Always ensure the vehicle you are working under is supported securely with jack stands, wear appropriate clothing and safety goggles.  Be weary of your clothing and the proximity to moving parts.  If you are uncomfortable about attempting an installation, DON'T......Seek a qualified service person or facility to help with your installation.  This articles contained in this site are in addition to and enhancement of existing OEM specified procedures and practices.  With regard to specifications and procedures, the OEM manual, procedure or practice shall dictate and govern.

Assumption of risk.  This website is for information only.  By viewing the content of this page, the viewer assumes all risks and liabilities associated with any procedures attempted or undertaken and there by releases the owners of Mustanghowto.com of any claims, demands, liabilities, suites, costs or expenses arising from the use of this publication, whether such claims are well-grounded or not. 

copyright © 05

Team Breed 585-388-0126 (email)

Time to dress up the under the hood?  Are you done adding all the bling that you can attach with sticky tape?  If so, then it is time to add some Aluminum valve covers to the 4.6L.

Breed Enterprises manufactures an awesome set of Aluminum valve covers with optional engravings to match your ride perfectly.

The valve covers arrive boxed and packages neatly and securely, complete with new seals and gaskets.  The really nice thing about these covers, they have a seal groove machined on the mating surface for the gasket to seat into.  This makes installing the covers so much easier because it prevent the gaskets from moving around and creating an improper seal with the heads.  The new rubber gaskets that came with our application had moved around a little in the packaging, so we installed them into the heads the night before so that they lost any of their memory of packaging and inherited the shape of the valve seal channel before installation.

The 2002 application that we have, requires a 99-01 oil filler cap to be used.  This is a screw in cap that ratchets once tight.  We went to a local "Pick a Part" and bought one for $1.06 from a wrecked Windstar, there are probably many applications that will cross over and can be used for the Mustang.  A Ranger or Taurus would probably work just fine as well.

Removing the existing plastic valve covers in our application was a little easier that you will probably experience because we had the upper intake completely removed.  This allows for a significant amount of room for manipulation and movement to remove the existing covers.

Our application already had the intake chamber and throttle body removed.  The wiring harness for the injectors is the biggest pain that you will have to deal with.  Tie this up and out of the way as much as possible.  In order to do this, detach the connections to the coil packs and the injectors.  The wiring harness will be secured to several of the valve cover studs with plastic retainers.  You will need to pry this off with a suitable screwdriver or a similar pry bar device.

There will be 11 bolts/studs that hold the stock valve covers to the head.  You will need various lengths of extensions, a universal or swivel joint and both deep and regular sockets to make your life easier.  With a combination of these options, getting to the hard to reach studs/bolts really isn't difficult, finding the correct access route to them is really the only challenge.

The drivers side is going to be the most difficult installation, you can either save the easiest for last or learn the tricks on the easiest one first.  We chose the passenger side first strictly because that was the side I was on when we started.  The most difficult retainers to reach are hidden right next to the shock tower and the one at the outside rear of the motor.  A regular socket and swivel will get you there, but you are going to have to work around the AC hose routing and pipe-works for both of these.

With all of the retainers removed, you can loosen the seal between the head and the stock valve covers.  Remember, these are plastic, pry up very gently in the front corner and the seal will easily start to open up.  Once the whole valve cover seal has been broken, you will be able to remove the cover.  Do this by rotating the cover from the outside toward the center of the motor, this motion will help to clear the over head cams protected by the covers.  Some jockeying back and forth and different wiggles with easily help to remove the valve cover.  If you haven't removed the intake system, you will have to deal with a throttle body and fuel rails.  This will definitely make removal more difficult but the same technique will be required.  With the electrical wires up and out of the way, you should be able to get enough clearance.

Once the cover has been removed, you need to clean off the seal surface on the head.  There is two gobs of RTV sealant where the front timing cover meets with the heads.  Clean this off carefully with a dull scraper.  Remember, these are Aluminum heads and you can easily mar the surface if you are not careful.  Clean the rest of the surface off with a towel and some carburetor cleaning fluid.  This is where the rubber gasket mates with the heads and it is really important that it is clean and free of remnant sealant.

Before we can install the new valve covers, you have to install the new rubberized bushings into the valve covers.  This is easily accomplished by using a screwdriver and a light application of oil around the small end of the grommet.  Twisting the screwdriver while applying pressure pushes the grommets into the holes.  The screw driver pushes directly onto the bushing inside the grommet essentially stretching the rubber, and then slide into place with no problem.  Do this for all 11 grommet on the passenger side.

The PCV valve needs to be moved from the stock cover to the new valve.  The PCV valve is locked into place with a couple of small plastic tabs.  A small blade screwdriver needs to be slipped under these lock tabs to all the PCV to be rotated and removed.  Be careful not to use to much pry force on these little tabs, be patient and it will come.  Clean the PCV valve off with a light dusting of Simple Green cleaner and a rag before installation into the new valve cover. 

Team Breed supplies and rubber grommet for the PCV valve hole in the cover.  Put this in place prior to putting the PCV valve in.  Push the PCV valve firmly into the rubber grommet until it is complete seated in place.  Now we are ready to put the new valve cover in place, but first, flip it over and make sure the rubber seal hasn't moved out of it's machined groove.  Press it into the groove all the way around, making sure that it is not stretched one direction more than another.

A new dab of RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanizing) sealant will be required on both the upper and lower intersections of the timing cover and the heads.  The valve seal gaskets have a widened tab formed here as well.  Installing the valve cover will require a little bit of manipulation and reversing the rotation motion required to remove the stock covers. 

We started by inserting the rear corner first, being careful not to dislodge the gasket from the valve cover.  Rotating the cover as you slide it into place helps to clear the overhead cam gear.   Before you seat the cover into place, check to see that the gasket hasn't become dislodged and is still in the machined groove. 

Carefully line up the cover as close as possible with the head and push it into the sealant that was applied.  Replace the stud/bolts in the same location as you removed them, tightening them just enough to hold the cover in place.   Once all the studs/bolts are in place, you can start to tighten them down, using a crisscross  pattern from the middle out.  They will need to be tightened with an inch/lb torque wrench.  89 in/lbs in the specification, so that you don't strip them out of the heads, and provide just enough pressure on the grommets to seal the valve cover to the heads.  Use the same crisscross pattern, torque each stud/bolt.  When complete, re-install the harness retainer clips onto their respective studs and reconnect the Coil Packs and injectors.

The driver's side is a little more difficult to reach some of the stock bolts because of the brake equipment.  Some patience is required but you will find just the right way to get your sockets and extensions through the network of piping to get at the rear bolt.  Remove the drivers side in a similar fashion to the passenger side and clean the RTV sealant off of the this side as well.

A brass spade fitting supplied and needs to be installed on the drivers side valve cover.  An application of pipe tape will be required, then thread the fitting into the valve cover, tighten it adequately to seal it to the cover.

All steps for the driver side are identical to the passenger side, after the sealant has been added to the heads we attempted to install the valve covers.  We encountered some difficulties with the location of the throttle cable as it mounts to the fire wall.  Remove the 2 bolts that retain the throttle cable to the firewall and tie it up and out of the way.  The valve cover can now be manipulated into place starting with the rear corner first and rotating the cover as you slip it over the overhead cam gear.  Seat the cover into place after you have ensure the gasket hasn't moved or dislodge from it's groove.  Repeat the tightening sequence until the valve cover has been snugged down, then repeat the crisscross pattern, torque the bolts in a similar pattern to 89 inch/lbs.

Replace the electrical wiring and retainers to their respective studs and admire the new look under the hood.  We added the polished units to our project car and spent some time polishing before we re-installed everything.  Very nice product and the fit and finish is awesome.