That is it. The bracket will allow the intake manifold to be pulled away while removing the head after you unbolt it. This way, you won't have to unplug anything that isn't connected to the head in order to pull out the intake manifold. I will give you step-by-step head removal procedure as I did it. This is all assuming you have a vtec head. Procedures are a bit different but ultimately very similar.

1. Disconnect negative terminal of battery, drain coolant and engine oil.
2. Remove strut bar and intake piping.
3. Remove all hoses connected to head. There is one in back that connects to intake manifold under the distributor, a heater hose, upper radiator hose, and a water bypass hose. They are all on the distributor side of the motor.
4. Remove the vtec solenoid harness, water temperature sending wire, engine coolant temperature connector. These again are all on the distributor side of the motor.
5. Remove valve cover, engine ground cable, spark plug wires, and spark plugs.
6. Remove breather hose and the bolts holding the bracket to the power steering belt to the head. Then loosen the two bolts that adjust the tension of the ps belt and slide the bracket all the way loose.
7. Remove the cruise control actuator and move out of the way.
8. Remove the upper timing belt cover and loosen the timing belt using the tensioner. (Need little asian hands for this one.)
9. Move timing belt to TDC and mark the cam gears and belt exactly where they meet so that when reinstalling, you know exactly which way the belt goes on.
10. Start loosening the cam holders a quarter turn at a time starting from the middle and alternating your way out (so you don't warp them.)
11. Remove the cams and distributor and make a note of which way the distributor lobe was facing.
12. Remove mounting bolts from exhaust manifold and pull away from head. Remove the A/C condensor fan if you need more clearance.
13. Remove the bracket holding the intake manifold up and to the head.
14. Remove intake manifold bolts in a crosswise pattern. (The worst part of the job. Be very patient) Then pull intake manifold back so it clears the studs on the head.
15. Remove back cover to timing belt and a metal bracket next to the intake manifold that is right under the PS belt bracket.
16. With the cams out, the head bolts are now visible. Loosen them in a alternating fashion starting from the middle 2/3 turn at a time until they are loose enough to remove. A breaker bar comes in handy at this point.
17. Remove head bolts and remove the head after confirming everything is clear of it.

When reinstalling head, reverse the steps but you should get a service manual so that you know torque specs. Two critical specs are head bolts at 60 ft/lbs and cam holder bolts at 20 ft/lbs for the large ones and 7 ft/lbs for the smaller ones. Things you must replace: head gasket, head bolts, cam oil seals, intake manifold gasket, and exhaust manifold gasket. Things you should replace: head bolts, cam holder bolts (I had two seemingly good bolts snap on me on reinstallation), valve cover gasket, rubber cam cap, and valve seals.

The torque specs are very important for the head bolts since you don't want to do this again because of a blown headgasket because the bolts were torqued wrong. It is a very in-depth procedure for a first timer, so take your time and put everything in bags to avoid lost parts/confusion. And again, get a Helms manual since my writeup is most likely missing a few steps and it doesn't have the infinitely useful pictures to help guide you when you are lost.

Good luck with this if you do decide to do it.

 

^omg thanks a lot man. you've been a ton of help

 

I just have one question how do get the different pictures posted of people etc.

 

Get a picture and reduce the size of it in photshop. Then go to user control panel and edit avatar. There you will find the size you need to reduce it to and then just upload it.

No problem. PM me if you have any other questions.

 

i have another question. do i HAVE to remove the valve cover? is there anyway i can take it off without removing it? cuz tha bolts snapped off and i'm having some trouble removing it

 

Yes. You have to remove it so that you can remove the cams and timing belt along with the head bolts.

 

There ARE hoses going to the intake manifold and head that you must remove. You must also remove the valve cover, distributor, cam caps, and camshafts.

 

damn tha studs are busted though. anybody know any way i can remove tha valve cover like this? should i just drill a hole through it and use a crowbar or something?? i heard there was some kind of glue that would help gettin it out as well? i don't really care about doin damage to tha head i'm removing since its crap and its goin in tha garbage after this anyway lol. what ya'll think i should do?

 

you do have to take off the valve cover. I don't quite understand how it is stuck on. the studs are screwed into the head and then these little 10 mm nuts on top of these dinky little plastic washers hold the valve cover on. Is it possible that the the seal is just stuck and holding the cover on? if so yeah just get a big screw driver or something and start in a corner and pry it off.
Seems to me if you snaped some of the bolts off it would still come off. Even if those nuts are badly rounded a good pair of vise grips and some PB blaster should get them off no problem. Im not positive but i think the holes in the valve cover are bigger than the nuts, so if you got a benzomatic torch or something you could burn the washers out and then the cover would come right off. That is if you really don't care what happens to the cover.

 

:werd:

The bolts hold the valve cover down, so if the bolts are gone it should come off. Sometimes it takes a little wiggling, but it'll break loose.