Cylinder Head Removal

1. Disconnect battery ground cable, then remove air cleaner assembly.
2. Drain radiator coolant into suitable container.
3. Drain engine oil into suitable container.
4. Identify, then disconnect any hoses and wires that may interfere with cylinder head removal.
5. Disconnect accelerator cable from carburetor.
6. On models equipped with auto. trans., disconnect throttle valve cable from carburetor.
7. On all models, disconnect exhaust pipe from exhaust manifold.
8. Disconnect exhaust gas oxygen sensor wire connector.
9. Remove drive belts and water pump pulley.
10. Disconnect radiator outlet hose.
11. On models equipped with A/C, remove A/C idler pulley and bracket as an assembly.
12. Remove alternator upper bracket attaching nut and bolts, then the bracket.
13. Remove water outlet attaching bolts, then the outlet.
14. Remove distributor hold-down bolt, then disconnect secondary wiring from spark plugs and remove distributor with distributor cap attached.
15. Remove spark plugs, then valve cover and half circle plug located in cylinder head-to-valve cover mating flange.
16. On models equipped with Air Suction (AS) system, remove AS system component parts.
17. Remove upper timing belt cover attaching bolts, then the timing cover and gasket.
18. While rotating crankshaft in a clockwise direction, bring cylinder No. 1 to TDC compression. No. 1 cylinder is at TDC compression when No. 1 cylinder rocker arms have freeplay. If rocker arms do not have freeplay, rotate crankshaft an additional turn and check again.
19. Place reference marks on camshaft pulley and belt to be used during reassembly, then loosen idler pulley set bolt and push idler pulley it as far to the left as possible to loosen camshaft belt. Temporarily tighten idler set bolt.
20. While supporting lower part of belt to maintain groove-to-teeth meshing of belt and crankshaft gear, remove belt from camshaft gear. Do not allow any objects to drop inside lower timing belt cover. Also do not allow oil, water or dust to come into contact with timing belt.
21. Remove bolt from exhaust manifold-to-engine bracket.

Fig. 1 Cylinder head bolt removal sequence.:

22. Loosen cylinder head bolts in increments following sequence, Fig. 1, then remove bolts. If loosening sequence is not followed, cylinder head cracking or warpage could result.
23. Remove cylinder head from engine block and place on suitable wooden blocks. If cylinder head is difficult to remove, use suitable pry bar between cylinder head and block projection to aid in removal. Use caution not to damage cylinder head or engine block deck surfaces.
24. Remove carburetor and fuel pump, then the intake and exhaust manifolds.

Fig. 2 Rocker arm assembly attaching bolt removal sequence. 3A-C, 4A-C & 4A-LC engines.:

25. Loosen rocker arm attaching bolts in increments using sequence shown, Fig. 2, then remove rocker arm assembly.
26. While holding camshaft steady with wrench positioned at flats, remove camshaft pulley attaching bolt and pulley.

Fig. 3 Measuring camshaft thrust clearance on overhead cam engine. Typical:

27. Position suitable dial indicator as shown in Fig. 3, then measure camshaft thrust clearance by prying camshaft back and forth. Standard clearance is .0031-.0071 inch. If clearance exceeds .0098 inch, cylinder head should be replaced.
28. While holding camshaft steady with wrench positioned at flats, remove distributor drive gear attaching bolt and gear.

Fig. 4 Camshaft bearing cap bolt removal sequence.:

29. Loosen camshaft bearing cap bolts in increments using sequence shown, Fig. 4, then remove bearing cap bolts, camshaft, oil seal and bearing caps. Keep bearing caps in order they were removed.