Great. I hope Chris can help with a valve cover removal tutorial.

 

Sailfast, its pretty straight forward. I did mine, Rookie-Green I was.
I'll tell you what I did- pulled the air filter housing top,tube,the metal ring connected to that (two small bolts) and a small hose connected to the doghouse under it,remove the large tube leading to the turbo........
Pull the I C tubes and boots. 11or so bolts around the base of the VC back ones tough but do-able.
Dont forget while you're there... also recomended CCV mod, check boots for leaks...torque everything in there and check all wires for abrasion specially if near any moving parts And check turbo for play.
If I left anty thing out others will fill in.
You'll feel better once you get into it!

 

John's right. Don't let this intimidate you. You'll save yourself a whole bunch of money doing this yourself. Basically all you have to do is move some stuff out of the way, then unscrew some bolts. That's all your doing, so don't try to make it more difficult than it is in your mind.

You'll need a ratchet, sockets, a couple of different extensions, a swivel or u-joint for the socket, a pair of pliers, a hose clamp, and some rags.

Start by removing the aluminum IC tubes coming off the turbo. Loosen the clamps on the boots and pull the tubes out. There will be oil inside them. This is normal, but you will need to clean the rubber boots and the mating surface on the pipes up before re-installing. I like to stuff a rag in each of the holes where the pipes used to attach to, as well as in each end of the pipe to keep things clean inside, just remember to remove them before re-assembly. Now wipe off any dirt or gunk around the valve covers before you remove them. We don't want any junk falling in there.

On the passenger side, the tube the oil cap screws into will unscrew from the valve cover. Unscrew that and get it out of your way. If you look at the 2 heater hoses, they are held in place by 2 plastic clips. These clips snap onto valve cover bolts, so either grab the clips and pull up to remove, or if necessary, pry with a screwdriver to pop them loose. After that, start with the nut holding the oil dipstick tube in place. This is just a nut on a stud holding the tube. Pay close attention to the bracket attached to the fill tube. If the bracket starts to twist, stop. Grab the bracket with a pair of channel locks, vice grips, etc. to hold the bracket in place while you break the nut free. You do not want to twist the bracket and mess up the dipstick tube. Once the nut is removed, slide the bracket off the stud and then you can put the socket on the stud and remove it. Work your way around the valve cover removing each bolt as you go. You'll need a short extension for the very back bolt, and you'll need the swivel joint for the 2 bolts next to the AC condenser. A medium extension helps with the other bolts.

For the driver side, you'll need to remove the air intake tube between the air filter and mid point connection. Unscrew the loooong bolt in the middle of the square box electrical connector and unplug the wires. There is a little 90 deg. hose coming off the "doghouse" on top of the valve cover going up to the plastic connector for the air intake. Remove one of the pressure clamps from the hose so you can disconnect it (you'll replace this with a regular hose clamp later). Remove the 2 nuts holding the bracket that supports the air intake, remove the electrical connector (push the tab and slide off), loosen the hose clamp holding the other half of the air intake tube, and then pull up and remove the bracket. Take a phillips screwdriver and unscrew the 2 phillips head screws holding the dog house on the valve cover (if the o-rings get distorted you can find replacements at the parts store or home depot). Then remove the bolts on this valve cover. A very short extension is needed for this very back bolt (it's the hardest part of the whole procedure.)

At this point you're done. Check your connections, install your shims, torque the injectors & rockers, and reverse the procedure for the install. Just be careful while reinstalling the valve covers. Sometimes you accidentally bump an injector and end up unplugging the wire. The valve cover gasket is re-useable

Since I know I'm not the only one who's ever removed valve covers, let me know if I've left anything out.

 

Thanks Chris, THATS what I meant to say.
Again don't forget to tcheck for abrasion on wires and re-torque every thing WHILE you're in there......cause after you put back together you'll figure I SHUDDA DUNIT......uh I mean YOU. But it gets easier the second time

 

Guys, THANK YOU so much for the detailed instructions!! This is the detail I need, and I think I will tackle it. However, you had also suggested that I get the codes read before I got into anything, so I had the truck towed to a local diesel shop. I read that possible catalytic converter damage is possible running a badly running truck, and wasn't sure it would get me the 11 miles. Later, the clerk called and told me the code shown could have been caused by about 4 or 5 things. I asked what the specific code number was, but the owner/mechanic had already left by that time, so I won't find out until Monday morning.
She said something about a driver's(?) ignition module..... She didn't know much. What will the code be if the cause is the UVCH?
I'm wondering at what point to get the truck back and do the VC removal?
I will update upon hearing the code Monday morning.

Once again.....you guys are awesome! Chris, John....huge thanks!

 

P1316 Injector driver module code is what was generated by that loose plug, I'll wager.
If you go through the procedure listed earlier, your troubles will be over.

 

Yes, I think the injector driver module may be what she mentioned. I will confirm on Monday. Does that tell you which side UVCH may be unplugged?

 

Doesn't matter -- do both as described above. If not, the other will end up having issues shortly after (Murphy's Law).

 

No it will not.
I generated that code for myself one time when I had the VCs off for a retorque. Accidentally knocked the plug for #1 cylinder off as I was re-installing the VC.
The truck ran perfectly when I drove it into the shop, so I knew that I had screwed up somewhere when I started it back up again to drive home. Started right up with a dead miss and SES light.
The only code that was generated was the P1316 and no injector circuit open codes.
So back off they came and I found the loose plug.

 

Me too, except it was the #5 injector and it was on my wife's truck. I figured out which side with an ohm meter, but I still think it's worth it pulling the valve covers just to get everything torqued back down right. (that goes for you too Joe )

 

Mine will be coming off soon enough...

 

If the diesel guy comes back and tells me its a P1316 code, what should I do?
1. Can I reasonably assume it is the UVCH, and nothing but....?
2. What is a reasonable charge for him to remove both VC and fix and retorque?
3. Should I pick up the truck and drive (or tow?) 11 miles home to attempt the fix myself?

I feel caught between a rock and hard place. Thanks again for being there with such great advice!

 

There's no question in my mind. I'd get it home and do this myself. It's not that hard of a job, as has been described already. I know it's a little intimidating looking under that hood, but once you get a feel for what's where, it's actually very simple compared to some others out there.

 

I'm told there are several codes, including:
#2, #4,#6, #8 injector circuit high to low open

Bank 2 High side open

Bank 2 low side shorted

???????

 

Pull the drivers side valve cover. A loose plug will set all those codes.