Cylinder Head Assembly: Service and Repair
*** THIS ARTICLE INCLUDES REVISED UPDATES, FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION NOT INCLUDED HERE, REFER TO TSB #98-4-9, DATED MARCH 2, 1998 ***1. Drain cooling system
2. Disconnect negative battery cable.
3. Remove air cleaner assembly and drive belts.
4. If removing left cylinder head, proceed as follows:
a. Remove oil fill cap.
b. Remove power steering pump with hoses connected, positioning pump aside.
c. Remove A/C compressor mounting bracket bolts and position compressor aside.
d. Remove alternator and bracket.
5. If removing right cylinder head, proceed as follows:
a. Disconnect thermactor air control valve
b. Disconnect thermactor tube support bracket from rear of cylinder head.
c. Remove accessory drive idler.
d. Remove thermactor pump pulley, then the thermactor pump.
e. Remove PCV valve.
6. Remove upper and lower intake manifolds.
7. Remove rocker arm cover attaching screws, then the cover.
8. Remove injector fuel rail assembly.
9. Remove exhaust manifolds.
10. Loosen rocker arm fulcrum attaching bolts and rotate rocker arm enough to allow removal of pushrods. Remove pushrods, noting their position.
NOTE: Pushrods should be installed in their original position.
11. Remove and discard cylinder head attaching bolts.
12. Remove cylinder head.
13. Reverse procedure to install, noting the following:
a. Apply suitable sealer to short cylinder head bolts, then lightly oil all other bolts.
b. Tighten rocker arm fulcrum attaching bolts to 44 in lb, then to 18-25 ft lb.
FWD 3.8L:
14. Reassemble and torque the new head bolts to the following specifications. Torque all bolts in numerical sequence in three steps as follows:
a. 20 N.m (15 lb-ft)
b. 40 N.m (30 lb-ft)
c. 50 N.m (37 lb-ft)
15. In numerical sequence, retorque the bolts per the following Steps:
LONG BOLTS (Bolt Numbers 1, 3, 5, 7):
a. Loosen long bolt and back out 2-3 turns.
b. Retorque long bolt to 40-50 N.m (30-37 lb-ft).
c. Rotate long bolt an additional 175-185 degrees (approximately 1/2 turn).
d. Go to the next bolt in sequence.
SHORT BOLTS (Bolt Numbers 2, 4, 6, 8):
a. Loosen short bolt and back out 2-3 turns.
b. Retorque short bolt to 20-30 N.m (15-22 lb-ft).
c. Rotate short bolt an additional 175-185 degrees (approximately 1/2 turn).
d. Go to the next bolt in sequence.