I just did valve cover gaskets on my 88 5.0L Eddie Bauer. There is a fair amount of work involved here...on a 1-10 I'd say this is about a 5. The kit that I bought was a Fel Pro kit that included both cork valve cover gaskets, upper intake gasket, throttle body gasket, distributor O ring, and 2 other ones that I didn't use.
I started on the left bank because it seemed like there was less work here and there was. First, you need to get the intake duct work out of the way, disconnect the throttle linkage, then you'll have to get the wiring out of the way. I had to take spark plug wires off the plugs to get the cover off. (a good way to identify the proper placement of the wires is to use a spark plug wire loom and place them in order using the open end as your front and place them first wire in the first slot and so on). You will need to remove your ignition coil which will require a 7/16" deep socket, on the side of the coil bracket there will be a plate with 3 or 4 plugs on it that needs to be removed as well. Grab a serp belt removal tool and pop the belt off, take the a/c compressor off and lay it on the left inner fender. Next, there is 6 bolts holding the valve cover on that will be 7/16. I used a deep socket because mine had the studs for mounting wire looms. Once you get all the bolts out you should be ready to lift the cover off. You may need to use a rubber mallet to break the seal by taping the sides of the cover. Remove all of the old gasket with a scraper, make sure both mating surfaces are clean, use some Permatex red form-a-gasket so the gasket stays in place when putting the cover back on, then put 'er back together. Now on to the harder part...
Too get to the right valve cover, you'll need to take the Upper Intake Plenum off. To start with, there is a group of vacuum lines that need to be taken off from the top, there are 2 vacuum lines that are on the side of the throttle body, the EGR needs to be unplugged first then unbolted from the plenum using a 7/16. Once all the linkage, vacuum lines and electrical connectors are off, you will notice there are still 2 hoses attached to the throttle body. These are COOLANT LINES. One will be on a ****** near the top and one near the bottom. Take these off and plug with a bolt so you don't get coolant leaking all over. Now we're ready to take off the upper intake plenum. Grab a 1/2" deep socket, a 3" extention, a 6" extention, and a T-15 Torx bit. There will be 5 bolts with a 1/2" head and 1 torx bolt. The torx bolt is in the middle of the plenum and will be on YOUR left when you look at the motor. There will be an opening about 1/2 way back that is too narrow to get a socket thru. Take the upper intake off and set aside. You will need a 7/8 wrench to remove the EGR. Remove the valve cover, clean both mating surfaces and start putting it back together.
View attachment 11338
View attachment 11339
View attachment 11340