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I'm replacing my head gasket today, what all do I need other than the head gasket? Can I re-use original head bolts? Do any of the major chains (AutoZone, etc.) sell the valve cover gasket?
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Put car on jackstands. Disconnect battery. Drain about 2 quarts of coolant out of the radiator. Remove the gas cap.
Working from right to left. Remove PS pump from bracket and move to right side by or on fender. Remove PS pump bracket. The rez just pulls straight up. Disconnect alternator plug and hot wire (make sure your battery is disconnected)
Remove alternator - the top bolt stays in until the mount comes off.
Remove driver's side motor mount.
Remove alt. bracket. There are two bolts (all 14mm) on the side of the engine just below the cam cover and then the three in front.
Disconnect cam position sensor. Pull the little rubber boot off the side of the timing belt cover and it's a standard clip inside.
Disconnect exhaust mani/header from pre-cat pipe. Remove header/mani.
Disconnect upper and lower rad hoses and heater hose from the water neck. Unplug all sensors. Unscrew the 10mm bolt that holds the coolant inlet hard line to the head and remove the hose clamp on the back left of the block. Remove the hard line.
Disconnect throttle body coolant lines.
Unplug all sensors from the IM. There should be two on the right, one on the TB, one to the left of the TB, one just underneath the hard line, and one just underneath the IM on the opposite side. Remove the injector clips
Remove coil packs and wire loom bolts.
Once you have every sensor unplugged, that entire wire loom will swing away to the left, completely out of your way.
Now for the vac lines. Disconnect the big brake booster line from the back of the IM, just behind the TB. There are two lines right there, you want to disconnect the big one. Disconnect the PCV vac source from the IM. It's on the right side just behind and a little to the left of the cam position sensor.
Go underneath the car and remove the three nuts securing the IM to the support brackets. They should be 10mm and there's one on the left bracket and two on the right.
Disconnect the fuel line from the fuel rail. Pop the little plastic end cover off it and squeeze the little green clip while you pull to the left.
Disconnect that vac line that is attached to the fuel rail. It's in front of the fuel line and just pulls off.
Now everything should be physically disconnected from the head. Make sure that are no sensors still plugged in and the wire loom has nothing else tying it to the head. You just have the three vac lines to remember so that's easy.
Now remove the 5 bolts and pull the VC off.
Next, there are three 10mm bolts holding the timing belt cover on. One in the front and two in the back. Remove them and pull the upper timing belt cover off.
Now you rotate your engine to TDC. With a 19 or 21mm - can't remember - socket on a 1/2" ratchet, rotate the crank clockwise until you see the white mark on the edge of the crank pulley line up with the TDC mark on the lower timing belt cover. Make sure it stays there. Grab a colored Sharpie or white or yellow crayon and draw lines from the teeth on the timing gear across the belt to insure you put the belt back on exactly on the same teeth as they are on now.
Grab a 12mm ratchet, hold the timing belt with one hand and just break cam bolt loose with your ratchet. Don't worry if it turns a little bit here as you can still move the crank pulley back to TDC. Once the cam bolt is broken loose, and you're back at TDC, spin the bolt the rest of the way off, staying at TDC, and then slip the cam gear and timing belt off the end of the cam. Don't mess up the marks you put on them.
From here you just loosen the head bolts 1/4 turn at a time according to the sequence in the Haynes manual. Once they're loose, pull them out and set them aside.
Now pull the head off! It will be heavy, so be ready and don't drop it. Once it's off, set it either on it's side, or face, but never on the valve side or the spring side.
Install the ARPs as per the instructions. Clean off the old gasket material. Sop up and clean any anti-freeze that got in the cylinders and re-assemble!
Too easy! I think I hit most everything. Between this and a Hayne's manual, you should be fine.
Yep. The only gasket you need to replace is the HG. I'd use a little RTV on the VC gasket if you don't replace it. It may not be necessary, but it doesn't hurt. You don't need a new timing belt, the old one will still be fine. Hit back if you have any questions. I've done this on my car three times now since July - don't ask.....
