Earlier today I was out in the garage working on replacing my valve cover gasket & spark plug tube seals (those are always fun to remove...).  There are two tubes which come off the valve cover and feed into the intake manifold (sorry, haven't looked it up in my shop manual just yet)... I think I broke one, it has a metal pin with some springs inside (feeds into a thicker hose).  And I know I broke the other, thinner hose, because it snapped off as I was trying to twist it free of the VC.  I'm hoping I can replace those easily enough... anyone know off the top of their head what those are called?  Is the plastic piece on the VC which feeds into the thicker hose the PCV valve?

Also, I went to the auto parts store and picked up a set of valve cover grommets (that go under the three nuts).  This is the part:

FEL-PRO Part # ES72123

But the set includes four grommets -- there are only three as far as I know.  And if I didn't know any better, I'd say they were different than the ones holding down my VC.  Well, other than the fact they're new & rubbery and not solid as a rock.

I'll try to take some pics when I get a chance -- been busy lately.  Maybe I'll make a short video of the old VC gasket as I throw it on the ground... I'm sure it will shatter, it was that bad!  Oil everywhere in the engine bay.  Here's hoping this is going to be an easy fix for my poor oil-leaking All-Trac.

You broke the PCV valve. They are only a few bucks. Just replace it.

I agree with Scdevon.  First 'tube': "springs inside""rubbery" sounds like the PCV valve (positive crankcase ventilation).  You can get a replacement valve at any auto parts store cheap.  You don't need to get a genuine Toyota part; they all work the same and don't last forever, although they can be cleaned out with some petroleum carb cleaner. But is it the spring action that eventually wears out from overuse.

Thanks guys... yeah, I meant to add to this that I did in fact buy a replacement PCV valve at the auto parts store.  Also bought new hoses, using screw type (?) hose clamps.

I think I figured out why the valve cover grommets have one extra... it's probably used on different engines (other than the 4A-FE types) so they require one extra.  I couldn't get the site to work, but the package does say to reference the Fel-Pro master catalog for full details.  Now that I think about it, I could check Amazon.com and see if they have a complete listing, as they do for other car parts.

Quoted from Rogue

Here's hoping this is going to be an easy fix for my poor oil-leaking All-Trac.

Can you clarify what you meant by "oil-leaking"?  Just from the valve cover?  

Other places to check that leak over time are besides valve cover:

oil pan leaks (doesn't take a preformed gasket but a gasket seal-in-place material call FIPG = Form In-Place Gasket. Available at Toyota dealer direct; they won't ship it because it is hazardous.)

distributor gasket: leaks below distributor or from the distributor onto the top of the transmission bell housing.

head gasket: may leak from the outer edge, especially near the front of the engine: front of engine is where the alternator, drive belts, etc. are located, i.e. the passenger side of the car.  Typically occurs in older cars, and not a problem unless it leaks internally where oil & antifreeze mix: big problems.

rear main seal: hidden, since it is covered by transmission. If you get your tranny fixed, have the rear main seal replaced.  Will save hours of aggravation.

front main seal: will leak oil into the timing belt area.

Thanks, Datsa... I'll have to degrease the engine bay and check those areas.  I think I've seen oil drops on the bottoms of the oil cooling hoses (under the alternator).  The car used to leak pretty badly before I did the VC gasket, and having removed the old gaskets on it, I'm pretty sure they were the major culprit.

Now I have to wonder about that oil pan gasket... what was it that my friend got me for Christmas this past year?  It's supposedly a Fel-Pro oil pan gasket for my wagon...

Rogue,  I should add that instead of replacing the oil pan gasket, check to see if any of the bolts that hold it on are loose.  Tighten those first, then see if it still leaks.  Getting off the oil pan bottom is not easy.  Look at all the bolts that are obstructed by the down tube, cross member, etc.

I don't know what a positive crank case ventilation valve is but always interested to learn more about this impressive little car I own. Rogue when you get a moment could you post some pics for all of us please.
It could be very good for anyone who may run into the same kind of challenge in the future.

God bless the internet, courtesy of Wikipedia

As an engine operates, high-pressure gases are contained within the combustion chamber and prevented from passing into the crankcase (containing the crankshaft  and other parts) between the side of the piston and the cylinder bore by piston rings which seal against the cylinder. However, some amount of gas always leaks past the piston rings into the crankcase. This amount is very small in a new or properly rebuilt engine, provided that the piston rings and cylinder walls are correctly "broken in", and increases as the engine wears. Scratches on the cylinder walls or piston rings, such as those caused by foreign objects entering the engine, can cause large amounts of leakage. This leaked gas is known as blow-by because the pressure within the cylinders blows it by the piston rings. If this blow-by gas could not escape then pressure would build up within the crankcase.

Before the invention of crankcase ventilation in 1928, the engine oil seals were designed to withstand this pressure, oil leaking to the road surface was accepted, and the dipstick was screwed in. The hydrocarbon rich gas would then diffuse through the oil in the seals into the atmosphere. Subsequently, it became an emissions requirement as well as a functional necessity that the crankcase have a ventilation system. This must maintain the crankcase at slightly less than atmospheric pressure and recycle the blow-by gas back into the engine intake. However, due to the constant circulation of the oil within the engine, along with the high speed movement of the crankshaft, an oil mist is also passed through the PCV system and into the intake. The oil is then either burned during combustion, or settles along the intake tract, causing a gradual build-up of residue inside the inlet path. For this reason many engine tuners choose to replace the PCV system with an oil catch can and breather filter which vents the blow-by gases directly to atmosphere and retains the oil in a small tank (or returns it to the sump), although this technically fails to meet most engine emission legislation.

Now that I've read it I know the hose they mean... on all engines.

Still... a photo of one on a 4AFE would be good.

Thanks Jed.