Removing right hand (passenger side) Valve Cover on 4.6L SOHC

[jayton]

Hello guys,

Background story:
Truck has 175,000 miles, I've owned it for 4 years, and it had 110,000 miles when I got it. The truck has been very reliable, and I have not had to turn a single bolt on the engine (up until now) other than oil changes. Two weeks ago I began getting misfires on cylinders 5 & 6, as well as Random/multiple cylinder misfires. There is a lot of crud around the plug boots, which suggests that the valve cover gaskets are leaking. There is a very small amount of oil in the spark plug wells, and the springs inside the spark plug boots are saturated in oil.

What I need help with now:
So I am following the shop manual (off of the Ford Technical Service Publications CD) for removing the right hand side valve cover, and I am running into a problem. I have everything removed that the manual says to remove, and all the valve cover bolts are removed. I cannot slide the back of the valve cover over the back of the camshaft to pull it out. The A/C lines are in my way. I have tried turning the valve cover by rolling it to the right or left.

Anyone know any tricks to getting this thing out of there? I am not planning on removing any A/C lines, and the manual doesn't say I need to.

Anyone out there have the Haynes manual? What does it say to do?

Thanks.

 

[BigRondo]

Hello guys,

Background story:
Truck has 175,000 miles, I've owned it for 4 years, and it had 110,000 miles when I got it. The truck has been very reliable, and I have not had to turn a single bolt on the engine (up until now) other than oil changes. Two weeks ago I began getting misfires on cylinders 5 & 6, as well as Random/multiple cylinder misfires. There is a lot of crud around the plug boots, which suggests that the valve cover gaskets are leaking. There is a very small amount of oil in the spark plug wells, and the springs inside the spark plug boots are saturated in oil.

What I need help with now:
So I am following the shop manual (off of the Ford Technical Service Publications CD) for removing the right hand side valve cover, and I am running into a problem. I have everything removed that the manual says to remove, and all the valve cover bolts are removed. I cannot slide the back of the valve cover over the back of the camshaft to pull it out. The A/C lines are in my way. I have tried turning the valve cover by rolling it to the right or left.

Anyone know any tricks to getting this thing out of there? I am not planning on removing any A/C lines, and the manual doesn't say I need to.

Anyone out there have the Haynes manual? What does it say to do?

Thanks.

Jayton, scanning the procedure from the Haynes Manual now......stand by..........

 

[waskly]

isnt in the back of the valve cover a harness plugged into?

with a push in type pin, that holds it in place?

its a tight fit but it should come out.

on a side note, cyl 5 and 6 are both on the drivers side.

 

[BigRondo]

Jayton, here is the procedure from the Haynes Manual. Sorry about the size of the pics but I wanted you to be able to read them:

Hope this helps out! :biggthump

 

[jayton]

Jayton, scanning the procedure from the Haynes Manual now......stand by..........

THANK-YOU!

isnt in the back of the valve cover a harness plugged into?

with a push in type pin, that holds it in place?

its a tight fit but it should come out.

There is the wiring harness which has a retainer that clips onto the valve cover stud, but that was removed before I pulled all the valve cover bolts off. I am unable to see or feel any kind of harness beyond that. I can lift the valve cover up and feel all away around the lip in the back and there isn't anything else keeping me from lifting it out other than the A/C lines.

on a side note, cyl 5 and 6 are both on the drivers side.

Yes, I know, thanks. The drivers side actually looks a lot worse than the crud you see in this picture of the passengers side. I just decided to start on the passengers side first because it looked like it was the most difficult one to remove, and I wanted to get it out of the way first.

 

[jayton]

Jayton, here is the procedure from the Haynes Manual. Sorry about the size of the pics but I wanted you to be able to read them:

Hope this helps out! :biggthump

Yes this does help, BigRondo!

Step number 10 is not listed in the Ford Technical Service Publication. I think that is what I am looking for. I'm going to try to find those two A/C clamp nuts so I can move that line out of the way.

Thank-you so much for your quick scans and your willingness to go the extra mile to help me out!

 

[BigRondo]

Yes this does help, BigRondo!

Step number 10 is not listed in the Ford Technical Service Publication. I think that is what I am looking for. I'm going to try to find those two A/C clamp nuts so I can move that line out of the way.

Good luck and keep us posted!!

 

[h.e.a.t.]

Jayton, here is the procedure from the Haynes Manual. Sorry about the size of the pics but I wanted you to be able to read them:

Hope this helps out! :biggthump

thank you sir

 

[LONO100]

this thread is a perfect example of why i think this is hands down THE best forum on the internet.

 

[jayton]

Good luck and keep us posted!!

That was the problem, the A/C lines had to be moved, but not disconnected. Looking way back on that now, it seems pretty obvious and that I should have figured it out.

this thread is a perfect example of why i think this is hands down THE best forum on the internet.

When doing a task for the first time, I always like to learn about it before I tackle it. It is always good to have more than one source for information. Combination of factory service manual, haynes, mitchell's, and maybe a little help from explorerforum.com, you can get anything done on this truck!

 

[BigRondo]

Thanks for the update and nice job on the fix!! :biggthump

 

[Fordfan03]

Does anyone know if you have to remove the whole valve cover to remove the grommet behind the valve cover bolt/metal washer? Does it just come out with a flat screw driver? I have just one that is leaking a little.

 

[Jhawk91]

NICE! I know very old but just saved tons of time.
Yes step #10 is the key here.
More Detail: There are 2 separate AC line connections that need to be loosened. Size is 11mm. The 1 AC line connection on the firewall is difficult but doable. The other AC line connection is by the radiator overfill reservoir. This is easy to get to.

 

[davidmmm69]

Hello guys,

Background story:
Two weeks ago I began getting misfires on cylinders 5 & 6, as well as Random/multiple cylinder misfires. There is a lot of crud around the plug boots, which suggests that the valve cover gaskets are leaking. There is a very small amount of oil in the spark plug wells, and the springs inside the spark plug boots are saturated in oil.

So on my 4.6 mountaineer I had the same issue. Constant misfired on right side "drivers side" usually the front 2 plugs...
I was thinking the same thing to change valve cover gaskets. Looked like a pain. So I researched more and ended up not being gaskets even though I swear it was oil down in the boot and plug hole. That's not possible because the oil would have to travel Up? Come to find out the plastic intake has the tiny leak and what looks like oil is really coolant mixed with dirt grime and God knows what else. I haven't done it yet but it's been 8 months since I had the misfire. So just check out the plastic intake first...
280000 and I want one more winter out of it. Only put 18000 miles on it in two and a half years. Not a bad $1000 car...

 

[Hddragon9]

Does anyone know if you have to remove the whole valve cover to remove the grommet behind the valve cover bolt/metal washer? Does it just come out with a flat screw driver? I have just one that is leaking a little.

Would like to know if you found out, I took the bolt out of mine, but the grommet and the washer are still stuck there and loose and moving around, but can’t get them all the way out