Is there some secret to getting the front rocker cover off???

I assume that the cover is loose, but you cannot slide it up the studs enough to clear and remove. I have never had that happen, and I have replaced dozens over that years. I suppose that you could remove the lower motor mount bolts and slide the engine back a bit.

 

Just use a big rubber hammer and keep banging on it. It will come loose. The thing you need to look at when you get it off is how they put the gasket on. I usually would take my finger with some white grease on it and rub it on the head. Then I slip the gasket on and use a little RTV at the cam seals. Then just put the cam cover on and torque the nuts. I also replaced the acorn nuts with SS aircraft stop nuts. Works for me.

 

OK you got me. I have not had that problem. When I did my belt change and valve check the cam covers just lifted off and I slid them out the top. Is this FI or carb. Where does the cover have interference. Does it hit the fuel cross over lines or the firewall. Mine was on a carb car and as I said I did not have this problem. Good luck

 

Doug,
The cam cover SHOULD come off -- clearance is supposed to be there, so there must be a reason (like the bad motor mounts). It is tight, and I have always had trouble (with the pain in the back to show for it). Make sure you move the throttle cable (and choke cable for anyone with carb cars) out of the way. It's a real tight clearance, and I've had to pull the top off first with the cover at the top, then angle it enough to clear the firewall, but without wrecking the bottom studs.

You can probably jack the car up from the center and gain an 1/8th or 1/4 inch from the flex.

 

Any chance you have a stud that has backed out a bit from the head that is holding it up? If you push the cover back on are all of the studs protruding the same amount?

 

Ah, what kind of ferrari are we talking about here? A mondial cab is a heck of a lot tighter up by the front bank than a GT4 or 308 2V.

If you're talking about a mondial cab then I can definitely see how the front cam cover may not clear the studs. Any GT4 or 308 should have sufficient clearance.

 

OK Doug just start from the begining again. Remove the throttle cable and remove the fuel line and plug it. Tuck them down by the header. The air sample fittings are disconnected from the distributor and the dist. is removed. Make sure that the fuel tank cross over tube is against the firewall and not loose. Do I assume that the engine cover has been removed? Try to lift the cam cover straight up and see where it 1st hits something. Where does it hit?

 

I suspect motor mounts too......if you unbolt them and roll the engine, will it clear??

 

+10

Seen this situation a few times...Worth double checking, as in 25+ years of servicing this cars, I've never moved an engine to remove the rear valve cover.

David

 

Perhaps you could put a couple of nuts on the tops of the suspect studs and see if you can turn them into the block enough to allow the cover to clear?

 

That's actually the trick is to NOT index the extension all the way into the socket, or the ratchet.....then you can pull it out and hand turn it all once loose....

Sounds like your lines across the firewall may be out of place then....maybe someone replaced them along the way and didn't get them properly back in position...

As I said, replacing the plugs last weekend (after dropping an extender into the darkness behind the front bank) "There's a REASON these cars are expensive to work on!"

My trusted mechanic died though, it left me little choice.....

 

The cross tank vent baffle is that clear plastic line, the fuel pump supply line to the carbs is the rubber one.....

 

I fashion a "spark plug socket retrieval tool" out of a length of heavy steel wire, just reach it in there and hook it out!


There should have been one, in every tool roll!

 

Finesse it off. The throttle linkage should be pushed up and gently wiggle and pull the cam box cover while angling it to clear the studs.