Because its not strong enough to hold the weight of the car. There are only a few bolts holding it to the subframe. It would be like picking your mate up by his balls.Also its not safe at all, any jacking plate that will fit through the exhaust...

Yeah, the upper inlet was caked in muck - I guess plenty of diameter remains, just being a perfectionist. I'll take your advice and leave well alone :)

I was thinking about trying to clean out the carbon/oil gunk that's in there since having cleaned the "donut" and looked in with a torch. My suggestion from a couple of youtube videos is that the engine needs to be raised to get the last...

Wondering how possible it is to get the valve covers off on this 4.4 TDV8. Is it as horrible as it looks? Does it require lifting the engine, or has anyone done it reaching in the bonnet?