My 90 5.8 could use valve cover gaskets (I think). Actually, my first question is, if the valve cover gasket is leaking, why would oil collect around the lower bolts on the valve cover? Wouldn't the oil just run out and down? How does it get up onto the valve cover? It is not a lot, but it keeps coming back when I wipe it off. I believe that the only other possible leak here is the intake manifold. Hopefully that is not leaking, but those generally only leak in a specific place, not on both sides, and it is usually a large leak, unlike mine. It's not like I can see the intake manifold on this motor though! So I am thinking it is the valve covers. It collects in the front corners of the valve covers, just a small amount, almost a film. It also seems to run down the back corners of the valve covers too, but I can't trace it. For such a large truck it is hard to see a lot of this motor.
OK, so if it is the valve covers, how hard is this? An honest local shop who has done good work for me before quoted $400. So it must be a lot of labor, as the parts are not much. I know you have to remove part of the manifold. My main question is, other than a torque wrench, are there any special tools needed, or special procedures used to do any of this? Or is it just a time-consuming matter of removing and replacing a bunch of nuts and bolts? Sorry for the long post, but thanks for your help.

 

PS - I have replaced many valve cover gaskets in the past, it is a relatively simple procedure. It is the matter of getting to them on this motor that I am most concerned with, although any specific issues with the covers such as warping, or use/not use of sealer is interesting too.

 

The driver's side is quite easy, but the passenger side is a pain. You have to remove the upper intake manifold to be able to lift the cover off. You can get to the bolts and all with the manifold on, but you won't be able to get the valve cover over the rocker arms without removal of the intake. Pickup a new gasket for where the upper and lower intakes meet for when you remove it.

 

Pulling the upper manifold is straightforward. You can even leave the throttle body on it if you are carefull. The only tricky thing is getting to the center bolt. It is a hex. And it is a tight fit. If you have 1/4inch hex set, you can get to it with extensions. Snap-on sells the special tool. The choice is yours, pro mechanics use both.
Also, when you put the upper intake back in place, replace the pcv tube to pcv AND make sure it goes in the grommet hole. Otherwise it is a very difficult fit after the thing is installed
Bruce Big Red Bronco

 

I'm in the process of doing this on my 88. Nothing difficult, just time consuming. The hex bolt referred to earlier is right in the center of the upper intake. Look down from the top and you can see it.
I used a 3/16" allen head socket, quarter inch drive,and a 12" extension to get to it. A 3/8 drive socket will not fit. Not too sure how I'll get it back in the hole and started, but I'll worry about that later. It took me about 1 1/2 hours to get everything apart(working slow), not including the cuss session for the Ford engineers on my way to Sears to pick up the needed socket.

 

 

Sounds like a pain in the butt - I really don't want to spend my free time doing this, but the $400 estimate for the repair might force me to do it.

 

Hi, sorry I described the stupid bolt incorrectly. I figure some engineer from gm designed it, it is definetly not a Ford engineering product.
The technique I use that works best is using one of the long flexible 4 claw grabber...usually referred to as a finger.
I break the bolt free a couple of turns, then grab the top of it with the finger, and unscrew it the rest of the way. Installing it is the reverse. get the other bolts in finger tight, then put that one in.
The reason for the finger is if you drop that sucker, you will have a hard time finding it!!
Bruce Big Red Bronco