Valve Cover gasket change - 4.7 V8 - Pictures Included

[KyleH]

Since I didn't find anything during my research here, I took some pictures while I swapped the valve cover gasket on the passenger side of my 03 V8. Here's the writeup should anyone else find a seeping valve cover on theirs.

Tools needed:‎
‎10mm‎
‎12mm‎
Extensions
Pliers
Shop Towels
Razor Blade
‎1 New Valve Cover Gasket‎
Some RTV / Gasket Maker

Step 1 - Removal

‎‎

• Plastic cover over top of intake / throttle body - X2 10mm
• Intake Pipe from airbox to throttle body - X2 10mm clamps
• There are a few hoses connected
o PCV ‎
o Power steering vent
o Miscellaneous vacuum hose
• Disconnect Electrical plug from air intake meter
• Remove intake pipe
• Unclip and set aside airbox Lid & Filter
• Unbolt and set aside airbox (3 12mm bolts)‎
• Remove electrical connector mount from fender - can be seen after removal of airbox ‎‎‎
• Unclip connections from each coil pack and put connector out of way of valve cover clearances ‎‎‎
• I chose to leave my PVC hose attached to the manifold, because I didn't want to fight with it. If ‎you want to remove it, now would be a good time to do so. ‎
• There is a hose that runs from the intake manifold across the top of the valve cover and attaches ‎down to the power steering. Remove at one end and lay out of your way. ‎‎‎
• Unbolt each coil pack and remove them. I numbered them so I could put them back where they ‎originated. ‎
• Unbolt the power steering dipstick holder (I guess you 04+ guys don't need to worry about this) to ‎allow easier access to one of the lower bolts on the cover. You can see the head of the bolt - ‎brass colored - sticking out just above the header heat shield. While the removal of this isn't ‎absolutely necessary, it makes life significantly better for one of the bolts you need to remove ‎from the valve cover. ‎
• Remove the 9 bolts & black washers that hold the valve cover on. They're all the same length
• Remove the valve cover ‎
• ‎‎


Step 2 - Cleaning & preparation

This is pretty straight forward but by far the most time consuming part of the exercise. I found that my ‎original gasket was not near as cooked as I expected. It was still in one piece and somewhat pliable. Oh ‎well. There are no secrets here. Just clean the surfaces of oil and dirt in preparation of the new gasket, ‎both on the mating surface of the head as well as the valve cover that has the valley in which the gasket ‎sits. Use the razor blade to remove the old RTV. You'll find it at the corners where the cam gears go ‎‎‎
The other area I used the razor blade on was on the opposite end (end near the firewall) where the ‎assemblers use RTV to seal the inserts on the back side of the head. This was sticking up into the area ‎where the gasket will lay, so I leveled this out with the razor. ‎

Step 3 - Installation

Apply the new gasket into the groove of the valve cover. Put a dab of your RTV on each side of the mating surface on the head where the ‎casting goes up to allow for the cam gear, as outlined by the FSM. Put the cover back on the engine. The ‎rest of it is reverse of installation. The bolts on the cylinder head are to be torque to 53 in-lb in multiple ‎passes. ‎

If you can change your own brakes, you can do this. It's pretty straight forward stuff. Just keep everything ‎clean and take your time. ‎

[my034runner]

Thanks for the write up Kyle, nicely done.....the V8 guys will appreciate it! I need to do it to my V6 some day...I imagine it's not too different.

[my034runner]

Andries or other Mods, maybe you can put this in the Technical Write up forum!!

[Jeffy]

Excellent write up! Thank you for this, I may need it in the future.

[bulldog]

Nice write up, making a copy for the Tech section.

[my034runner]

Originally Posted by bulldog

Nice write up, making a copy for the Tech section.

Good job mate...............