i know that i'm never going to hear the end of this...
but i'm having trouble removing the head off of my ls for my ls/vtec swap. i've searched (no, i don't owns a helms either) and couldn't find any info on doing it. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated and thanks for your patience for n00bs.

 

have you even started removing it?? or do you need step by step instructions?

 

heh, step by steps would be totally sweet

 

Unless youve done it before reading instructions on the internet might screw you up. I would say spend the 10 bucks and buy a manual. Then at least youll have pics.

 

yea bro just got to AZ and buy one. Its 17 bux after tax

 

auto zone is closed no more deconstruction tonight i guess.

 

i would start by draining your coolant. Once that is done start disconnecting everything that attaches the head to the block/chassis. Dont forget the timing belt and the bracket under the intake manifold.

 

i forgot; it's a longblock sitting on a shelf. all that stuff is removed, i just don't know what to do next. valve cover is off, spark plugs removed...after that i'm clueless.

 

remove the timing belt then the cams. Dont remove the cams from one side to the other! Alternate the bolts so that the cam comes off evenly.

 

are you talking about the two bolts that are on either side of the cams (and on top)? like should i remove all the bolts at once? that's where i'm in trouble; are there pins that need to be punched out? uggg. i hate not being able to know how to do this. thanks for your help / patience.

 

 

When i took my head off i had eveything incl. the head bolts and could not make it budge...Then after about 20 mins i realized i forgot to disconnect the Intake manifold bracket

 

that's the thing though; i've got that off too. there are two 8 or 10mm bolts holding down the cams. do i have to remove those to get to the head bolts? that's how it looks, but when i took those off, i couldn't remove the pieces; it looks like i'll need a punch to remove them. ugg, anyone know what i'm talking about? can i post pics as a n00b? thanks for the help / support

 

There should be cam caps holding the cams in place. For the exhuast cam it will say "E6->" for the cap furthest to the left. As they get closer to the timing belt side they will go down one number for each cap. Are these caps the things giving you trouble?

 

yea, it's the caps. initally i was too lazy to check, but you were indeed correct. how do i get those things off?!

thanks again for the help / support.

 

They are held in place with dowels (youll see what i mean when you get one off). what i do is lightly tap them with a rubber mallet or the handle end of a screwdriver to 'break' them free. if worse comes to worse then rotate the cam back and forth slightly. This method uses the valve springs to push up on the cam which in turn will push the caps out of the head. This method is risky though as it can break the cam or cause piston/valve contact.

 

i'lll give it a try tomorrow. thanks for the help!

 

your welcome, reply with the results

 

it worked now all i need is my vtec head thank you so much for your help. hopefully my buildup will be done by dec. thanks again for the help / support!

Ryan

 

no problem man! good luck

 

alas; victory was short lived. i snapped two socket heads trying to remove my head studs i have to go to az tomorrow and get more; is this a bad sign?

 

Use 6 point sockets, not 12, and use a breaker bar. make sure also that you loosen the outermost bolts first, then work your way in.