Before the removal of the cylinder head it is recommended to relieve fuel pressure, disconnect the negative terminal of the battery, and drain the cooling system. Then, after that, the valve cover(s) need to be taken off, the intake plenum and
Intake Manifolds also need to be removed, as well as the electrical connector to the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor, needs to be disconnected. Disconnect the hose clamps for the throttle body heater and bypass hoses and disengage the hooks or clips of the hoses connected to the engine crossover pipe; dismantle the coolant crossover pipe banjo bolts and the upper elastomer seals. Remove the engine wiring harness from the brackets at the back of the cylinder head, and then remove the
Timing Belt cover, the timing belt and if the cylinder head is not being replaced, the exhaust camshaft and
Exhaust Manifold. Pull the radiator hose clamp and hose off the coolant outlet pipe and then take off the coolant outlet pipe but do remember to put on the new O-ring at the coolant outlet pipe end. Turn the eight cylinder head bolts equally and uniformly a quarter of their usual turn and then lift the cylinder head from the engine compartment without endangering it. Once the head has been taken off you are to have the gasket thrown and look for locating dowels. Scrape the mating faces of the cylinder head and block free of carbon and do not allow any of it to enter into the oil and water holes and look for any damage on the faces. For installation, first, one needs to clean the mating surfaces while for those units equipped with alignment dowels, one has to insert them, position a new gasket in a way that its 'TOP' mark faces up and using guide studs, place the heavy cylinder head properly. New cylinder head bolts must be fitted without applying oil on the threads unless spoken to, then tightened in the correct cycle to the required magnitude, and other components can be removed in the reversed order. Last, and perhaps most importantly, change the engine oil and filter and, in the process, consider refilling the cooling system.