Valve Cover Gaskets...Feedback Appreciated!
 

I'm replacing my valve cover gaskets right now. It was a real beotch getting the right side valve cover removed. The lower rear corner of the cover was hitting some hoses so I couldn't raise it high enough to clear the engine and come up and out.

Maybe I'm missing something...but I can't see how the heck I'll get it back in there without the new gasket falling off or just not seating on the head properly.

Do I need to remove all those hoes? That makes this job about twice as much work. Anyone pulled it off without removing them?

Knowledge appreciated...

On the 4.4 you can pop the heater valve and its hose cluster up just out of the way enough to work, and tie it up temporarily with some zip ties. That should be all you need.

Thanks
 

Many thanks for the reply. I like the sound of that. I read elsewhere that you can disconnect two of those same hoses that go to the firewall (disconnect at the firewall).

This should make is fairly easy to get it back in there.

Yes you can of course remove two of the heater hoses from the firewall but then you're gonna have a big cleanup and need to bleed the coolant system. The job can be done without that hassle. Insert the gaskets into the valve cover firmly, put your pea size drop of rtv on the half moons and the front upper timing cover seams, and carefully lower the cover onto the studs.

Like an idiot I rested my arm on the expansion tank recirculation hose and it snapped in two... You know the one... Its brittle plastic. Second time in seven years I've done that. So I decide to pull the tank anyway. Gotta top up coolant now too. removing it helped, but probably wouldn't be necessary had I moved the heater valve as you suggested.