I’m not writing a how-to cause I don’t know jack! But I’m asking advice on how to do it.
Here’s what I think I know.
Disconnect the PCV valve from current valve cover. With closed emissions, you’d also need to disconnect the breather hose from the other valve cover, but open emissions is just a push-on cap so that’ll come off with the valve cover it’s pushed into. Take off the old valve covers, and remove the gaskets which may or may not be easy. I was told that if I need to scrape them off with a razor blade, to be super careful to not let any little bits or pieces fall into the valve area, make sure to scrape it all outward and away.
Before putting on the new gaskets, anything? Lube or sealant or gasket-gunk or anything?
Then put on new valve covers and bolt them on, following a very specific bolt pattern and torque spec that is found… Where? Don’t have the computer where my shop manual is installed, so I can’t verify that it’s there, though I suspect that’s where I remember reading it. Or does that info come with an instruction sheet with the covers?
Then install new PCV valve, connect the hose, and also reconnect breather hose if closed emissions or push on new cap if open emissions.
Please make lots of corrections so A) this can serve as a good How To guide, and B) so I can install my new valve covers correctly and get my Cougar back on the road.
I ordered the parts already last week, they’ll be here tomorrow. Cannot wait to get this repair done, as my current valve covers (which I’ve always hated, aftermarket ones with those wing bolts on em, which I cannot torque to any specific spec as required) started leaking oil onto my exhaust manifold which sucks.
As always thank you very much for pointing out all the stuff I got wrong, and making this a good guide for us first timers. Cheers!
When I changed my valve cover gaskets, I used an el-cheapo gasket scraper from Autozone and always had the hose of the shop back just ahead of where I was scraping pulling all the debris away as I went.
I used the Permatex High Tack Gasket adhesive and stuck the gaskets to the valve covers first, getting all the bolt holes lined up. Then just set the valve covers on and torqued them up to “snug” so the gaskets were compressed, but not squeezed out of place.
its been a while since i did mine. but since then ive had to take valve covers on and off a dozen times. dont worry about a specific torque or patter. just put em on and snug em up. not too tight or you will crack the corck gasket.
i used gasket sealer on the valve cover side only and let them sit on a work bench flush with a couple weights on top of them and left it over night so the cork is sealed to the valve covers. then just install them on the heads with no sealer or anthing just snugged up the bolts. that way if you ever have to take them off its real easy and not a mess and wont have to reseal them. the cork stays stuck to the valve cover. dont over think or over complicate it. its a lot simpler than you would think (as is most things on cars). good luck i hope that solves your leak!
I have been making a living working on cars for the last 30 years and cork works better on tin valve covers and rubber works better on aluminum valve covers. Rubber would be better for both but they take more torque to compress and tin valve covers distort to easily. Cork will work on both but cork turns to stone after time and is a bitch to remove. Its like chipping glass, the fragments go everywhere.
Well! Then I did okay. The new valve covers are the finned aluminum ones as found on the WCCC site. So it sounds like I’m in good shape then.
The existing covers have cork gaskets, but hopefully they won’t be too shot to hell. I have a feeling they’re not super super old. Maybe 15 years tops. They’re not original to the car, I couldn’t tell you the material. Can’t wait to get them outta there.
I should be driving my Cougar right now, it’s like 75 degrees in winter, record highs these days! But the parts don’t show up till tomorrow and I’m bogged down with home repairs anyway.
So with rubber gaskets and aluminum valve covers… Any kind of sealant required, and if so, put it on which piece?
I’d just put a bare minimum of sealer in a couple of spots on each valve cover to hold the gaskety in place when you turn it over to place it on the heads. Otherwise, the gasket is likely to keep falling off until you get the cover placed.
Or…
…my Father In Law ties the gasket to the cover with thread. It holds the gasket in place and still allows you to get the bolts in the holes since the thread doesn’t take up any room…
I’ve used rubber gaskets with aluminum valve covers for years. One tip I learned is to use wheel bearing grease on the surface that contacts the heads. I lightly glue the gaskets to the valve cover and if I need to adjust the valves I can remove the covers and the gasket doesn’t stick to the head. I have removed the covers three or four times and have no leaks.
I know it is not stock, but I put threaded studs in the heads and then nuts to hold the valve cover in place. The gasket stays in place, and I can see how it lines up with the thin edge of the head casting before I drop the cover on.