Anyone have a writeup on a valve cover change for a hemi?

The driver side of my hemi was a little unusual on the spark plug change. The one closest the driver was covered in sludge (not sure I'd call it oil). It looks like I have multiple valve cover failures on that side...

8 x 53021569AD ?

2 x 5114179AB ???

Anything else I need? I see the torque sequence and values. Anything else to worry about???

I don’t have any write up with valve cover gasket change. You need various extensions, stubby box wrench, socket universal joints etc... the passenger side is pretty straight forward but the driver side you need to remove wiring harnesses to remove the cover. Make sure you have a nice set of picks and plenty of brake cleaner since the valve cover gasket will become encased in the valve cover over time.

I don’t have the torque spec for the valve cover but the torque sequence is tighten the middle ones first and work your way front/rear. I went with the fel-pro vs50625r spark plug gasket/valve cover gasket set. They’re decent quality and also I would replace the valve grommets (fel-pro es72596) as well since the rubber get harden over time.

Thanks @Avs for the response. I appreciate the narrative from someone who's been through it. It doesn't look terribly difficult.

Here's my plugs.... the dirty ones are from the drivers side in nearly the order I removed them. Most of the plugs on the drivers side weren't even finger tight when I removed them. I thought that I might have torqued them incorrectly (and I may have) but now I think that oil infiltrated them and over time seeped into the threads.

Second picture is the missing ground electrode. I had a real panic moment when I pulled this plug....thinking the ground fell into the combustion chamber. I rigged up a vacuum tube and put some pen magnets down the tube but nothing came out. Then looking at the bottom of the plug, it looks like it disappeared or corroded over time.

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What’s the mileage on the current plugs? I’m guessing you put them in previously? For some reason the driver’s side cylinder bank plugs on my car looks just like your plugs with oil filled the thread on the plugs and even one of the cylinder with incorrect plugs. My guess is the driver’s side is harder to get to and the previous owner got frustrated and didn’t bother with changing them out...bad seals etc...

Yeah, I put them in previously. I think I replaced them at 80k, and I'm at 111k now.... so the interval is just about right... but I think I'll do them a little more frequently now.

Torque spec for spark plugs: http://www.wkjeeps.com/wk_sparkplugs.htm
If you put anti-seize on the thread the torque value is going to be lower.

For the valve cover: 70 in*lb
Coil pack: 105 in*lb

Valve cover and coil pack torque value are fairly low. I’m not sure if your typical 3/8” torque wrench even go that low.

I'll add this in case someone googles their way here. I presume we should torque the plugs lower with oil on the threads too eh?

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I rarely use torque wrench on spark plugs. After awhile you get a feel of it. Just snug enough to deform the washer and you should be good. Make sure you put some dielectric grease between the plug and the coil so next time when you remove the coil the boot comes out with it.

Did mine a couple months ago, you'll want a 1/4" drive torque wrench. The FSM (search for it on here) is pretty accurate on this one..

I always use a torque wrench, as on the Hemi with the aluminum heads, it's HIGHLY recommended you use one. Most folks tend to overtorque plugs and it's pretty difficult to "feel" 13-15 lb. ft. of torque. IIRC, the FSM says that if you don't have access to a torque wrench, tighten them one-eighth of a turn from first contact of the tapered plug seats with the aluminum head.....basically finger tight. There are NO gaskets on Hemi spark plugs....they're all taper fit. Also, DO NOT use anti-seize compound on NEW spark plugs...used ones just a small dab. Also, as said above, definitely use the dielectric compound on the inside of the coil boots before installing the coils.

Thanks all! I'll definitely use a torque wrench after I get these seals replaced. My 3/8" torque wrench does inch pounds, but I may pick up a 1/4" wrench just for kicks.

Just a little more info. When I ran a magnetic tipped pen down the cylinder with the missing ground electrode, I pulled out quite a bit of metallic black dust. And the reason I am doing my plugs is my Jeep seemed to be running rough. What I thought was a bad tank of gas turns out was probably that electrode coming loose inside my combustion chamber.

I have a borescope coming to examine the internal damage. I'm not sure if that electrode was pulverized or if its in my catalytic converter now?

Sorry my mistake. There’s no washer but a conical/fillet feature on the plug that sits on the head. Does the champion plug has any anti-seize coating on the threaded portion of the plug? I don’t recall seeing any. Typically when you use anti-seize compound your torque value goes down because when you add anti seize it gives you false torque reading.

Here's the bore of the first cylinder. Is this something to be concerned about? It looks dirtier than the other pistons and I wonder if that's from incomplete combustion. Although I do recall my engine running rough for a moment just after a new tank of gas recently.

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The silver nickel plating is the anti-seize. If you reuse the plugs, then you'll need to use a SMALL dab to insure they won't seize to the head next time. All manufacturers now use nickel plating on the newer vehicles. Here's some references:

See the note on this: https://forum.chryslerminivan.net/th...ic-lube.10297/

https://www.ngkplugpro.ca/content/co...SparkPlugs.pdf

All of the main plug makers use this. I've seen a reference for Champion plugs too but, since I don't use Champion plugs, I didn't save it.

I got the job done.... luckily I had an SK socket that was slightly deeper than a standard socket. That bolt snug up against the firewall was a treat, but thanks to two swivels, a mid-well socket and every swivel and adapter I had....

What do you guys recommend for this rusty broken bolt of love here?

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