Here is the head off of the car. I placed a steel bar (needs to be sturdy) on the head aligning it with the holes for the cam caps. I marked it for 4 holes.
Drill holes big enough for the bolts that hold the caps over the cams (12mm head).
Afterwards, I used washers first (good idea) and made sure it lined up with the holes. I drilled the holes a little larger (the washers cover this) to enable bar to move some and NOT force the bolts into the cam cap holes.
Here it is bolted down. You do not want to overtighten these! Just snug, or you can end up bending the raised parts the caps slide over. You'll see when you look at it.
I took a 3" C-Clamp and cut enough off for the socket to clear, but enough to hold on to the underside of the bar.
Here it is with about an inch cut off. C-Clamps are cheap if you shop around.
Here I took a 7/8 O2 sensor socket (10 bucks from parts store) and widened it with a dremel and heavy duty cutting blade from the top of opening (left) to about an inch from the bottom (where dremel is in pic). That way I can still use it for the O2 sensor in future.
WEAR GOGGLES!!!This pic shows you why. I personally hate to stop working to wash burning metal out of my eye.
Attention: After doing the intake side I did the modification to the C-Clamp seen above. The clamp kept slipping off the socket causing me to lose time. SO, some of the pictures may not show the modification. I took the dremel and cut the end of the screw part square to fit in a 3/8 to 1/2 drive adapter. This pic shows the square cut.
This pic shows the adapter on. This made a BIG difference! Worked great! The next picture below shows the finished product. I did the exhaust time in about 45 minutes (bagging and labeling everything also) after this little change.
Read Carefully:
Place C-Clamp under the bar and the line the socket up on the top of the spring. The cut section of the C-Clamp should rest on the socket for stabilization but not prevent the socket from pressing down. While you turn it to tighten, push slightly to keep clamp and socket lined up.
NOTE: If it stops or hard to turn, Stop and make sure it is lined up properly or socket is not cutting into your head. It should turn with a fair amount of effort. DO NOT FORCE IT! It will slip off if you are not CAREFUL. Take your time doing this! I had a spring come flying off just missing my head. I had to dodge it like Clubber Lang moving from a left hook.
After you get it pressed down, take a rubber mallet and TAP the valve up. It will go back flush. Watch for flying parts!!! This releases the pressure off the retainers.
Take a needle-nose pliers or a magnet and remove the retainers through the side slot. Loosen the C-Clamp SLOWLY keeping your head clear of it. Once again, it will slip off shooting projectiles at you if you are not careful. Once the socket is off, you can take the spring and retainer off. The valve can be pushed out with your finger. Slide the valve in the guide to tell whether or not it is bent. There are lots of VFAQS on the valve removal. Please study them also.
Towards the middle of head (4 and 5th Valve, you'll notice while doing) things get tight.
I trimmed and filed the dotted area (right picture) down to make sure it didn't get stuck or damage the head. Not much off at all and it fit nicely. Keep in mind, the socket is cheaper than the head, so trim if it needs it.
As I pulled the valves out I bagged, numbered and marked there order (IE #3 Intake Side). Note the carbon buildup on the valve. I will replace these anyway.
After all of the valves are out, I removed the bar and the valve guide seals.
The 8 seals out of the car to show you what they look like removed.
- 3" C - Clamp
- 3/8 to 1/2 socket adapter (depends on O2 socket size)
- 7/8 Socket (O2 is nice because it has the slot and you just widen it)
- A bar (Use your imagination on where to find the bar)
Here are the things you need:
