Changing head gaskets

[Mrauder83]

When I changed my spark plugs I had a little bit of oil on my back plugs on the passenger and diver sides. I was told that it may be time to change the head gaskets. Is this a easy job thayou can do myself or is it best to have my mechanic do it for me?

[fastblackmerc]

When I changed my spark plugs I had a little bit of oil on my back plugs on the passenger and diver sides. I was told that it may be time to change the head gaskets. Is this a easy job thayou can do myself or is it best to have my mechanic do it for me?

It's not the head gaskets.

There are oil seals between the cam covers and the head.

Changing them is an easy job once you get the cam covers off.

You don't want to be changing head gaskets......

[Mrauder83]

Ohhh ok I got you. Cause I really didn't wanna replace the head gaskets thanks man you just save me headache 😌

[babbage]

It's not the head gaskets.

There are oil seals between the cam covers and the head.

Changing them is an easy job once you get the cam covers off.

You don't want to be changing head gaskets......

Changing valve seals is NOT an easy job. Here is a quick step by step.

http://forums.corral.net/forums/svt-dohc/1196646-how-replace-valve-seals-4v.html


Passenger side valve cover
1. I had to remove the throttle body (TB) which also means the throttle cable and cruise control (http://forums.corral.net/forums/#) cable need disconnected from the TB and upper intake manifold.
2. Remove the coil covers, COP’s, and all the spark plugs (http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=spark+plugs) from both sides
3. Remove all valve covers bolts
4. Gently bang valve cover with your hand to unseat it from the head.
5. You will struggle getting the rear of the valve cover to clear the wiring harness that crosses the back of the motor. Patience is your friend here and I think this is the worst part of the whole job.
6. Once the cover is removed you need to get the cam followers off. You can use a screwdriver to pry the followers off and also back on. Make sure you put all followers back onto the same location from which they were removed. Here is a link to a video that someone did showing you how to do it.
http://john.slagel.com/46_4v_rockerarms.wmv

7. At this point you will need to place a cylinder (does not matter which but I worked rear to front as the rear cylinders were the hardest) at BDC. I stuck a small diameter wooden dowel into the spark plug hole and turned the motor over via the harmonic balancer bolt till BDC was achieved. I simply watched the rod go down into the cylinder until it starts to come back up. With all of the followers removed, all valves will stay closed while turning the motor.
8. You need to hook up an air compressor to fill the cylinder to 100 psi. You will need n adapter to go between the compressor and the cylinder. I used my leak down kit for this. This air pressure must be maintained through the entire next couple of steps! It is this air pressure that will hold the valve up against the head while the retainers, keepers, springs, and stems are removed. If you lose air pressure after the keepers have been removed, the valve will drop down into the cylinder.
9. Cover all of your oil return passages and open spark plug holes. For the oil return passages located in the lower portion of the head I used vacuum hose stuffed into the holes (obviously long enough so that the hose will not drop into the passage (2ft long)
10. With the cylinder pressurized you can now use the cam tool to compress the springs and use a magnet to pull out the keepers. The cam tool will grab under the part of the camshafts that is not machined and a small platform on the spring tool will need to be guided onto the valve retainer. After this you can pull the springs out as well as the stem seals.

11. Lubricate the new seals (I used assembly lube) and place the new stem seal over the valve stem.
12. Install the spring and retainer. You will now need to use the spring compressor tool to compress the spring so you can place the keepers back on to the valve stems. I found it easiest to use zip ties to hold the ratchet and spring compressor while I tried to place the keepers on. I would dab some assembly lube onto my finger and also on the face of the keepers. With the keeper stuck to my finger I could place the keepers back onto the stems. It may be easier on some valves to stick the keeper to a flat blade of a screwdriver using the assembly lube and then press the keeper onto the valve stem. The assembly lube that is applied to the face of the keeper will hold the keeper to the stem. This task will try you as well since the quarters are cramped. Take your time with this. Once you get both keepers on, I cut the zip ties holding the ratchet with the springs compressed and slowly released the spring pressure making sure the keepers stayed in place. Be careful not to drop any keepers down your oil return passage! Don’t ask me how I know this…… At this point I would double check to make sure that both keepers were installed properly on to the valve stem and the retainer seated firmly keeping the keepers stayed in place.
13. After the keepers/retainers are back on you can remove the air pressure from the cylinder and move to the next cylinder and repeat the process 31 more times. After all cylinders are completed (drivers and passengers) you can place the cam followers back on like the video shows.
14. Then simply place new seals on the valve covers and be sure to dab RTV to the valve cover surface where the heads and the intake join ( you will see the oil rtv there and it will need cleaned up.
15. Again fight the back of the cover and slide over the valve train. Make sure that all the spark plug donuts are in-place prior to torque (http://forums.corral.net/forums/#) down the valve covers or you will have an oil leak around your spark plugs (http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=spark+plugs).

Drivers side
The only difference is I removed the brake booster out from the car completely as it gives you much more room. There are four nuts that hold the booster (three inside the car and one on the fire wall side). Disconnect the two brake hard lines from the under side of the master cylinder as well as the two hard lines and the rubber vacuum line on top of the booster. You will also need to disconnect the brake pedal switch and linkage to the booster. Pay attention to the order of the switch, washer, bushing, and retaining pin for assembly time.

Once the booster is out everything else is the same as the passenger side cover.

You will obviously need to bleed the brakes as you removed the booster. Start with the right rear, left rear, right front, left front, and then finally the master cylinder. I used a hand vacuum to draw the fluid out from all the calipers and the old fashion pumping the brake pedal for the master cylinder.

As a side note, I did remove the cam cages over the cylinders I was working on (Do not remove both cages on the same cam or the cam can pop out due to timing chain tension!) in order to give me some more room to work. Make sure that you leave the bolts in the cages so that the bolts go back into the same holes they came out. I torqued the cages to SHM specs. I can get those numbers if you need it.

You will also need to be sure that the head surface is clean where the valve cover meets up. Prior to putting the valve cover back on, you will need to put two small (aprox 1") dabs of oil resistant high temp rtv where the head meets the intake manifold. You will see the two spots once you remove the valve covers. Also make sure that when you reinstall the valve covers that the spark plug donuts on the inside of the cover do not fall off or you will have an oil leak around your spark plug.

[fastblackmerc]

Changing valve seals is NOT an easy job. Here is a quick step by step.

http://forums.corral.net/forums/svt-dohc/1196646-how-replace-valve-seals-4v.html


Passenger side valve cover
1. I had to remove the throttle body (TB) which also means the throttle cable and cruise control (http://forums.corral.net/forums/#) cable need disconnected from the TB and upper intake manifold.
2. Remove the coil covers, COP’s, and all the spark plugs (http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=spark+plugs) from both sides
3. Remove all valve covers bolts
4. Gently bang valve cover with your hand to unseat it from the head.
5. You will struggle getting the rear of the valve cover to clear the wiring harness that crosses the back of the motor. Patience is your friend here and I think this is the worst part of the whole job.
6. Once the cover is removed you need to get the cam followers off. You can use a screwdriver to pry the followers off and also back on. Make sure you put all followers back onto the same location from which they were removed. Here is a link to a video that someone did showing you how to do it.
http://john.slagel.com/46_4v_rockerarms.wmv

7. At this point you will need to place a cylinder (does not matter which but I worked rear to front as the rear cylinders were the hardest) at BDC. I stuck a small diameter wooden dowel into the spark plug hole and turned the motor over via the harmonic balancer bolt till BDC was achieved. I simply watched the rod go down into the cylinder until it starts to come back up. With all of the followers removed, all valves will stay closed while turning the motor.
8. You need to hook up an air compressor to fill the cylinder to 100 psi. You will need n adapter to go between the compressor and the cylinder. I used my leak down kit for this. This air pressure must be maintained through the entire next couple of steps! It is this air pressure that will hold the valve up against the head while the retainers, keepers, springs, and stems are removed. If you lose air pressure after the keepers have been removed, the valve will drop down into the cylinder.
9. Cover all of your oil return passages and open spark plug holes. For the oil return passages located in the lower portion of the head I used vacuum hose stuffed into the holes (obviously long enough so that the hose will not drop into the passage (2ft long)
10. With the cylinder pressurized you can now use the cam tool to compress the springs and use a magnet to pull out the keepers. The cam tool will grab under the part of the camshafts that is not machined and a small platform on the spring tool will need to be guided onto the valve retainer. After this you can pull the springs out as well as the stem seals.

11. Lubricate the new seals (I used assembly lube) and place the new stem seal over the valve stem.
12. Install the spring and retainer. You will now need to use the spring compressor tool to compress the spring so you can place the keepers back on to the valve stems. I found it easiest to use zip ties to hold the ratchet and spring compressor while I tried to place the keepers on. I would dab some assembly lube onto my finger and also on the face of the keepers. With the keeper stuck to my finger I could place the keepers back onto the stems. It may be easier on some valves to stick the keeper to a flat blade of a screwdriver using the assembly lube and then press the keeper onto the valve stem. The assembly lube that is applied to the face of the keeper will hold the keeper to the stem. This task will try you as well since the quarters are cramped. Take your time with this. Once you get both keepers on, I cut the zip ties holding the ratchet with the springs compressed and slowly released the spring pressure making sure the keepers stayed in place. Be careful not to drop any keepers down your oil return passage! Don’t ask me how I know this…… At this point I would double check to make sure that both keepers were installed properly on to the valve stem and the retainer seated firmly keeping the keepers stayed in place.
13. After the keepers/retainers are back on you can remove the air pressure from the cylinder and move to the next cylinder and repeat the process 31 more times. After all cylinders are completed (drivers and passengers) you can place the cam followers back on like the video shows.
14. Then simply place new seals on the valve covers and be sure to dab RTV to the valve cover surface where the heads and the intake join ( you will see the oil rtv there and it will need cleaned up.
15. Again fight the back of the cover and slide over the valve train. Make sure that all the spark plug donuts are in-place prior to torque (http://forums.corral.net/forums/#) down the valve covers or you will have an oil leak around your spark plugs (http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=spark+plugs).

Drivers side
The only difference is I removed the brake booster out from the car completely as it gives you much more room. There are four nuts that hold the booster (three inside the car and one on the fire wall side). Disconnect the two brake hard lines from the under side of the master cylinder as well as the two hard lines and the rubber vacuum line on top of the booster. You will also need to disconnect the brake pedal switch and linkage to the booster. Pay attention to the order of the switch, washer, bushing, and retaining pin for assembly time.

Once the booster is out everything else is the same as the passenger side cover.

You will obviously need to bleed the brakes as you removed the booster. Start with the right rear, left rear, right front, left front, and then finally the master cylinder. I used a hand vacuum to draw the fluid out from all the calipers and the old fashion pumping the brake pedal for the master cylinder.

As a side note, I did remove the cam cages over the cylinders I was working on (Do not remove both cages on the same cam or the cam can pop out due to timing chain tension!) in order to give me some more room to work. Make sure that you leave the bolts in the cages so that the bolts go back into the same holes they came out. I torqued the cages to SHM specs. I can get those numbers if you need it.

You will also need to be sure that the head surface is clean where the valve cover meets up. Prior to putting the valve cover back on, you will need to put two small (aprox 1") dabs of oil resistant high temp rtv where the head meets the intake manifold. You will see the two spots once you remove the valve covers. Also make sure that when you reinstall the valve covers that the spark plug donuts on the inside of the cover do not fall off or you will have an oil leak around your spark plug.

I didn't say valve seals. Leaking valve seals won't give you oil in the spark plug holes.

I said the seal between the cam cover and the head. The small round seals between the cam cover and spark plug holes in the heads.

[babbage]

I didn't say valve seals. Leaking valve seals won't give you oil in the spark plug holes.

I said the seal between the cam cover and the head. The small round seals between the cam cover and spark plug holes in the heads.


Sure they will. Leaking valve seals on our motors is what causes smoke on startup. If you can see smoke on startup -- oil is being burned in the cylinder.

[fastblackmerc]

Sure they will. Leaking valve seals on our motors is what causes smoke on startup. If you can see smoke on startup -- oil is being burned in the cylinder.

I believe the OP said there was oil in the cam cover holes where the spark plugs are......

"When I changed my spark plugs I had a little bit of oil on my back plugs on the passenger and diver sides"

[Mrauder83]

Yes oil on the back plugs on both sides all the others were fine.

[Marauderjack]

The oil will not hurt a thing......non-conductive and relatively small amount!!:shake:

I have had some off and on for several years.....change plugs every 15K miles!!:cool4:

[ctrlraven]

I believe the OP said there was oil in the cam cover holes where the spark plugs are......

"When I changed my spark plugs I had a little bit of oil on my back plugs on the passenger and diver sides"

That's what I thought as well. When I pulled a few of my plugs last month the rubber gasket under the valve cover in the spark plug chamber was wet, wasn't leaking. I think I will replace the "valve cover gasket" sometime during the winter.

http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/item/FEL-VS50477R/1999-04-Mustang-46-4V-Valve-Cover-Gasket-Set-With-Grommets

http://c1385782.cdn.cloudfiles.racksp acecloud.com/fel-vs50477r_6602.jpg