I'm going to replace my valve covers due to a leak that drips only my exhaust manifold. The odor of burning oil makes sitting in traffic quite unpleasant.

The specialist I use recommends replacing the full valve cover assembly, and not just the gasket. The left side valve cover assembly (AJ814029) is about $280, but the right side cover assembly (AJ814313) is $900. I know it's usually recommended to use Jaguar parts for the assemblies, but is it absolutely necessary for the right side cover assembly? BritPart and other suppliers are around $250.

The reason he gave for replacing assemblies vs gaskets and seals is due to the amount of rework he's had to do because of leaks. He's not sure if it's because of the covers warping, or something else. Similar reasoning behind replacing injectors vs just the o-rings. The injectors can cement themselves into the engine and they're often damaged upon removal. It's recommended to replace injectors as a whole bank rather than individually, and finding a misfire after the job is complete adds a lot of time and frustration to the repair.

I recently replaced the rear water jacket, water pump, and coolant pipes... So I don't expect any of those parts to need replacing. If I did, the job would include those part numbers plus the oil cooler gasket and related items.

The mandatory parts I'm aware of:

Valve cover assemblies: (AJ814029, AJ814313)
Supercharger gasket (AJ811948)
Intake manifold gaskets (AJ811576, AJ811590)
Fuel Injection Throttle Body Mounting Gasket (C2Z28265)
Bosch fuel injectors (62160)

Am I missing any obvious part numbers? Clamps? Fasteners? Other items?

Have there been any write-ups I should be aware of, outside of the factory service manual?

Any help is appreciated.

 

Do the injector clamps need to be purchased or can they be re-used?

I believe VVT solenoid gasket is only applicable to the 4.2 engine... Please let me know if that's wrong, but I can't find a part number for the 5.0 engine.

 

Just following up to see if I'm missing any parts before I make an order... Has anyone done this on a 5.0 SC engine?

 

Instead of replacing the entire valve cover assembly, I've purchased used versions of the highest revision letter of each cover that is currently available on eBay.

Original:
Left - 8W93-6P052-AE
Right - 8W93-6P036-AF

Current:
Left - 8W93-6P052-AG
Right - 8W93-6P036-AK

The used cover assemblies were $50 each with shipping, and included all hardware in like-new condition. I threw out the included gaskets and replaced them with a $60 Mahle gasket kit.













This essentially saved $840 on purchasing factory cover assemblies, and I can hand them off to the shop knowing they are in near-perfect condition and I don't have to pay him to do the hour of work it took to clean them up and install gaskets.

 

From the pics, it definitely looks like those covers are in nice shape for being used.

 

Yes, I agree. Excellent condition, especially for $50 each, shipped.

They sit flat on a granite counter, and there was almost no accumulated debris on them when they arrived from the seller.

With the Mahle gasket kit replacing all rubber seals, I cannot imagine how much different these used covers are from buying new through JLR. $160 all in vs $1000.

 

Yes, you did well. But it is a crap shoot... And you were lucky. I don't think it sets a precedent that all things used are cheaper and as good as...

What's interesting to me is that as they are used... they had to have come off an engine. So begs the question, why not just stay with the originals?? I know, I know, read post #1.
A chicken and egg thing.

Glad you're sorted.
Cheers

 

The main benefit to having full cover assemblies ready to go is the unknown state of my existing covers, and the time/effort a shop would spend to fix. As you know, time is money, and with a complete cover assembly, a shop can do the job knowing that it's a simple swap with no guesswork or extra time/risk involved with mixing old covers with new gaskets. As mentioned, the shop has had bad luck with aftermarket assemblies, which is why they recommend factory parts for this job.

I know my covers are leaking, but can't be certain about why or where without inspecting the cover after removal. With the work being done at a shop, the luxury of having infinite time to diagnose and order parts isn't there. Or, it's expensive at the very least.

By purchasing valve covers that I know are good and installing good gaskets myself, I can be confident I'm giving the shop parts that should work without needing to pay them to diagnose, remove, and reinstall gaskets, etc... fiddly work that would probably cost an hour in labor based on the time it took me. Plus they probably wouldn't take the time to clean and inspect like I did.

Lastly, buying on eBay allowed me to browse listings for the most recent part revision in the cleanest condition and a VERY fair price.

 

Good looking used parts. You scored on that!
Be sure when things are apart to replace both PCV diaphragms. These are pretty cheap and there are better materials out now compared to stock.
RKX PCV Diaphragms

I post this a lot as I changed mine with the SC on and I can't recommend that at all! Do it when it's all apart if possible. Several thousand miles on them so far with no problems. These do fail regularly so it's wise to replace them.

Mine had a small crack in the rubber.




They come with the plastic caps so just break all those little plastic tabs off when removing them.
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Thanks for the recommendation. I just ordered a set to be delivered tomorrow.


https://a.co/d/01P2yIw3