Removing cylinder heads from block.

Tagged: Disassembly, Engine

18th July 2008

First remove the valve covers.
The engine with valve covers removed.

Then the valley cover.
The engine with valley cover removed.

Now remove the rocker arm assemblies, these are held on by a nut. Now the push rod can be pulled out. Be sure to organise where eveything came from, so if need be it can go back in the same place. I used cardboard, polystyrene and bags and numbered everything.
The 8 rocker arms (one for the intake and exhaust valve for each cylinder) per head. Rocker arms unbolted. Pushrods sorted in order.

Now the valve lifters can be removed by pulling out. I had one that must be very slightly burred on the bottom and would not pull out. It’ll have to wait until the cam shaft is out and drop out that way. Wrapped the valve lifter and rocker arm up and put them in a bag, numbered and put next to the corresponding push rod.
The valve lifters, one has been removed already. The valve lifter. Rocker arm wrapped up. The rocker arm assembly and valve lifter, bagged, numbered and arranged with pushrods.

Engine looking a bit bare.
The engine minus rocker arm assemblies, push rods and valve lifters.

There are 10 bolts holding the head to the block. My Chiltons manual didn’t match up to my engine so I didn’t know the proper order to loosen bolts, shouldn’t matter too much – I loosened the middle 2 then the 2 to the left of the middle, then the right, then far left and finally far right. Then removed each one in the same order. The cylinder head will now simply lift off – it may need to be prised from the block gently to separate the gasket.
The head secured by 10 bolts to the main block. The bolts organised, there are different lengths so this is just to make it easier. Head bolts taken out. Head lifted off of block.