Valve Cover Gasket fun...

Hot*Mk8

Hot*Mk8

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Hi, guys,

I dove into the joy of trying to coax out the valve covers today and then had to peter out because my brain became kinda scrambled.

On the driver's side, the book recommends removing the wiper motor assembly, which I didn't do. It also recommends removing the fuel injector connections and wiring harness which I partially did. The two connectors and post push-on type are right underneath the fuel lines and a real nuisance to get to. So I loosened the front two. Brake master cylinder is loose, power steering fluid reservoir and bracket and all the sensors above and next to the cover. I'm really close, but the remaining fuel injector connectors seem to be screwing me.

With the passenger side, it was super easy to get to, but the heater hose seems to be preventing me from lifting it up enough to extract.

Any little bits of manly wisdom would be SO greatly appreciated. The reason for the gasket change is that I did a tune up on this car (the 98) last week and discovered copious amounts of oil in the center plugs and coils. I have new Motorcraft coils on the way along with replacement gaskets, of course.

Thanks!!!!!! :D

DriversSide.jpg


PassSide.jpg
 
Do each side at a time, remove the respective motor mount bolt per side and lift the engine. I didn't remove fuel rails to do mine
 
Thanks, Sapper. I'll give that a go. Sbcaprice, do you recommend brake cleaner or something like that? Thanks!!!!!!
 
Ford uses a special coating on their tb's. I used tb cleaner but some say that it will remove said layer, I didn't notice a difference in the way it ran.

I'm sure they make something spec for them but I haven't bothered looking, or I just don't remember :)
 
What can I call those rubber hoses opposite the throttle body housing so that I can replace them? They are toast on this car and mine. They are rubber, maybe 5" long and go to the T opposite. Thanks!
 
I went to the auto parts store and got a foot or two of correct size hose(bring em' w/ you). As long as its not paper thin rubber and is somewhat tolerant to heat it should work.

As for the name....Upper plenum vacuum lines?
 
Yea Hot*Mk8, when I did my valve covers I only removed the master cylinder. Along with that, just do like what Sapper said, unbolt the corresponding side and raise the motor on that side only and you should be able to pull the valve covers right out. You might think about maybe painting those covers while they are out, but thats up to you. :D
 
3/8 vacuum hose, trans cooler hose will hold the pressure. The T fitting can be found on the "Help" aisle at your local auto place. You'll appreciate a coat of paint everytime you reach in to fix the next time. Especially since you go to car meets. :) just use a high temp paint, VHT is a great brand.

Just use some Seafoam when you get it all back together, inject it in the air temp sensor fitting
 
Ha ha!!!!! Those valve covers are going to be metallic orange when they get replaced :D Found a million powder coating places within five miles :p
 
Hey, Sapper, this is the 98 and it has lots of meaning for me, but the 97 is my baby. It is still going to get a sweet powder coating while apart :D
 
Other than being aware of the radiator hoses, is it safe for the tranny and drive shaft to raise the engine, say, 6"s? It's kinda spooky to me.
 
Sapperfire said:
Orange? I was thinking more purple

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Click to expand...

Oh, for crap's sake!!!!! That is exactly what I am thinking for my car!!!! Just don't know about going through this pain just to get them that color. You watch. I will, though. I am hopeless when it comes to the things my car wants me to do. :p
 
Amen, Gman!!!!!! :D That's why I quit for the day to watch my baseball team try to win the World Series!!!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!! Go Giants!!! sorry :p
 
The giants win the Series!!!!!!! =)

The giants win the Series!!!!! The giants win the Series!!!!!!! The giants win the Series!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D (I was just thinking of that cool old radio clip. You're right Pepperman!) :p

Oh sorry. I guess that's off topic. :p:p SWEET!!!!
 
Okay, guys, this is my last set of questions. If I have no success today, then the critter gets a lift to the mechanic for completion.

1) What is the best location on the underside of the engine to lift it? I don't have a cherry picker, so I'm going to have to do it this way. I am acutely aware of motor mounts and He-man/She-ra tactics :D No worries here.

2) How high should I expect to lift it to provide clearance?

3) Should I change the oil afterwards? Immediately or down the road just a bit?

Thank you very kindly :p
 
I personally just used a jack to lift the engine, I actually used the bottom edge of the catalytic converter as the jack point. Someone is probably going to run in here and tell me that's a bad idea, but it worked for me... You are lifting only a small portion of the engine's weight when doing this. I jacked the engine up about 1.5"-2".

As for the oil change, as long as no debris really falls into the engine, you don't need to immediately do an oil change. I would just ride it out until my next oil change interval.
 
Well, here we go, boys and girls. The 98 came home today with some pretty gorgeous new metallic orange with gold flake valve covers, braided hoses with black anodized fittings, new Motorcraft ignition coils on the NGK Laser Iridium plugs I installed a couple of weeks ago, and a new Gatorback s-belt. She's got the serious purr going on now. :p :D Go Giants!!! Oh ya, and the plug on the crossover tube didn't play nice, but my mechanic was able to coax it off. Shew, cause there were no replacements to be found around here. :shifty: I'm going to send Ford a nasty, real letter about discontinuing our parts, even though I know it won't help. It will make me feel better. :)

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