Valve cover gaskets

Hello
Does anyone have some experience in changing out the valve cover gaskets on the 4.6 engine?

I was changing the plugs in bank2 (drivers side) and discovered that the coil and plug in cylinder 5 were coated in oil. I have not changed out the plugs in the other side yet so I don't know if there is a similar issue on that side.

The driver side does not look as bad as far as things that have to be removed, but the cover does have a few sensors in it.

How big of a job am I looking at and is there anything I should really be on a look out for?

Thanks.

 

I will be doing the same job soon. Did you ever find out any information?

And relatedly, are you getting misfires as a result of the oil covered plug?

 

I have a 5.7L, 3rd gen, so I don’t know if this will help.
I just changed mine as part of a project to also paint my valve covers.
After some research, I went with the Fel-pro brand. Much better quality IMO. Perfect fit and this seal. Got em at Advance auto parts.

 

Thanks. My 2012 has the 4.6L engine (1UR-FE). Not getting a lot of hits for the valve cover gasket. Fel-Pro does not even list one for that engine.

Going to be some fun searching!

JB

 

The valve cover gaskets on the 4.6 liter isn't a terrible job. The leak you are referring to is actually from the spark plug tube seals leaking. Make sure the gasket kit you get has them. Just do a good job of cleaning and make sure you put some FIPG on the cylinder head where the timing cover meets the heads.

 

I did a similar job on my 5.7L. I could give you some photos from my Chilton manual on the 4.6L valve change if you want or my thread on how I did my 5.7L valve cover change if it would help.

 

I just did the drivers side gasket this weekend, it was a bit to the extreme of my comfort zone. Is the passenger side much worse or just about equal?

 

I've heard the passenger side to be easier because once you remove the air box you have a good amount of working room.
Only tricky part is removing oil filler dipstick I've read.

Nothing wrong if it’s out of your comfort zone tho, it’s definitely a very in-depth job for any home mechanic!

 

Anyone with specific experience on the 4.6L? There are some small differences that I founds on the drivers side, I was curious if there was anything on the passenger side. I could only find 1 you tube of this and the video was taken after everything was apart.

 

What specifically are you asking about?

 

Is everything just an unbolt that is on top of the valve cover? Does the heater core hose have to be disconnected? Does the dip stick need to be removed?
When I did the drivers side the exhaust pipe was kinda in the way, does the passenger open up more or less?
Is there any place to find torque specs for the emissions parts? My Haynes manual doesn’t get into it and shows pictures for the other engines not the 4.6.

 

I don't have one in front of me right now, but you probably do need to remove some heater hoses. Dip stick should be able to be worked around. If its to close there are just 2 12mm bolts holding it in, but they are usually a pain to get to. It should be the same as driver side as in 10 bolts, 2 nuts all on top. I wouldn't worry about torque specs on non rotational parts, just try to be consistent with your tightening.

 

To better answer the OP question, I have the 4.6L and did the Drivers side last week. I am not a mechanic, but have used a torque wrench, and change a valve cover gasket on an 90s era civic. This was not super difficult, but I find it intimidating to open an engine, even if it is just the valve cover. @HbbTundra08 post on the 5.7 is helpful for a start. There is an emissions check valve on the top of the Valve cover that is just bolted on, it can be undone, but I did not remove the pipe from the exhaust. there are 13 10mm bolts and the 1 12mm bolt holding the cover on. As you take things apart spend time cleaning the area, wiping down hoses, and get the clips out of the way to get the harness off to the side. I did not remove the fuel line either.


Doing this I got the cover off, and then realized that is was going to be very tricky to get it back on when the gasket and the silicone were placed in the vavle cover. I spent a lot of time kneeling on the front cross bar. I also had to tripod with my head on the firewall so I could use both hands. I plan to do the passenger side next week, taking a break this weekend. I started to disassemble one afternoon, and spent most of another day getting the job done. Hope this helps any one else contemplating the 4.6L. I'll try and update with better picts when I get the Passenger side done.