I need to replace my passenger side valve cover gasket because of an oil leak is this possible?
In this video he says 8 hrs of labor and impossible because of the fuel lines that are placed right on the of the cover


Forward to 12 minute

 

Yes.

 

Is there an easy way to do this a shortcut? or the fuel line must be removed entirely ?

 

You didn't share what engine you have.

 

V6 Supercharged

 

Ahh okay - different engine & available space then my V8 NA.
I'm sorry, but I'm not a good reference for a supercharged V6.
Except of course I know the valve cover gaskets can be replaced by a sufficiently inclined owner - depending on their individual abilities & resources.

 

Removing the cam covers on the AJ126 requires removing the ignition coil units, fuel rail, and fuel injectors.

 

Look up videos on YouTube of doing head work on the V6 due to an overheated engine, which is super common due to the plastic cooling parts. Those videos will give you a lot of info on how to get the valve covers off because they have to do that to get the head off.

Don't limit yourself to Jaguar videos, even those almost all their models have had these engines, but also look at Land Rover/Range Rover videos.

You will find everything you need if you look.

 

Valve cover gaskets as well as many other gaskets will need to be replaced on any vehicle after as many years of service as most of us have.
If someone's engine isn't leaking oil & fluids yet, it will be - that's normal wear & age.
It's just the cost of maintaining a vehicle.
Thankfully for many of us, those that consider it unreasonable to spend a few thousand dollars to replace worn parts after 10 +/- years of service end up "unloading" a beautiful luxury vehicle for a price way below what they paid, way below what it's really worth.
Those vehicles are picked-up by those (like me) that can't or won't afford the full price of the new vehicle, but can pay the price for a second-hand bargain.
Unfortunately, many still refuse to give it the commensurate care and just run it into the ground as they would a cheap Hyundai or Nissan.
But once in a while, one gets picked-up by someone who sees the value of getting it back in shape, and maintaining it although occasional repair/maintenance might cost as much as a few month of car loan payments of a lesser car.
I'm neck deep in my Range Rover right now, to tear it down to replace the head gaskets & timing chain components and maybe a few lesser parts along the way.
Thankfully it is also naturally aspirated - so I don't have to deal with the supercharger.
But the parts for the cam chain tensioner refresh alone were over $1k.
It's the price of admission when you drive such a vehicle.

 

My 5L N/A had leaking gaskets, causing the occasional drop of oil to find its way on to the exhaust which meant fumes through the air con and wisps of smoke from under the bonnet. Because it involves pressurized fuel I let an independent European mechanic do the work. They also replaced the injector seals whilst in there. I believe also the removal of injectors can be a real b!tch (apparently they were in my case) and requires a special tool for removal. The mechanic said they under quoted the job, but they stuck to the original price.

 

The injectors have to be removed to get these valve covers off.
And anytime the injectors are removed, a new seal kit has to be used.
So hopefully doing that isn't what the mechanic didn't figure in to the job.
I do know of a forum member on the Land Rover forum that managed to turn the injectors 90 degrees so the valve covers could be lifted over them while in place, but I wasn't able to do that.
The injectors can be a bit stubborn to remove though, because with direct injection the tips get crusted with carbon.
But they all come out after enough "whacks" with the injector removal tool slide hammer.
And then to fit the new nozzle seals, there is also a small sizing tool to make the seals fit over the nozzle, then into the head.
To me, it's more of a challenge removing the fuel rails - they really stick to the injectors, and there is no special tool for that.

 

To remove the fuel injector rail, wrap two shop towels around the rail and pull straight back. Don't use anything to pry them up as the cam cover(s) can crack. Sometimes the injectors come out of their bores while still attached to the fuel rail.

 

A couple of years ago I had to figure out how to get the rails off - they wouldn't come off with me pulling.
I took a length of nylon marine cord/rope that I have and looped it around each of the points where the bolts secure the rail to the head, and back around a bolt on the shock tower, then back to loop through the next rail bolt point - for each of the bolt points.
Then I secured the rope so it was reasonably tight between the rail points & the shock tower bolts.
Then I take a screw driver & stick it through the different lines between the rail & tower.
Then I rotate the screwdriver so that it tightens the lines and pulls the rail out firmly, but slowly & evenly.
And it's easier on me too.