[dana44]

Move any wires or hoses going across the cover first, make sure they aren't going to be in the way or get pinched afterwards, unbolt, pop it off, clean the gasket off completely and make sure the head surface is clean, too. Once everything is clean and dry, I like to take and smear a very thin film of blue or black Permatex along the flat surfaces about paper thin and put a pea sized dallop in the corners where the gasket goes over the round humps on both ends, then a small bead where the curve is (too much is just as bad as too little, it squeezes flat but this gets into the grooves the best), then put the gasket and cover on, bolt down evenly, don't bolt one spot down tight and then move to another bolt, do them all evenly. Using a screwdriver and socket helps prevent getting it bolted down too tight this way, .