Things You'll Need:
- Jack with jack stands Head gasket Socket wrench and socket set Bungee cord Zip-ties Straight edge Two valve cover end seals Tube of RTV silicone Screwdriver Wire brush Brake parts cleaner Engine degreaser Shop rags Air compressor with air gun/blower Torque wrench
-
Step 1
Disconnect the cable from the negative battery terminal.
-
Step 2
Drain the cooling system. You'll need to do this because engine coolant runs through the entire engine; you need to make sure that none of the coolant gets into the cylinders while you are replacing the head gasket.
-
Step 3
Jack up the front of the vehicle and place it on jack stands.
-
Step 4
Loosen and remove the two 13mm bolts that hold the exhaust pipe to the exhaust manifold.
-
Step 5
Remove the entire air cleaner cleaner assembly. This is typically held in place with four bolts. Don't forget to remove the air intake pipe.
-
Step 6
Remove the upper radiator hose.
-
Step 7
Remove the 13mm nut that holds the dipstick tube bracket to the thermostat housing. Remove the coil if it is attached to the thermostat housing. Next, you will need to unplug the coolant temperature sensor.
-
Step 8
Remove the spark plug wires and the distributor water shield.
-
Step 9
Remove the bolts holding the distributor distributor cap (and remove the cap and rotor assembly) so that you do not accidentally damage the cap during this job.
-
Step 10
Loosen and remove the two 15mm bolts from the top of the air conditioning unit, which is attached to the alternator bracket. This in turn attaches to the head.
-
Step 11
Unplug the single wire connection from the temperature sending unit.
-
Step 12
Remove the upper half of the timing belt cover and set it aside.
-
Step 13
Remove the bolts on the valve cover and pull the valve cover off.
-
Step 14
Disconnect the wiring harness located immediately to the right of the throttle body.
-
Step 15
Disconnect and remove the throttle cables from the throttle body and unbolt the two 10mm bolts on the cable bracket.
-
Step 16
Disconnect and remove the vacuum lines from the throttle body assembly.
-
Step 17
Relieve the pressure from the fuel system by depressing the pin/valve on the Schrader valve on the fuel rail/fuel injection assembly.
-
Step 18
Disconnect the fuel lines.
-
Step 19
Disconnect the throttle position sensor and EGR valve connector. Not all vehicle are equipped this these options, so you might be able to skip this step.
-
Step 20
Lift up on the throttle body wiring harness, the fuel lines and also the remaining vacuum lines. Using a bungee cord, you will want to secure these parts out of the way while you work underneath them. You can attach the bungee cord to the factory holes on each side of the engine bay to help you secure these parts out of your way.
-
Step 21
Unbolt and remove the intake manifold ground strap that's attached to the firewall.
-
Step 22
Remove the 15mm (sometimes 14mm) bolt that holds the battery grounding wire to the engine.
-
Step 23
Disconnect the vacuum hose from the brake booster.
-
Step 24
Disconnect the heater hose from the left side of the intake manifold.
-
Step 25
Use two heavy-duty zip-ties to secure the timing belt to the camshaft pulley. Then, you can remove the pulley. To do this, you'll need to hold upward tension on the pulley and secure it with a bungee cord. You can use the driver's side hinge on the vehicle's hood for this.
-
Step 1
Remove the two engine head bolts and lift the head off the engine block.
-
Step 2
Check the head for warping or cracks. You will need a straight edge to check for warping. Place the straight edge on the surface of the head and check to see that it is level.
-
Step 3
Clean the head gasket mating surfaces with engine degreaser. Use a round wire brush to clean the head, block and the bolt holes. Remove all of the old head gasket material from the engine block as well as the head.
-
Step 4
Wipe everything down with a clean shop rag and blow off the block and head with compressed air.
-
Step 5
Test fit the head gasket on the engine block, but do not place the head onto the head gasket until you have the head gasket in the proper position as this could create an uneven surface on the gasket causing it to fail prematurely. Make sure that you have the correct gasket orientation, which can be found in your vehicle's shop (service) manual.
-
Step 1
Install the head bolts.
-
Step 2
Tighten the head bolts in a circular manner starting from the center and working your way out. Check your vehicle's shop (service) manual for the correct torque specifications for these head bolts. It is critical to apply the correct torque with a torque wrench to the head bolts.
-
Step 3
Clean the valve cover with the wire brush. Make sure you get all of the old valve cover gasket material off of the valve cover and wipe it down with a clean shop rag. The surface needs to be completely oil free; you may need to use engine degreaser to help clean this part.
-
Step 4
Place a bead of RTV silicone onto the valve cover seals and place the seals in the correct orientation on the valve cover.
-
Step 5
Place the valve cover on the engine head before the silicone "skins" over.
-
Step 1
Replace the upper timing belt cover.
-
Step 2
Insert the valve cover bolts and tighten them to the torque specs in your vehicle's shop (service) manual.
-
Step 3
Reset the cam timing to your vehicle's specifications. Recheck the timing belt position. To do this you will need to use a variable timing light. Set the timing light to mark to zero degrees. Save this setting on your timing light, and then shine it into the inspection hole on the top of the upper timing belt cover.
You will know your belt timing is correct because you will be able to see an oblong hole in the camshaft sprocket which will be centered in the inspection hole. -
Step 4
Reassemble your engine, hooking everything back up that you disconnected in the reverse order that you disassembled it.
-
Step 5
Turn the vehicle on to check that there is no white smoke being emitted from the exhaust.
