I got my front crank seal on my 92 4.0 changed yesterday and now I notice I'm going to need some valve cover gaskets. Oil is leaking down both sides above the head down the side of the motor. The crank seal was bad so the whole underside of the motor was wet with oil by the time the 3,000 mile oil change came around. I'm not even sure it's totally stopped. I cleaned it off with brake cleaner after we got done drove it around all night checked and saw some leakage then cleaned off again. Then this morning I washed the whole underside of the engine and drove it 100-150 miles and noticed it was just a light film but it could've been residual cleaner because it didn't feel like oil. Now I drove home another 50-60 miles and it's dry there. I was just wondering how big of a job is the valve cover gaskets on these 4.0's? I would likely leave it a shop during the work day since I don't have time to do it when I get home late. It cost $100 to have the crank seal done. What's expected on the valve cover gaskets? I know the labor rate on the crank seal was 1.3hours but I asked a shop about that. I don't know how to find the labor rate on the valve cover gaskets online? Any gaskets that are going to have a for sure seal and not leak a little?

 

should be around the same, While having mine down for the rear main and the clutch system R&R, what we initially thought was the rear main was the valley and valve gaskets. Since everything was apart another $200 took car of those gaskets plus the weeping oil pan gasket plus the cost of the parts. Valve cover gaskets I think are around 40-50$ at the most.

 

Since this is a vintage engine, make sure the PCV valve is changed, because if it's clogged up, it'll cause an over pressure condition that can blow oil out the weakest seal.
Same for weak, worn, or carbon stuck compression rings, if the piston ring lands are messed up with carbon or gum deposits, it'll cause excessive blow-by, that along with an acting out PCV valve, can Really over pressure the engine seals.

If all that's ok, you might consider checking & re-torqueing the valve cover fasteners to spec, if no joy, replace them on the weekend, rather than pay a pro Big Bucks to do something you can do yourself.
I've had good luck with Motorcraft & FelPro valve cover gaskets, torqued to spec, over the past 20-30 years. To ease sticker shock some, if you order on line with promo discount codes & opt for in store pick up to avoid shipping charges, you can get 20-40% off, depending on how much you buy, here. http://www.retailmenot.com/view/advanceautoparts.com
More thoughts for consideration.