The heads of the engine should always be removed and replaced after the engine has cooled down in order to avoid head warpage and new head bolts need to be procured in advance. To start, turn off the car by removing the cable connection from the negative terminal of the battery. The vehicle cooling system must be drained only when the engine is cold, thus do not drain the system if the engine is still warm. Take off the drivebelt and the drivebelt tensioner as well. 1.4L models only have the turbocharger assembly removed and 1.8L models only have the
Exhaust Manifold removed. After that, take off the
Intake Manifold and the
Timing Chain if the car hit the 1.4 liters engine or else take the
Timing Belt for the 1.8 liters engine. On 2015 and older 1.4L engines it is possible to take off the cylinder head retainer without taking out the timing chain with special tools, if tension is lost on the chain it has to be removed. Isolate and ID the electrical connectors that is going to hinder removal from the cylinder head and apply tape so that when reassembling it could be easy. Lose and then remove the cylinder head bolts, and noting that those shown here should be discarded. A prybar is used to loosen the gasket seal at the corners of the head-to-block mating surface, while not using a prybar in the gasket sealing area. Remove the cylinder head from the engine and keep it on wooden blocks if much force is encountered, so as to avoid the head being damaged. Take out the old cylinder head gasket also, to keep an eye on the correct side that faces up. When fitting, it is recommended that the surfaces of the cylinder head and block should first be clean, using for example, a gasket scraper and brake system cleaner. Open parts of the engine can be covered with shop rags to try and keep additional debris from entering the cylinders, and then using a vacuum cleaner to attempt to suction out any debris that falls in. I always ensure that the engine block and cylinder head mating surface is free from any form of damage; then you use a tap, chase on the cylinder head bolt holes. Make sure the new gasket fits on the dowels in the block, put the cylinder head on the engine block without moving the new gasket. Replace all cylinder head bolts with new ones and torque them to the indicated value using torque angle technique. This part is followed by fitting of the timing chain or timing belt, the turbo charger or exhaust manifold and the intake manifold. The remaining installation steps are the complete opposite of removal; Last but not the least, join the battery terminals, replace the engine oil together with the oil filter, refill the coolant, and start the engine, be sure to ensure for any signs of oil and coolant leaks.