Valve cover gaskets.

[W6e6s6W]

I'm gonna replace my VC Gaskets soon.
I have to take the intake manifold off to get to them right?

 

[WingsOfSaturn]

No, just move the hoses and cables out of the way and remove them.

 

[85crownHPP]

I just did the passenger side... once everything is moved and zip-tied up out of the way... theres barely enough room to sneak it out.
Im interested to see how the driver side clears the fuel lines and compressor bracket, as I saw a claim that it does...

 

[Sunk]

You'll have to wiggle some stuff out of the way, but they'll come out/off.

 

[stormy663]

I just replaced a set of rubber gaskets with some cork ones to fix a nasty oil leak at the rear of the drivers side cover. Both covers came off without a problem. The drivers side needed to be slid to the rear then over the fuel lines, and the passenger side came out easily after the electrical connections were unplugged and moved away. Easy fix.

 

[blackbelair]

I also need to replace the valve cover gaskets on my '87. My Haynes repair manual says that the in/out fuel lines need to be removed. So you were able to remove the cover without removing the fuel lines?

 

[Jspafford]

On my 1989 I did them both without removing anything. It's not for the faint of heart, because you have to push, pull pretty hard on some of the hoses/wires to get them past.

 

[stormy663]

The only thing that I needed was an extra pair of hands the assist in moving some wires and the fuel lines out of the way. With 2 sets of hands and a little time it went very easily.

 

[Psychopete]

I've pulled my 2.9L out completely without removing the fuel lines from the rail. I just set it off to the side. Valve covers can be a pain, but you can usually slip them by everything. Might not be as easy for A/C equipped trucks though.

Pete

 

[blackbelair]

I started to remove my covers before I realized that I would need a 1/4" drive socket wrench with a l-o-n-g extension with possible wobble or universal adapter. A 3/8" or 1/2" drive system won't work for this job, I believe. What socket size are those valve cover bolts anyway?

 

[mikhail]

^^10mm, i just changed the driver side today for the second time, i screwed it up last time. a body lift helps and i removed my a/c compressor since my a/c didnt work and i dont have a roof anymore.
these motors were made in Germany so im pretty sure everything on them is metric though standard sockets work most the time.

i was wondering if anyone knew why ford decided to just run the harness right over the motor, and not just run it on the firewall?

 

[85crownHPP]

my 89 has AC, and I actually slid the drivers side cover towards the front of the car and wiggled it out. There is a space about 3 inches deep and 2 inches high under the AC bracket you have to work with.
If you get everything out of the way well enough, you can avoid contacting anything with the covers during the job.

 

[Jspafford]

Mine is all stock and has A/C too. Still did it without removing anything.