Changing valve cover gasket 98 corolla.

There's been oil in the spark plug wells since I got this...treasure. I've tighten down the cover and it has slowed down the oil leak. But being a perfectionist I decided it's time to change the gasket at 138K.

There's a little problem. The hoses don't really want to come off after I back the spring clamps off. I yank the PCV hose forward but I can feel the parking brake coming loose. There's also another hose on the driver side that seems to be stuck to the cover as well.

I don't think these hoses have ever come off the cover (the spring clamps are rusted and they are imprinted on the hose) and don't want to tear them if they are dry rotted to the metal. Is this a common problem? Or is there a simple trick to get these hoses off for a dedicated DIY?

Show us some pictures of what youre talking about.

I was going to take some pictures of the engine hoses that were stuck after I got to work. But when I went to touch the PCV hose it was loose already. I guess when I was working on the car the engine was cold since I left it outside overnight and the hose might have shrunk. But after driving around the hose slipped on an off quite easily after twisting it abit.

I guess the only question I have is the hose on the driver side (it looks like it goes the throttle body). I assume I pull off from the blue cirles since the clamp is there. But the gasket I circled in red seems to wiggle too, that doesn't come off does it?

WD-40

If I paint it, will it go faster...lol. Is there fast drying high temp paint. I only got 3 hrs window before I got to motor again.

Thanks for the input. I guess I got something to do this weekend.

Theres a high temp resistant paint sold at most auto stores. You can also use caliper paint since those get hotter than engine bays.

So did the replacement of the gasket yestarday. It was a dirty job, but got it done. Then when I drove it on the highway, the CEL came on. Checked the engine and the intake hose on the front of the valve cover was split (old rubber was hard and brittle). Went to autozone and got an aftermarket hose with clamps. Still sputtering on the way home. In the morning I checked the hose and the clamp came loose. So tightened the clamps. But still got a rough idle. Replace the PCV valve, motor oil and spark plugs. But idle is still rough and sometimes the engine die during low speeds in reverse or drive.

Any idea what it might be. Vaccum leak?
Is the PCV valve grommet suppose to be soft or hard? It was quite difficult removing the PCV valve and I'm thinking perhaps the grommet had hardened overtime like the hose and is causing an air leak make the fuel too lean...

Mines as hard as a rock. No soft or bendy stuff here. Took a little elbow grease to pull out the PCV valve and jam in a new one. The inside of the old one was dirty, lots of gunk inside, so time to replace it anyways. The PCV is in the pic I put up covered by a bit of insulation (it's on the driver side like you mentioned).

I checked the cover and one of the corner bolts snapped off as well...metal must be old...I'm going to stop by the dealer's part dept tomorrow to pick up OEM parts. Grommet, hose, and corner bolt. At this rate I'll be doing an engine rebuild just to keep oil out of the spark plug wells...lol.

I took off my PCV value completely and im running two breather filters in place of it.