My 90 5.8 could use valve cover gaskets (I think). Actually, my first question is, if the valve cover gasket is leaking, why would oil collect around the lower bolts on the valve cover? Wouldn't the oil just run out and down? How does it get up onto the valve cover? It is not a lot, but it keeps coming back when I wipe it off. I believe that the only other possible leak here is the intake manifold. Hopefully that is not leaking, but those generally only leak in a specific place, not on both sides, and it is usually a large leak, unlike mine. It's not like I can see the intake manifold on this motor though! So I am thinking it is the valve covers. It collects in the front corners of the valve covers, just a small amount, almost a film. It also seems to run down the back corners of the valve covers too, but I can't trace it. For such a large truck it is hard to see a lot of this motor.
OK, so if it is the valve covers, how hard is this? An honest local shop who has done good work for me before quoted $400. So it must be a lot of labor, as the parts are not much. I know you have to remove part of the manifold. My main question is, other than a torque wrench, are there any special tools needed, or special procedures used to do any of this? Or is it just a time-consuming matter of removing and replacing a bunch of nuts and bolts? Sorry for the long post, but thanks for your help.