Engine Valve cover/ intake studs and other stuff

[gearhead77]

So I’ve finally gotten to taking the upper intake off my car to deal with the probable fuel injector issue. My valve covers (stock) are seeping and I should deal with it now as . I’ve bought the Perma Dry Plus gaskets but had some questions:

Is a stud kit a good idea/worthy investment for the valve covers?

The service manual mentions alignment studs for putting the upper intake back on. I can find no mention of these anywhere, but wouldn’t a threaded rod of the same size/ pitch be the same concept? I figure they’d be nice for the really hard to see/reach holes on the back

Does the bracket that runs from the upper intake to the lower intake need to go back on?( The one that was on the “hidden stud” on the back of the intake). What purpose did that serve?!

Finally, I’m debating on buying new injectors (the AFIS ones on Summit) or having mine sent out for cleaning/flow tested. Obviously cheaper to reuse factory injectors, but is there any plus to having a newer injector?


Any suggestions on this task is helpful. I managed to get it all apart, including the electrical connectors for the injectors without breaking anything , but I don’t wanna mess up getting it back together. Quick disconnects just aren’t after 31 years of dirt, heat and funk!

 

[Wayne Waldrep]

I have the valve cover stud kit. They make keeping the gasket in place easy. Nothing overly great about them though.
The bracket does not need to go back on.
Never once used alignment studs for the upper intake.
Always put dielectric grease in electrical connector when reconnecting them.

 

[My92cashtrap]

I purchased APR stud kits for the valve cover and the intake. I want it all to seal right the first time...

 

[General karthief]

I've never used the studs on the valve covers, never had a problem that a second round of tightening after a few thousand miles would cure. As for the intake guide studs? Yeah, I use them to help guide the lower intake on straight. Threaded rod works fine.

 

[gearhead77]

Thanks all for the replies. I've decided to send my injectors out for cleaning. ~$150 with shipping. My car just turned 70k, so I figured it was worth having the injectors cleaned than buying new.

 

[Potomus Pete]

Do tell how it works out for you. thinking of doing the same.

 

[gearhead77]

Got an email that my injectors arrived safely at the shop doing the work. Decided to go with the stud kit for the valve covers. I’m not a natural at this stuff, so I’ll gladly pay a little extra for “insurance”. Engine was pretty clean, gaskets came off without too much struggle or sticking.

 

[Dan02gt]

I have studs for the valve covers and they definitely make it easier dealing with them.

The intake alignment studs are awesome! I just bought a couple of bolts at Lowe’s, cut the heads off, and rounded top off. Works great for re-installing the lower and the upper.

 

[gearhead77]

I have studs for the valve covers and they definitely make it easier dealing with them.

The intake alignment studs are awesome! I just bought a couple of bolts at Lowe’s, cut the heads off, and rounded top off. Works great for re-installing the lower and the upper.

Yep, 5/16-18 threaded rod at Lowe’s about 3 inches long. 73 cents each.

 

[gearhead77]

Do tell how it works out for you. thinking of doing the same.

@Potomus Pete, here’s the email I got back from the shop I sent my injectors to (injectorrepair.com) I should have the injectors back by Monday or Tuesday. One week turnaround.


Your set of eight OEM Ford injectors flow tested bad right out of
the box (after an initial exterior cleaning / de-greasing). During the
initial flow test; one of the injectors was significantly clogged. It
was not the injector that you had labeled #8. Good news was that they
all held pressure (no leaks).

The engine would not have been able to run well with these
injectors.

I see this all the time esp. with engines that have sat for a
long time unused, or were run with E85. After an extra long session in
the cleaning tank and back-flushing, I was able to get the injectors to
like new function (good spray pattern and flow rates).

An Injector Flow Balance of under 5 % is considered necessary for
proper engine performance. When I sell refurbished sets, I try to get
them flow matched at one to three percent flow balance.

The closer the flow rates of the injectors are to each other, the
better the engine will run, and the engine will run smoother and get
better miles per gallon.

The microfilters were clean. After removing the microfilters, the
injectors were clean on the inside. No noticeable debris came out of the
injectors when I back-flushed two of the injectors. The discharge tips
were clean for a used set of injectors.

Attached are pictures of some of the multiple flow tests I ran on
your set of injectors. Picture # 1269 is of the initial dynamic flow
test (before cleaning). Picture # 1273 is of the final flow test after
the ultrasonic cleaning sessions. I ran all tests multiple times.

Your injectors final flow tests improved, and were great !! The
dynamic flow test ( 12 ms pulse width / 2400 rpm / 25 seconds ) had flow
rates of 48 to 49 cc.s across the board. The injector flow balance is
now very close to
2 %. Good to go.

They all performed flawless in all the tests.

All of your injectors held pressures over 80 psi without leaking
a drop, and their spray patterns were good.

They are 100% ready to be put into service.

 

[gearhead77]

The valve cover stud kit was worth the money in my opinion. A bit fiddly with the extra washer and nut, but it made getting it all back together so much easier and not worry about pinching the gasket.

 

[vristang]

That is an impressive report out, from the injector guy!

 

[gearhead77]

That is an impressive report out, from the injector guy!

I know, right? It was another reason why I sent them out. I wanted to see how bad they were before I just tossed them. Can’t wait to get it all together again.

 

[gearhead77]

Update: Got the car back together, no leaks from anywhere and it runs like a totally different car. So much more responsive and interesting to drive, even with the 2.73 rear end! But that's down the road a long time from now.

Buying the "alignment studs" (5/16-18 threaded rod) from Lowe's for help putting the upper intake on was a worthy investment, as well as the ARP stud kit for the valve covers. $30 between those two things for not pinching a gasket and having to do it all again was worth the money to me. Having the injectors professionally cleaned, repaired and flowed was probably some of the best money I've spent on this car so far.

 

[foxbodybill89]

I just put new valve covers on along with an intake spacer to clear them, went with the ARP stud kit and perma-dry plus gasket and I will say both were worth the money. With the studs it was so easy to just drop the gasket and cover on and not have to hold them in the right place, and I feel you can torque them down more evenly and accurately than bolts. For the upper intake I had trouble finding the right length bolts so made my own studs from all-thread, the short front and back studs stay in and serve as guide studs. The long studs in the middle I slotted with a dremel so can screw them out with a screwdriver. I cut all the studs just long enough they bottom out in the intake and I can still tighten down chrome acorn nuts on top, looks a lot nicer than regular nuts.

 

[General karthief]