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On a 7.3L Power Stroke the valve cover gasket is not really a gasket job. The injector and glow plug wiring — the under-valve-cover harness, or UVCH — is moulded into or routed under that cover, and the two failures arrive together: oil weeps past a hardened gasket, gets into the harness connectors, and you end up chasing a rough idle or a dead cylinder that no amount of fuel-system diagnosis will explain.
That is why almost everyone buying this part buys a kit rather than a bare gasket. A kit gives you the gasket with the harness already moulded in, plus the pigtails, so the wiring cannot get pinched under a bolt head — which is the single most common way this repair goes wrong.
The other thing to get right before ordering is the year split. 1994-1997 trucks and 1999-2003 trucks use different kits and they are not interchangeable. Dorman numbers them clearly: 615-202 for the earlier trucks, 615-201 for the later ones. Everything below notes which range it fits.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dorman 615-201 Valve Cover Gasket Kit (1999-2003) | $55-$90 per side | Amazon · eBay |
| 2 | Dorman 615-202 Valve Cover Gasket Kit (1994-1997) | $70-$110 per side | Amazon |
| 3 | Motorcraft Valve Cover Gasket Set | $25-$55 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | Alliant Power Valve Cover Gasket Kit | $80-$130 per side | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Mahle Valve Cover Gasket Set | $25-$50 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | Fel-Pro Valve Cover Gasket Set | $20-$40 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | Bostech Valve Cover Gasket Kit | $70-$115 per side | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | Victor Reinz Valve Cover Gasket | $20-$45 | Amazon · eBay |
| 9 | Standalone Under Valve Cover Harness | $35-$75 | Amazon |
| 10 | Valve Cover Bolt and Grommet Set | $12-$30 | Amazon |
The picks, in detail
Dorman 615-201 Valve Cover Gasket Kit (1999-2003)
The default choice for a Super Duty or Excursion. The gasket comes with the injector harness moulded straight into it, so there is no separate wiring to route, nothing to trap under a bolt, and no chance of getting the connector order wrong. Includes the main harness pigtail. Most independent diesel shops fit this exact kit.
- Fits 1999-2003 Ford 7.3L Power Stroke
- Injector harness moulded into the gasket
- Includes one gasket, one injector harness and one main harness pigtail
- Silicone construction rated for hot oil
- Harness and gasket in one piece, so the wiring cannot be pinched
- Sold per side, so you can do one bank at a time
- Widely stocked and well proven
- You need two for a full engine
- Aftermarket connectors are slightly stiffer than factory ones
Dorman 615-202 Valve Cover Gasket Kit (1994-1997)
The same design for the older body style trucks. The earlier engine routes more wiring under the cover, so this kit ships with two injector harnesses and two main harness pigtails rather than one of each. If your truck is a 1994 to early 1997, this is the part number — the 615-201 will not fit correctly.
- Fits 1994-1997 Ford 7.3L Power Stroke
- Includes one gasket, two injector harnesses and two main harness pigtails
- Moulded harness design
- Silicone construction
- Correct connector count for the early trucks
- Same pinch-proof moulded design
- Solves most rough-idle-when-hot complaints on these trucks
- Easy to order by mistake if you are not sure of your build date
- More expensive than the later kit because of the extra harnesses
Motorcraft Valve Cover Gasket Set
The Ford-branded gasket, and the one to buy if your harness is still good and you genuinely only need to stop a leak. Fit and material quality are excellent, and it is the reference everyone else is measured against. Just be clear about what you are buying: it is a gasket, not a harness kit.
- Ford original equipment part
- Gasket only, no wiring included
- Correct factory material specification
- Available for both year ranges
- Best pure fit and finish
- Made to the original specification
- Cheaper than a full kit if the harness is healthy
- No harness, so if yours is oil-soaked you will be back in there
- Availability is patchier than Dorman
Alliant Power Valve Cover Gasket Kit
Alliant Power is a diesel specialist rather than a general parts brand, and their kit is the usual step up from Dorman for anyone who has been burned by a cheap harness. Connector quality is noticeably better and the wire insulation is a heavier grade, which matters in a place that lives in hot oil.
- Complete gasket and harness kit
- Heavier gauge wiring and better connector bodies
- Available for both 1994-1997 and 1999-2003
- Diesel-specific manufacturer
- Better connectors than budget kits
- Strong reputation among 7.3 specialists
- Sold as a complete kit
- Costs more than the Dorman equivalent
- Not stocked as widely
Mahle Valve Cover Gasket Set
Mahle supplies gaskets to engine manufacturers, and their 7.3 set is a straightforward high-quality replacement for a gasket-only job. Choose this over a no-name set if you are doing a leak repair on a truck whose wiring you have already checked and are happy with.
- Original-equipment gasket manufacturer
- Gasket set only
- Silicone or moulded rubber depending on application
- Both year ranges covered
- Original-equipment material quality
- Reliable sealing over long service intervals
- Often cheaper than Motorcraft
- No harness included
- Application listings can be confusing across the year split
Fel-Pro Valve Cover Gasket Set
The name most people already have in their toolbox from other engines. Fel-Pro’s 7.3 set is a sensible budget gasket-only option, easy to find, and perfectly adequate when the harness is being replaced separately or is known good. A good pick when you want a spare on the shelf.
- Gasket set only
- Widely available at parts counters
- Both year ranges covered
- Rubber and silicone constructions depending on part
- Cheap and universally stocked
- Consistent quality for a budget brand
- Easy to source locally if a job stalls
- No wiring included
- Some owners report a shorter service life than the factory silicone
Bostech Valve Cover Gasket Kit
Bostech builds diesel electrical parts, so their kit leans toward the wiring side of this repair — a full gasket-and-harness assembly aimed at trucks where the connectors have already failed. A reasonable middle ground between Dorman pricing and Alliant Power quality.
- Complete gasket and harness kit
- Diesel electronics specialist
- Available for both year ranges
- Moulded harness design
- Focus on connector and harness quality
- Complete kit with no separate parts to order
- Competitive with Dorman on price
- Less commonly stocked than Dorman
- Fewer reviews because volume is lower
Victor Reinz Valve Cover Gasket
Another original-equipment gasket brand, part of the same group as Mahle, and a straight quality alternative when the Mahle or Motorcraft part is out of stock. Gasket only, correct material, no surprises.
- Original-equipment supplier brand
- Gasket only
- Heat and oil resistant material
- Both year ranges
- Factory-level material specification
- Good availability as a substitute
- Sensibly priced
- No harness
- Branding varies between Victor Reinz and Mahle packaging
Standalone Under Valve Cover Harness
Worth knowing about even if you buy a full kit. If your gasket is fine but you have a miss on one cylinder that changes when you wiggle the connector, the harness alone is the part you need. Buying it separately is cheaper than a kit and lets you keep a spare in the truck — this is a known roadside failure.
- Injector and glow plug harness only
- Sold per bank
- Available for 1994-1997 and 1999-2003
- Plug-and-play replacement
- Cheaper than a full kit when the gasket is still sealing
- Fixes single-cylinder misfires caused by oiled connectors
- A good spare to carry
- You still have to remove the valve cover, so most people fit a full kit anyway
- Loose harnesses are easier to pinch than moulded ones
Valve Cover Bolt and Grommet Set
The cheap part that stops the repair from leaking again. The rubber grommets under the valve cover bolts harden and crack over twenty-plus years, and a new gasket sealing against a warped cover held down by tired grommets will weep within a season. Buy them with the gasket; they cost almost nothing.
- Replacement bolts, washers and rubber grommets
- Sold as a set for both covers
- Fits 7.3L Power Stroke valve covers
- Restores correct clamping load
- Very cheap insurance against a repeat leak
- Replaces hardware that is almost always past its life
- Makes torquing the cover evenly much easier
- Not strictly required if the existing grommets are still soft
- Another small part to remember to order
Buying tips
- Get the year range right before you order. 1994-1997 and 1999-2003 use different kits and the earlier one needs twice the harness pigtails. If your truck is a 1997 or 1999 build, check the door sticker date rather than the model year — the changeover falls mid-year.
- Buy the kit, not the bare gasket, unless you have already inspected the harness. If there is oil in the connectors, the wiring is on borrowed time. Doing the gasket alone means pulling the same cover off again in a few months.
- The moulded harness design exists to stop one specific mistake. On loose harnesses it is easy to trap a wire under a valve cover bolt head, which shorts it and creates a misfire the moment you finish the job. A moulded kit makes that physically difficult.
- Clean the sealing surface properly and do not add silicone. These gaskets seal on their own. Extra sealant squeezes into the wrong places, can block oil return passages, and makes the next removal miserable.
- Torque to specification and go around twice. The bolts are small and the covers are easy to distort. Even, low torque in a crossing pattern seals better than pulling any one bolt tight.
- Do one bank at a time and keep the connectors in order. If both covers are off with harnesses disconnected it is very easy to cross the injector connections. Working one side at a time leaves you a reference.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.