I'm knee-deep in my valve cover replacement project on my '03 4.4i. I must say, this project is an absolute beast. In all my years of working on cars, this is probably the most difficult thing I've ever run across.

That being said, I managed to get the passenger side done, without having to remove those wretched fuel injector clips. I managed to wrestle the cover off before I learned the clips even existed. One look at the clips, and I told myself that if I could get the valve cover off without removing the clips, I should be able to get it back on. Sure enough, with the help of a bunch of string to firmly attach the gasket to the valve cover while wrestling it back in place, I was able to get it done. I'll post some pictures later on my method.

As for the drivers side, holy crap! There's practically zero clearance past all the coolant hoses. After about two hours of intense struggling, I was finally able to yank the thing out of there. It's a miracle I didn't break it, or damage the mating surface. Or that I didn't even lose a single washer! But now, it's obvious that there's no way I'll be able to get the valve cover back in place with the new gasket without removing the square plastic tunnel that houses the wiring for the coils (I forget the official name of it) which is secured with those damn clips. So, if I don't want to tow the car to a mechanic to finish the job, I'm going to have to get those clips out. One person said they had success with a 9" long Craftsman right angle pick. Any other tips? I've tried removing the clips using a shorter pick but they just stare back at me, mocking me.

And an even bigger question - assuming I can get the clips off, and that I can consequently free up enough room to get the valve cover back on, how on earth do I get the clips back on? There's maybe a 1/2" slit between the head and the plastic channel to work; obviously it's possible, because other people have done it, but how exactly? Thanks.

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2003 X5 4.4i
1992 Porsche 968
2007 328i
2014 Subaru Forester XT