Hi

I appreciate the help and advice. I have a huge 300 ft lb torque wrench a couple of feet long that could help undoing the head bolts but I'll also consider the impact driver.

I am wondering about the need to remove the fan. I recently fitted a new auxiliary drive belt and got it of the fan without removing it. Must it be removed for other jobs like access to bolts?

 

Everyone has foind there own way to deal with headbolts, using a 5/8 shallow impact socket with a 4 inch ext. and a 24 inch breaker i find no problems. Be sure to remove the head bolts from the outside in. After the first tightening of the head bolts draw a white line on them makes getting the next two steps easier

 

The fan needs to come off to access all of the bolts that hold the front components on. Meaning the air conditioning compressor and alternator. I can't recall exactly whether they bolt into the heads or partially cover them but they have to come off. Maybe you could sneak extensions in through the fan but removing all of the bolts and pulleys necessary to get the front of the heads out would probably damage the fan.

A long wrench and rubber mallet get the fan out pretty quick.

Good tip is to put some cardboard in front of the radiator to protect it while you work.

 

Also to be sure my point and Dro's was understood, it is not a strength issue. With a long enough bar or wrench you can easily torque the bolts. But you have to have extensions on the socket and when you torque them the sockets tend to tip sideways and round the bolts or jump off. The second person holds the end of the ratchet and the extension and socket at a right angle to the bolt whole the first person pulls on the ratchet. Both jobs are pretty hard to do on the third tightening.

 

I used an impact wrench on my head bolts to get them off. Getting them off is the easy part. Getting the new bolts torqued down is the difficult part. I used an impact socket, not the impact wrench, and an extension. The only problem is, the socket likes to slip off the head of the bolt. I did it myself, but it would help to have another person to hold some pressure on the torque wrench to keep it on the bolt.

I think I had to remove pretty much everything off the front of the engine. It's really not that bad. There's basically just two big brackets you have to get off of there after you remove the A/C compressor, power steering pump, etc.

 

Hi

I made a start on the task and discovered a few clues as to shoddy previous maintenance.

For instance, the throttle body was held on by the two upper screws but neither lower screw was fitted... they are hard to get at but really?

One of the secondary air brackets was held on by one nut and as I fumble to remove the rear screws holding down the upper manifold.... I can only feel a hole.... no bolt head!

Based on this example of sloppy work I suspect that the heads might not have been torqued right and hence the blown gasket.

I shall continue with the strip down and report later.

Next issue.... blooming secondary air parts preventing removal... what size wrench is that? 24mm?

Nope 27mm, found on another forum!

Onwards and upwards

Geoff

 

When it comes to SAI parts, PB Blaster and time are your friends.

 

Hi

Brilliant advice. I sprayed the potion at the nuts, used a 1 1/16" wrench as 27mm not available, a sharp rap with a hammer on the end of the wrench and the nuts could be undone with my fingers... excellent!

That was the drivers side, now for the more crowded other side....

More haste less speed, alas, with this side as I should have held the 18mm nut on the front one, but spurred on by both coming undone easily I tried it on the front one and it twisted the pipe. I thought, what the hell and wound it out, breaking the pipe but figured I could get a used replacement when it came to reassembly....or even new part?

Anyway, the rear inaccessible nut was loose, I could feel it undo as soon as I fitted the wrench but could only undo it one flat at a time because the long wrench clobbered components if I tried more. That metal pipe whose support shared the secondary air bracket.. that 10mm nut was really tight. Fortunately I have a long Tommy bar.


Slight mystery with the bolts holding the rocker covers on.... I can undo the outer ones with an 8mm ring wrench...but the inners need a socket set. Oddly none of my small metric sockets, including 8mm, fit the bolt I took out....

But a 5/16" fitted it perfectly.... in my hand... not so much in the car.

Bloody screw has 12 points and my sockets 6....8

And autozone only sell 6 point....
Trying o'reilly... nope only in a $60 socket set and I want one 8mm socket

Both stores recommend Sears....

 

If it eases the pain of buying a whole set, you'll need a 12 point socket (12mm, if memory serves) to remove the calipers... which of course you will eventually have to do.

 

If I remember right, there is a hole with no bolt on the intake manifold.