel Pressure Regulator. The last is the PCV line to the under side of the upper intake.

2A (87-88 TCs): Remove intercooler (IC) (87-88) by removing the two 10MM head bolts from the support bracket. Then loosen the clamps at the TB and the compressor outlet. Lift the IC out of the bottom hose and then pull out of the TB hose.

2B. (83-86 TCs): Loosen the hose clamp on the Throttle Body (TB) and remove the two screws (10mm heads) attaching the Tube to the Compressor Housing of the Turbo and remove the tube and hose as a single unit.

3. Gently pry the throttle cable off the TB linkage using a screwdriver. Then disconnect the 2 electrical connectors to the IAC (cylinder like thing) and the TPS, both on the back passenger side of the throttle body (TB). The connectors point toward the passenger side of the car on the back of the TB

4. Unscrew the EGR tube from the upper intake. You can either undo the big nut that attached the tube to the flange or the 2 bolts that hold the flange to the upper intake. I prefer the big nut. Sometimes the flange ears will crack/break off if you undo the 2 bolts. Get a can of PB Blaster penetrating oil and soak this for a day or two.

5. Remove the little (7 or 8mm) screw that holds the dipstick tube bracket to the bracket mounted to the backside of the upper intake. This is probably the hardest part of the whole job, be patient. I use a small ¼” drive ratchet and socket.

6. Remove the nuts that hold the above bracket to the upper intake.

7. Remove the 4 bolts the hold the upper to the lower intake. Lift off upper intake and throttle body as one piece.

8. Remove breather from back on valve cover.

9. Unscrew the distributor cap bolts. Swing cap and wires over valve cover to passenger side of car, lay them out of the way.

10. Remove valve cover bolts and remove cover. Cover may not want to come off. Gently pry it or hit it a few time times with a rubber mallet. Another trick is to stick a wooden tool handle in the oil fill hole and/or breather hole and pry it off.

11. Remove all traces of the old gasket from VC and head. You may want to plug up the oil return holes with wads of paper towel to keep pieces of gasket from dropping into the oil pan. When done I use a shop vac to suck up anything lose. An oil change after ward is an additional precaution.

12. Lay the new rubber gasket in place. Don't use any sealants, form -a- gasket blue goo or sticky stuff. Positioning of gasket over the front cam tower is very important.

13. Line up valve cover over the head and lower STRAIGHT DOWN on to gasket. You may need someone to hold the wiring and hoses on the firewall out of the way. Make sure gasket didn't move at front cam tower. Look between the front of the valve cover and the back of the belt guide. Generally this part is not that hard to do. It may take a couple tries.

14. Install valve cover bolts. Start in the middle and work from side to side on the diagonal and run them down to where there is very slight resistance. Start in the middle again, same pattern and gently put a little torque on them. It doesn't take much and those metal grommets in the gasket are to prevent over torqueing.

15. Start at #8 above and work backwards up the list. It would be best to use a new gasket for the upper to lower intake.

Good luck.

Nice write up. Here's a review on what gasket to use https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqiYscu2t8E