I decided it was time to have a good tech article with tons of photos on how to tear down a complete head and not get charged extra by the machine shop. I'm sure there are actual tools to do this type of work but my DSM is garage built, not bought so I try to do EVERYTHING I can myself.
I purchased a complete stock 7-bolt head that I was going to build while I was still daily driving my DSM, that way there would be no downtime. When I picked it up it still had all the components in it and I had no idea how to remove them before I took it down to the machine shop. My good friend and DSM buddy Kris, some of you may know him as banishedmunk, showed me a few tricks that I wanted to pass along to everyone on tuners since not all of us have knowledgeable DSM buddies.
TOOLS & MATERIALS
Lets get started with the basic tools that will get the job done, of course you can add to the arsenal but these are the basics. A 4" long 3/8" extension, a 17mm deep socket , a 12mm socket, 3/8" drive ratchet, needle nose pliers, and a rubber mallet it also wouldn't hurt to bring some muscle to the table either. You'll also want to grab a roll of paper towels since things can get a bit messy...
CAM CAP REMOVAL
Now in this case we're going to "imagine" that your rockers are still installed and the cam caps torqued down. First things first, we need to remove the 12 cam caps holding down the cams. (If you notice there are only 11 cam caps on this head, thats because the guy I bought if from misplaced one of them)
Pull out your 3/8" drive ratchet and 12mm socket and loosen all 24 bolts securing the cam caps in place. Leave the bolts inside the caps though, just make sure they aren't threaded in place so you can lift up on them.
Now to break the cam cap free pull out your rubber mallet and lift up the outside bolt so just he bottom of the threads are still in the cam cap. Gently hit the under the bolt until the outside of the cam cap lifts, relieving some pressure off the rocker. (CAUTION: IF THERE IS STILL SOME OIL IN THE HEAD IT WILL SQUIRT A BIT)
Once one side of the cap has lifted pull both cam cap bolts out a bit and squeeze them together. Rock the cap back and fourth working it off the top of the cam using the bolts for leverage.
Continue removing all the remaining cam caps using the method above and placing them and the bolts aside. After the cam caps are off the cams will lift out as well as the rockers. Your head should now look something like this...
VALVE SPRING, RETAINER, & LOCK REMOVAL
Here comes the fun part and I hope you ate your Wheaties for breakfast since you'll need to use a bit of muscle to get those valve springs loose. Attach your 4" extension to your 17mm deep socket and set it on the first valve spring like so...
Now pick up your rubber mallet and smack the top of the extension pretty hard until you knock the valve locks loose from around the stem of the valve, these are what keep tension on the valve spring/retainer.
Now that you know how to loosen up the valve springs, start hammering away because you've got 15 more to go. Keep track of your valve locks because you'll need all of them to build the head back up, theres (2) per valve so 32 total. Sometimes you'll get a pesky valve lock that just doesn't want to let go, it will look similar to the picture below. Just keep popping the valve spring with the 17mm and rubber mallet, eventually it will break free.
Once you get all the valve springs loose start pulling them and their retainers out of the head, also dig out all the valve locks too. I like to keep track of everything so I know I'm not missing a piece later.
This is what the head will look like with the valve springs, retainers, and locks removed.
VALVE REMOVAL
Removing the valves is quick and easy and doesn't require any hammering so you can put that mallet down. Just tilt the head, pressing the valve stem as far into the valve guide as you can.
This will push it out the bottom of the head so you can slide them out, remove one side at a time...
VALVE SEAL REMOVAL
Pull out your needle nose pliers and gently grip around both sides of the valve seal working it off the valve guide. Be extremely gentle doing this because if you don't plan on replacing your valve guides theres a chance you could damage them.
There are 16 valves so there are 16 valve seals, I wouldn't recommend reusing them but keep track so you know you didn't miss one.
LASH ADJUSTER (LIFTER) REMOVAL
Again, we get to use our needle nose pliers to pull out our lifters just be sure you have something to protect the ends of them if you plan on reusing them. I didn't reuse mine since I upgraded to the revised lifters however, I still used a paper towel to protect the ends so I didn't do any damage pulling them out.
CONGRATS!!!!
You've torn all the components off the head that you can, now all thats left is putting the cam caps back on and taking the trip down to the machine shop to get it resurfaced and cleaned.
Hopefully this tech article makes you feel more comfortable tackling your head and removing the components yourself, saving you a little bit of cash. If you have any questions feel free to send me a PM and I'll be more than happy to help you!
See you around the forum!
-Corey
I purchased a complete stock 7-bolt head that I was going to build while I was still daily driving my DSM, that way there would be no downtime. When I picked it up it still had all the components in it and I had no idea how to remove them before I took it down to the machine shop. My good friend and DSM buddy Kris, some of you may know him as banishedmunk, showed me a few tricks that I wanted to pass along to everyone on tuners since not all of us have knowledgeable DSM buddies.
TOOLS & MATERIALS
Lets get started with the basic tools that will get the job done, of course you can add to the arsenal but these are the basics. A 4" long 3/8" extension, a 17mm deep socket , a 12mm socket, 3/8" drive ratchet, needle nose pliers, and a rubber mallet it also wouldn't hurt to bring some muscle to the table either. You'll also want to grab a roll of paper towels since things can get a bit messy...
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
CAM CAP REMOVAL
Now in this case we're going to "imagine" that your rockers are still installed and the cam caps torqued down. First things first, we need to remove the 12 cam caps holding down the cams. (If you notice there are only 11 cam caps on this head, thats because the guy I bought if from misplaced one of them)
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Pull out your 3/8" drive ratchet and 12mm socket and loosen all 24 bolts securing the cam caps in place. Leave the bolts inside the caps though, just make sure they aren't threaded in place so you can lift up on them.
Now to break the cam cap free pull out your rubber mallet and lift up the outside bolt so just he bottom of the threads are still in the cam cap. Gently hit the under the bolt until the outside of the cam cap lifts, relieving some pressure off the rocker. (CAUTION: IF THERE IS STILL SOME OIL IN THE HEAD IT WILL SQUIRT A BIT)
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Once one side of the cap has lifted pull both cam cap bolts out a bit and squeeze them together. Rock the cap back and fourth working it off the top of the cam using the bolts for leverage.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Continue removing all the remaining cam caps using the method above and placing them and the bolts aside. After the cam caps are off the cams will lift out as well as the rockers. Your head should now look something like this...
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
VALVE SPRING, RETAINER, & LOCK REMOVAL
Here comes the fun part and I hope you ate your Wheaties for breakfast since you'll need to use a bit of muscle to get those valve springs loose. Attach your 4" extension to your 17mm deep socket and set it on the first valve spring like so...
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Now pick up your rubber mallet and smack the top of the extension pretty hard until you knock the valve locks loose from around the stem of the valve, these are what keep tension on the valve spring/retainer.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Now that you know how to loosen up the valve springs, start hammering away because you've got 15 more to go. Keep track of your valve locks because you'll need all of them to build the head back up, theres (2) per valve so 32 total. Sometimes you'll get a pesky valve lock that just doesn't want to let go, it will look similar to the picture below. Just keep popping the valve spring with the 17mm and rubber mallet, eventually it will break free.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Once you get all the valve springs loose start pulling them and their retainers out of the head, also dig out all the valve locks too. I like to keep track of everything so I know I'm not missing a piece later.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
This is what the head will look like with the valve springs, retainers, and locks removed.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
VALVE REMOVAL
Removing the valves is quick and easy and doesn't require any hammering so you can put that mallet down. Just tilt the head, pressing the valve stem as far into the valve guide as you can.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
This will push it out the bottom of the head so you can slide them out, remove one side at a time...
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
VALVE SEAL REMOVAL
Pull out your needle nose pliers and gently grip around both sides of the valve seal working it off the valve guide. Be extremely gentle doing this because if you don't plan on replacing your valve guides theres a chance you could damage them.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
There are 16 valves so there are 16 valve seals, I wouldn't recommend reusing them but keep track so you know you didn't miss one.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
LASH ADJUSTER (LIFTER) REMOVAL
Again, we get to use our needle nose pliers to pull out our lifters just be sure you have something to protect the ends of them if you plan on reusing them. I didn't reuse mine since I upgraded to the revised lifters however, I still used a paper towel to protect the ends so I didn't do any damage pulling them out.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
CONGRATS!!!!
You've torn all the components off the head that you can, now all thats left is putting the cam caps back on and taking the trip down to the machine shop to get it resurfaced and cleaned.
You must be logged in to view this image or video.
Hopefully this tech article makes you feel more comfortable tackling your head and removing the components yourself, saving you a little bit of cash. If you have any questions feel free to send me a PM and I'll be more than happy to help you!
See you around the forum!
-Corey
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