Cylinder Head Assembly: Service and Repair

1. Disconnect battery ground cable and drain cooling system.
2. Remove air cleaner and disconnect control cables from throttle lever and brackets.
3. Disconnect radiator, breather and PCV hoses, and on Raider, disconnect power steering breather pipe.
4. On models with A/C, loosen compressor drive belt tensioner and remove drive belt.
5. On all models, mark and disconnect necessary electrical connectors, fuel and water hoses, and vacuum hoses, then release harness clips and secure harnesses aside to prevent damage.
6. Disconnect exhaust pipe from manifold.
7. Remove distributor cap and plug wires, and the rocker cover, gasket and semi-circular packing.

Fig. 6 Camshaft sprocket & timing chain timing mark alignment. 2600cc engines:

8. Rotate crankshaft clockwise until No. 1 cylinder is at TDC on compression stroke and camshaft sprocket timing mark and plated link on timing chain are aligned as shown in Fig. 6.
9. Mark position of distributor rotor and installation position of distributor, then remove distributor. Do not rotate crankshaft with distributor removed.
10. Remove camshaft sprocket bolt and distributor drive gear.
11. Separate camshaft sprocket leaving timing chain on sprocket, then seat sprocket and chain assembly on sprocket holder inside timing cover. Maintain tension on chain and do not allow chain to come off sprocket. Do not rotate crankshaft with camshaft sprocket removed.

Fig. 7 Cylinder head bolt loosening sequence. 2600cc engines (Typical):

12. Remove cylinder head attaching bolts in sequence shown in Fig. 7. Loosen bolts evenly, in three steps, to prevent cylinder head warpage, then remove cylinder head and gasket. Take care not to dislodge camshaft sprocket during cylinder head removal.
13. Reverse procedure to install, noting the following:
a. Do not apply sealer to cylinder head gasket. Apply a thin bead of sealer at joint between timing cover and cylinder block.
b. Prior to installing cylinder head on engine, ensure that crankshaft and camshaft timing marks are aligned.

Fig. 8 Cylinder head bolt tightening sequence. 2600cc engines (Typical):

c. Tighten cylinder head bolts 1 thru 10 to 89 to 98 Nm (65 to 72 ft. lbs.) in sequence shown in Fig. 8. Tighten the two number 11 bolts to 15 to 21 Nm. (11 to 15 ft. lbs.) .Tighten bolts in two steps to ensure proper seating of cylinder head to cylinder block.

Fig. 6 Camshaft sprocket & timing chain timing mark alignment. 2600cc engines:

d. Install sprocket and chain on camshaft, then the distributor drive gear and sprocket bolt, and torque bolt to 37-43 ft. lbs. Ensure that timing marks are aligned, Fig. 6.
e. Install distributor, aligning matching marks made during disassembly.
f. When installing rocker cover, apply 3M sealant 8660 or equivalent to semi-circular packing.