I just did the valve cover gaskets, sparkplugs and plug wires on a 2002 and updated my procedure. Here is the latest version. It will be in two or more steps depending on how long one post can be.

1. Park the car with clearance around the front and sides. There is no need to raise the car.
2. Set up tools and work light.
3. Set up sorting bin for storing nuts and bolts and tape and pen for tagging hoses.
4. Remove the negative battery cable and protect the post from the cable contacting it.
5. Remove engine top cover and set aside with bolts.
6. Take digital pictures all around engine. Keep camera handy for additional pictures.
7. Remove hose from front side of the throttle body intake hose.
8. Unplug the connector from the MAS. Watch out for the orange gasket that may fall out from the connector. It goes back in with the wider section facing in. Note that the wire for the MAS connector goes down and under the MAS.
9. Unclip the back section of the air filter housing. Loosen the hose clamp around the air intake hose at the throttle body and remove the whole intake assembly and set it aside to gain access to throttle body, distributor and spark plug wires. Pull the air filter and set it aside.
10. Remove the air intake snorkel (two fasteners at front, plus one in the middle of the front trim to allow you to bend up the trim to free the snorkel front. This will allow you access to the front plug wires. Set the snorkel and fasteners aside.
11. Remove the hose from the driver side of the front valve cover by holding the clamp open with Vice Grip pliers while pushing the end of the hose with a door clip removal tool.
12. Document and take pictures of front spark plug wire routing. Note that each wire has a CYL# on it to designate which cylinder it goes to. Cylinder #1 is the one at the back of the engine on the passenger side of the car. #2 is in the front of the engine on the passenger side of the car. They continue back and forth with 1-3-5 at the rear and 2-4-6 in the front. The wires go into the distributor in a counterclockwise pattern in cylinder order, 1 to 6, with Cylinder #1 in the bottom right position when facing the distributor.
13. Remove front spark plug wires from plugs by pulling straight up. Cylinders 2 and 4 will come out, but Cylinder 6 will need the plug wire taken from the distributor and removed all the way to be able to get it out. Wipe any oil from the plug ends of the wires. Fold the three wires out of the way until you remove and replace the valve cover.
14. Loosen each front spark plug and blow into the tube to remove any debris. Then remove the spark plug and note any wear out of normal. Clean any oil from each spark plug tube. Replace each spark plug with new one, first coating the threads with anti-seize. The specs call for torquing 18 ft. lbs. The anti-seize seems to reduce this spec, so stop at 2/3 turn after the gasket seats. This will be at about 15 ft. lbs.
15. Place a paper towel plug in each spark plug hole to keep debris from getting in.
16. Pull the PCV valve from the passenger side of the front valve cover. If it needs cleaning, remove the valve from the hose and put it in cleaner to soak.
17. Remove the nut that holds the vacuum valve relay that is mounted to the bracket on the front plenum mounting bolts. Set the relay out of the way when removing the valve cover.
18. Remove the two 10mm and one 12mm bolts from the front timing belt cover and slide the cover away from the front valve cover to clear its flange.
19. Remove the six 10mm bolts from the front valve cover and remove the cover along with the old gasket. Use care to not let anything drop into the rocker assembly or timing belt area. Cover the open timing belt area with a paper towel to keep anything from dropping inside.
20. Remove the old gasket from the valve cover. It may be hardened and stuck in place. Pry at each bolt hole to get the gasket started, then slide a small screwdriver blade along under the gasket to slowly pry it from the groove. Thoroughly clean the gasket groove, including the smaller groove along the inner perimeter of the gasket groove.
21. Do a final cleaning of the valve cover with mineral spirits, wiping with a lint-free cloth. Let it thoroughly dry. Clean the gasket groove with brake cleaner or alcohol to remove any oiliness.
22. While the valve cover is drying, remove and replace each plug well gasket with a new one.
23. Place a new valve cover gasket into the valve cover noting that the two closer holes are not the same spacing on each side, so the gasket can only go one way. The thicker area around the bolt holes in the gasket go towards the cover, not the block. Use care to only push the gasket down into the groove, not along the groove, to avoid stretching the gasket. Test to see if the new gasket stays in place when you turn over the valve cover. If it keeps falling out, lightly coat the cover side of the gasket with automotive silicone adhesive, press the gasket in place and set the valve cover, gasket side down, on a smooth surface to let it dry.
24. Reinstall valve cover with the new gasket. Use a small screwdriver to align the holes and put the 10mm bolts back in. Check all around the valve cover to be sure the gasket is properly in place. Torque the bolts progressively to 2.5 ft. lbs. (30 in. lbs.) starting in the middle.
25. Leave the front timing belt cover loose at this time so you can loosen the rear one later.
26. Look for other places oil may be leaking. Fix as needed.
27. Remove the two 10mm bolts from the backside of the plenum that hold the accelerator cable bracket and set them aside.
28. Remove the two 12mm bolts from the EGR tube set them aside. Note that the EGR tube gasket will fall out, so find and discard it.
29. Remove the small vacuum hose from the tube that goes to the EGR valve on the top driver side of the plenum. Mark the hose with tape to identify it for reassembly. Do the same for any other hoses as needed when you remove them.
30. Remove the hose that goes to the elbow fitting on the top of the plenum, near throttle body.
31. Remove the connector from the sensor from the top of the plenum by removing the wire clip with a small screwdriver, prying it out from under the little plastic tab. Set the wire clip aside. Don’t try to remove the sensor, just leave it in place.
32. Remove brake booster vacuum hose from the back of the plenum.
33. Remove the small hose that goes to the front side of the plenum throat.
34. Remove the 10mm bolts from the brackets for the two connectors mounted to the driver side of the plenum and set aside.
35. Remove the three 10mm bolts from the brackets for the connectors on passenger side of plenum and set aside. Note that the back two bolts have washers.
36. Look for and remove any other bolts and hoses that would prevent intake assembly from moving. Take pictures and document, then remove them.
37. Remove the four 12mm throttle body bolts and set aside.
38. Loosen the 12mm bolt that holds the throttle body to the rear bracket so you can pivot the throttle body away from the plenum.
39. Remove the bolt from each of the two rear plenum mounting brackets and set aside.
40. Remove the 12mm bolts from the accelerator cable mounting bracket on the top front of the manifold tubes part of the plenum and set aside. Note that these bolts also help mount the plenum.
41. Remove the two 12mm nuts and washers on each side of the front of the plenum. Use care to not drop a nut or washer.
42. Remove the mounting bolts along the front of the plenum and set aside. Note that solenoid valve assembly and other brackets are mounted by these bolts. Set all aside. Make sure pictures show where things go back.
43. Pivot the throttle body away from the plenum enough so that the hose fittings are out of the way.
44. Remove the throttle body gasket, noting that the gasket tab goes in the top front.
45. Remove the plenum and set aside. Note the position of the gasket and remove it. The tab goes in the passenger side front. Immediately cover the intake manifold opening with paper towels to keep anything from falling in.
46. Document and take pictures of rear spark plug wire routing.
47. Remove rear spark plug wires from plugs, by pulling straight up. Cylinders 1 and 3 will come out, but Cylinder 5 will need the plug wire taken from the distributor and removed all the way to be able to get it out. Wipe any oil from the plug ends of the wires. Fold the three wires out of the way until you remove and replace the valve cover.
48. Loosen each rear spark plug and blow into the tube to remove any debris. Then remove the spark plug and note any wear out of normal. Clean any oil from each spark plug tube. Replace each spark plug with new one, first coating the threads with anti-seize. The specs call for torquing 18 ft. lbs. The anti-seize seems to reduce this spec, so stop at 2/3 turn after the gasket seats. This will be at about 15 ft. lbs.
49. Place a paper towel plug in each spark plug hole to keep debris from getting in.
50. Remove the large hose from the driver side of the valve cover. This one is hard to get to and the other end has already been removed, so you can leave it in place for now and remove the 12mm bolt by the thermostat that holds the cable harness that goes over the hose, thereby freeing it to swivel and come out. Make sure you have digital pictures of how the hose is routed before moving it.
51. The hose from the top driver side of the valve cover is the one that went to the air intake tube, so it can just be pulled under the hoses and pivoted around and removed after the valve cover is removed.
52. There are two vacuum tubes that run along the front of the rear valve cover that will keep you from removing the cover. The following procedure will allow you to remove the tube mounts without disturbing the integrity of the back fuel rail mounting. Using care to not move the fuel rail, remove the bolt from the passenger side of the back fuel rail. Just loosen the bolt on the driver side of the rail and pivot the vacuum tube mounting bracket back from the passenger side fuel rail bolt hole and put the bolt back in and firm it up. Then, take the bolt out from the driver side of the fuel rail and pull the vacuum tube bracket back from the bolt hole and reinstall and firm up the driver side fuel rail bolt. No need to torque yet because you will be putting the vacuum tube mounting bracket back under these bolts later on.
53. Remove the two top 10mm bolts from the rear timing belt cover and move the cover away a bit from the valve cover. Note that the 10mm bolts go into the flange of the valve cover. There is a third bolt at the bottom of the rear timing belt cover, so do not pry the cover back more than you need for clearance.
54. Being careful that nothing gets into a spark plug well, remove the valve cover and old gasket. You will have to maneuver the large hose to come out from the surrounding pipes.
55. Remove the large hose that was left connected to the side of the valve cover.
56. Clean valve cover and gasket mating surfaces using same procedure as front valve cover.
57. While the valve cover is drying, remove and replace each plug well gasket with a new one.
58. Place a new valve cover gasket into the valve cover noting that the two closer holes are not the same spacing on each side, so the gasket can only go one way. The thicker area around the bolt holes in the gasket go towards the cover, not the block. Use care to only push the gasket down into the groove, not along the groove, to avoid stretching the gasket. Test to see if the new gasket stays in place when you turn over the valve cover. If it keeps falling out, lightly coat the cover side of the gasket with automotive silicone adhesive, press the gasket in place and set the valve cover, gasket side down, on a smooth surface to let it dry.
59. Reinstall valve cover with the new gasket. Use a small screwdriver to align the holes and put the 10mm bolts back in. Check all around the valve cover to be sure the gasket is properly in place. The hardest part to check will be the area under the flange that goes under the rear timing belt cover, so pay particular attention to this area as you set the valve cover in place. Torque the bolts progressively to 2.5 ft. lbs. (30 in. lbs.) starting in the middle.
60. Reinstall the rear timing belt cover and tighten the 10mm bolts to 8 ft. lbs.
61. Reinstall the front timing belt cover and tighten the 10mm bolts to 8 ft. lbs. and the 12mm bolt to 10 ft. lbs.
62. Inspect the plenum, clean it if it is dirty. Clean the intake manifold, throttle body and EGR tube gasket contact surfaces. While the plenum is drying from any cleaning fluid, continue with the following. (see next posting)

 

63. Remove the passenger side back fuel rail mounting bolt, place the vacuum tube mounting bracket over the hole and reinstall but don’t tighten the bolt. Remove the driver side back fuel rail bolt and put the vacuum tube mounting bracket over the bolt hole and reinstall the bolt. Tighten both back fuel rail mounting bolts to 8 ft. lbs.
64. Look for other places oil may be leaking. Fix as needed.
65. Remove the front spark plug wires one at a time and replace them each a new wire routing it exactly the same way as the old one.
66. Remove the rear spark plug wires one at a time and replace them each a new wire routing it exactly the same way as the old one.
67. Run the large hose back into its original position under the wiring harness on the driver side, then reattach it to the side of the valve cover, on the driver side. The spring clip will be hard to get to, use long nose pliers.
68. Reinstall the 12mm bolt that holds the wiring harness in place over the hose.
69. Reattach the small hose to the top driver side of the rear valve cover and fish it back under the clump of hoses so that it is back in position near where the air intake tube will go.
70. Using pictures, check all hoses, connectors, spark wire connections and routing. This will be your last opportunity to get to the back valve area. Look in the fastener sorting bin for anything related to the rear valve cover.
71. Carefully remove the paper towel covering the intake manifold so any debris on the top of the towel does not fall into the manifold. Clean the intake manifold gasket surface.
72. Set the intake manifold gasket in place with the tab facing the driver side front.
73. Set the plenum back in place, being careful to not scratch any gasketed surface.
74. Reinstall but do not tighten the mounting bolts along the front of the plenum. Note that the solenoid valve assembly and other brackets are mounted by these bolts, so be sure to put them back as you put the bolts back in, referring to your pictures and diagrams as needed.
75. Reinstall the accelerator mounting bracket bolts on the top of the plenum manifold tubes. Note that these bolts also are part of the plenum mounting.
76. Line up the mounting holes in the two rear plenum mounting brackets and loosely screw in the 12mm bolts. This will be your only opportunity to line up the rear mount holes before tightening the front mounting bolts.
77. Using blue thread lock, reinstall the two washers and nuts on the sides of the front plenum mounting.
78. Tighten all the front plenum mounting bolts and nuts you just installed to 13 ft. lbs., but do not yet firm up the bolts in each of the two rear plenum mounting brackets.
79. Put the top two bolts in the throttle body, then set a new throttle body gasket in place over the bolts to hold it in place, noting that the gasket tab goes towards the top front.
80. While keeping the gasket in place, pivot the throttle body back towards the plenum and finger tighten the top two bolts in to hold it in place. Install the bottom two bolts, then torque all four throttle body bolts to 14 ft. lbs.
81. Progressively tighten the two rear plenum bracket bolts, and the throttle body mounting bolt, to 13 ft. lbs.
82. Place a new gasket between the EGR tube on the back of the plenum, tab is bottom driver side, and hold it in place and reinstall the two 12mm bolts and tighten to 13 ft. lbs.
83. Reinstall the hose to the elbow fitting on the top of the throttle body.
84. Reinstall the small hose to the EGR valve fitting.
85. Reinstall the small hose that goes to tube on the front side of the plenum throat.
86. Reinstall the brake booster vacuum hose to the back of the plenum. Put the small hose back in the plastic clip attached to it if it came off during removal.
87. Reinstall the connector on the sensor from the top of the plenum and secure in place by putting the wire clip back in place and under the little plastic tab.
88. Reinstall the accelerator cable bracket on the backside of the plenum and tighten to 8 ft. lbs.
89. Reinstall the two connectors on the driver side of plenum and torque to 8 ft. lbs.
90. Reinstall the connectors on the passenger side of the plenum and torque to 8 ft. lbs. The bracket that spans the back two holes goes on first, then the separate connector brackets go on. The 10mm bolts with washers are used for the back two holes. For the front hole, the rear bracket goes on first, then the front bracket.
91. Reinstall the PCV valve on the passenger side of the front valve cover.
92. Reinstall the vacuum valve relay to the bracket on the front plenum mounting bolts and torque the nut to 8 ft lbs.
93. Look for and reinstall any other bolts and hoses that you took off from the plenum.
94. Using pictures, check all hoses, connectors, and wire routing.
95. Reinstall the air intake hose to air filter housing assembly but don’t tighten the air intake hose clamp yet. Run the wire for the MAS connector under the MAS then up, around and into the connector. Make sure the orange gasket is in the connector before connecting.
96. Reinstall the air filter and clip the housing back together.
97. Fit the air intake hose to the throttle body and tighten the clamp screw to 3 ft. lbs.
98. Reinstall the side hose to the throttle body air intake hose.
99. Using pictures, check all hoses, connectors, wire connections and routing. Carefully check all around the engine bay for any loose hoses, connectors, tools, etc. Check fastener sorting bin for any parts not yet installed.
100. Reinstall the air intake snorkel (two fasteners at front, plus one in the middle of the front trim that allowed you to bend up the trim to free the snorkel front.
101. Reinstall the negative battery cable.
102. Start car and check engine operation. It is normal for there to be valve clatter for the first ten minutes of operation if the car has sit for a long time.
103. Check all around car for any parts you may have put under it. Check for the lug nut key if you had to remove a tire for any reason.
104. Reinstall engine top cover and torque bolts to 2 ft. lbs.
105. Test drive and check over the next few weeks for oil leaks.

 

Oh awesome information for us about all the things thanks for the post hope u will post a lot more here to help all the new members knowing about cars and other details of it.....