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3.8l V6 Cam/Heads Swap Guide by Magnus
Tools needed:
Basic hand tools – Hammers, screwdrivers (all sizes), etc.
Metric sockets, extensions and wrenches. Deep and shallow will help. Ratcheting wrenches will help greatly. ¼” drive, 3/8” drive and ½ drive preferable.
A ½” impact gun, with larger sized deep sockets. Breaker bar can be used, but impact is much easier.
A Harmonic balancer pulley removal tool. This can be rented from auto parts store if you don’t have one.
Fuel Line disconnect tool. This can be rented as well.
Torx bits
Preperation:
Disconnect the battery.
Drain the coolant – Pull the lower hose from the radiator and let it drain. Then pull out the passenger side knock sensor and let it drain the block. If you skip the part, prepare to be soaked in coolant later on.
Remove both radiator hoses.
Remove the intake from the throttle body to the filter.
Loosen the bolts on the water pump pulley. – Don’t take them out yet.
Remove the bolt from the harmonic balancer. –Blast it with the impact gun and you’re done in no time. Or fight with a breaker bar and 10 ft of piping used as a cheater bar.
Remove the belt.
Remove the water pump pulley.
Remove the harmonic balance pulley. –You did get the harmonic balancer puller didn’t you?
Drain the fuel rail. – Remove the cap from the valve on the fuel line, use a Schrader valve core puller tool to remove the valve core, or just press down on it with a small screwdriver, etc. Have a rag wrapped around the rail so fuel doesn’t spray everywhere.
Disconnect the fuel lines from the fuel rail.
Drain the oil.
Basic Disassembly:
Remove the alternator.
Remove the EGR system, brackets and tubes.
Remove the spark plug wires.
Remove the spark plugs.
Unplug the wiring harness from the throttle body.
Remove the coil packs and unbolt the wiring harness from ICM.
Unplug the injectors from the harness.
Remove the fuel rail.
Remove the coil pack mounting rail.
Remove the black bracket on passenger size over the valve cover.
Remove heater coolant hoses from top passenger side of front cover. The gray plastic covers turn to remove the hoses.
Remove the valve covers.
Remove the rocker arms. -Mark or set them in a way that they can be put back on the same place.
Remove the rocker arm pedestals.
Remove the pushrods. -Mark or set them in a way that they can be put back on the same place.
Remove the upper intake manifold (plenum). -Note the location of the o-rings, etc. Don’t forget, maybe draw it or take a picture.
Remove the lower intake manifold. -There are two bolts inside, driver rear and passenger front. NOTE - There is a black plastic tube under the front of the lower intake manifold that connects to the front cover, it is hard to see and easy to break. Unbolt the manifold and make sure it is loose, then grab it by the back by the firewall and rotate it towards the front of the car (essentially flipping it over almost). When it’s about upside down, you can pull gently towards the front of the car to remove it. Many have broken this part.
Remove the lifter guides. – Careful they are plastic.
Remove the lifters. -Mark or set them in a way that they can be put back on the same place.
Remove the exhaust manifolds/headers.
Remove the cylinder heads. Do not pry on the mating surface to separate the two. Be careful.
Unplug all wires still connected to the front cover (crank pickup, cam pickup, etc.)
Remove crank sensor pickup and plastic brackets.
Remove the front cover. –You drained the coolant and oil right?
Put the crank bolt back in, line up the dots on the crank sprocket and cam sprocket.
Remove the crank bolt.
Remove the timing chain damper.
Remove the bolt from the cam sprocket.
Remove the cam sprocket/crank sprocket/timing chain all together.
Remove the cam gear that runs the balancer shaft.
Remove the plate covering the cam. –Be very careful with the bolts.
Remove the fans from the radiator. –I have heard you don’t have to, but it gives you a lot more space to get the cam out.
Remove the cam. – Be very careful. Pull it STRAIGHT out. Don’t pull very hard at all, and don’t wiggle it. You can rotate it back and forth slightly to help get it out. If you damage a bearing your motor is destroyed. Be very careful.
Congrats! You are done disassembling the motor for a heads/cam swap.
Assembly goes in reverse of the disassembly.
For pictures of a heads/cam install, check out Magnus' website where he has detailed the whole process. http://www.dxsoftware.com/magnus/v6headscam.htm
Tools needed:
Basic hand tools – Hammers, screwdrivers (all sizes), etc.
Metric sockets, extensions and wrenches. Deep and shallow will help. Ratcheting wrenches will help greatly. ¼” drive, 3/8” drive and ½ drive preferable.
A ½” impact gun, with larger sized deep sockets. Breaker bar can be used, but impact is much easier.
A Harmonic balancer pulley removal tool. This can be rented from auto parts store if you don’t have one.
Fuel Line disconnect tool. This can be rented as well.
Torx bits
Preperation:
Disconnect the battery.
Drain the coolant – Pull the lower hose from the radiator and let it drain. Then pull out the passenger side knock sensor and let it drain the block. If you skip the part, prepare to be soaked in coolant later on.
Remove both radiator hoses.
Remove the intake from the throttle body to the filter.
Loosen the bolts on the water pump pulley. – Don’t take them out yet.
Remove the bolt from the harmonic balancer. –Blast it with the impact gun and you’re done in no time. Or fight with a breaker bar and 10 ft of piping used as a cheater bar.
Remove the belt.
Remove the water pump pulley.
Remove the harmonic balance pulley. –You did get the harmonic balancer puller didn’t you?
Drain the fuel rail. – Remove the cap from the valve on the fuel line, use a Schrader valve core puller tool to remove the valve core, or just press down on it with a small screwdriver, etc. Have a rag wrapped around the rail so fuel doesn’t spray everywhere.
Disconnect the fuel lines from the fuel rail.
Drain the oil.
Basic Disassembly:
Remove the alternator.
Remove the EGR system, brackets and tubes.
Remove the spark plug wires.
Remove the spark plugs.
Unplug the wiring harness from the throttle body.
Remove the coil packs and unbolt the wiring harness from ICM.
Unplug the injectors from the harness.
Remove the fuel rail.
Remove the coil pack mounting rail.
Remove the black bracket on passenger size over the valve cover.
Remove heater coolant hoses from top passenger side of front cover. The gray plastic covers turn to remove the hoses.
Remove the valve covers.
Remove the rocker arms. -Mark or set them in a way that they can be put back on the same place.
Remove the rocker arm pedestals.
Remove the pushrods. -Mark or set them in a way that they can be put back on the same place.
Remove the upper intake manifold (plenum). -Note the location of the o-rings, etc. Don’t forget, maybe draw it or take a picture.
Remove the lower intake manifold. -There are two bolts inside, driver rear and passenger front. NOTE - There is a black plastic tube under the front of the lower intake manifold that connects to the front cover, it is hard to see and easy to break. Unbolt the manifold and make sure it is loose, then grab it by the back by the firewall and rotate it towards the front of the car (essentially flipping it over almost). When it’s about upside down, you can pull gently towards the front of the car to remove it. Many have broken this part.
Remove the lifter guides. – Careful they are plastic.
Remove the lifters. -Mark or set them in a way that they can be put back on the same place.
Remove the exhaust manifolds/headers.
Remove the cylinder heads. Do not pry on the mating surface to separate the two. Be careful.
Unplug all wires still connected to the front cover (crank pickup, cam pickup, etc.)
Remove crank sensor pickup and plastic brackets.
Remove the front cover. –You drained the coolant and oil right?
Put the crank bolt back in, line up the dots on the crank sprocket and cam sprocket.
Remove the crank bolt.
Remove the timing chain damper.
Remove the bolt from the cam sprocket.
Remove the cam sprocket/crank sprocket/timing chain all together.
Remove the cam gear that runs the balancer shaft.
Remove the plate covering the cam. –Be very careful with the bolts.
Remove the fans from the radiator. –I have heard you don’t have to, but it gives you a lot more space to get the cam out.
Remove the cam. – Be very careful. Pull it STRAIGHT out. Don’t pull very hard at all, and don’t wiggle it. You can rotate it back and forth slightly to help get it out. If you damage a bearing your motor is destroyed. Be very careful.
Congrats! You are done disassembling the motor for a heads/cam swap.
Assembly goes in reverse of the disassembly.
For pictures of a heads/cam install, check out Magnus' website where he has detailed the whole process. http://www.dxsoftware.com/magnus/v6headscam.htm
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