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Call or Text (352) 722-5295The valve cover on the 2003-2004 5.9L Cummins
The 2003-2005 Cummins top end is an aluminum rocker housing with a valve-cover lid and a black plastic crankcase-breather cover on top. The breather assembly bolts to the top of the valve cover with four 10 mm bolts that have O-rings under their heads, and the lid itself uses six 10 mm bolts torqued to 18 ft-lb. Injector wiring runs through three pass-through connectors in the rocker housing, sealed by the gasket. That is why gasket condition matters for more than oil leaks: a bad pass-through can set P2149, injector group 2 supply voltage.
When the cover comes off
Several jobs put you under this cover. Valve lash is a 150,000-mile service, reset cold to 0.010 in intake and 0.020 in exhaust. Pulling an injector means taking the exhaust rockers off, and the rockers and injection lines should stay in cylinder order. Any of those jobs is a good time to fit a fresh valve cover gasket, rocker box gasket and grommets. When it goes back together, rocker bolts take 27 ft-lb and the valve cover 18 ft-lb.
Stock replacement vs. upgrade
Stock replacement covers most of this page: the Cummins genuine valve cover gasket for 2003-2005 and rocker box gasket, MAHLE's VS50416 valve cover gasket, VS50419 rocker box gasket and GS33799 grommets, and the Dorman 904-360 valve cover and rocker box gasket set. MAHLE HS54556 and HS54557 head sets are here for jobs that go deeper than the valve cover. On the upgrade side, the G&R Diesel billet aluminum valve cover replaces the factory lid on 2003-2005 trucks, and the XDP HD billet oil fill cap swaps in for the factory cap.
What we carry
MAHLE supplies valve cover and rocker box gaskets, grommets and head sets. Cummins genuine parts include the valve cover gasket and rocker box gasket. Dorman offers a combined valve cover and rocker box gasket set, G&R Diesel a billet aluminum valve cover, and XDP an HD billet oil fill cap.
Fitment notes
These parts fit the Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 with the 5.9L Cummins, not the Ram 1500. The big split is 2006: the 2006-2007 engines use a two-piece rocker housing, a single multi-wire injector connector and a molded plastic valve cover with an integral breather filter, so valve-cover and breather parts are not shared with 2003-2005. Your 2003-2004 takes the 2003-2005 style. Some listings carry wider ranges, such as the rocker box gaskets and head sets; go by the year range in each title and verify by VIN.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my truck set P2149 after valve cover work?
On 2003-2004 trucks the injector wiring passes through the valve-cover gasket, and a bad pass-through can set P2149, injector group 2 supply voltage. Check the pass-through connectors and gasket seating before you suspect the injectors themselves.
What do the valve cover bolts torque to?
The six 10 mm valve-cover lid bolts torque to 18 ft-lb. The breather assembly on top uses four 10 mm bolts with O-rings under the heads, so make sure those O-rings are in place when it goes back on.
Will a 2006-2007 valve cover fit my 2004?
No. For 2006-2007 the rocker housing became two pieces with a single multi-wire connector and a molded plastic cover with an integral breather filter, so valve-cover and breather parts do not interchange with 2003-2005. Shop the 2003-2005 parts on this page instead.
When does the valve cover have to come off?
For a valve lash check, due every 150,000 miles, and any time an injector is pulled, since the exhaust rockers have to come off for that. Keep the rockers and injection lines in cylinder order while you work.
Not sure what fits? Call the shop at the number in the header, or use the fitment checker on any product page. We install everything we sell.