TOP END DISASSEMBLY
Preliminary Instructions
Prior to starting any repair or maintenance operation.
Make sure you are familiar with ALL safety warnings and
procedures as outlined in
SECTION 1 - SAFETY AND
GENERAL INFORMATION - Safety Information
.
ALWAYS wear safety glasses and gloves while performing
any maintenance and repair operation.
Top End Disassembly
1. See
SECTION 4 - REMOVE EXTERNAL ASSEMBLIES
for component removal necessary to access the engine
cylinder heads.
2. Thoroughly clean exterior surfaces of engine prior to
disassembly. Proceed as follows:
NOTE:
Dirt caked on cooling fins and other areas can fall
into cylinder bore or stick to subassemblies as parts are
removed. Abrasive particles can damage machined surfaces
and plug oil passageways.
A. Remove all loose debris by hand.
B. Remove dust and dirt with a soft bristle brush and a
portable hand held vacuum.
C. Gently scrape away stubborn accumulations of dirt
and other deposits using a plastic putty knife or stiff
bristle brush.
D. Apply a light solvent to bristle brush to loosen and
remove grit and oily residue, if necessary.
3. Thoroughly clean area around spark plugs to keep dirt
and debris out of combustion chambers.
4. Remove spark plug (
A
, Figure 94) from cylinder head
using a 5/8 inch spark plug wrench.
5. Remove the 4 fasteners (
B
) that secure the valve cover
(
C
) and lifting bracket (
D
) to the cylinder head.
NOTE:
Depending on your engine model trim and
configuration, additional brackets may be attached to the
cylinder head. For example, on carbureted engines, the fuel
pump mounting bracket is attached to the cylinder head
with the valve cover fasteners. Take note of any additional
mounting brackets and their orientation prior to disassembly.
6. Remove the valve cover from the cylinder head and
discard the old valve cover gasket (
E
).
7. Move piston of first cylinder to Top Dead Center (TDC) of
the compression stroke. Proceed as follows:
NOTE:
Disassembly with the valve train loaded can result in
bent push rods.
A. While rotating flywheel end of crankshaft by hand
in the direction of engine rotation, watch the rocker
arms to determine the action of the valves. After
the exhaust valve closes, the intake valve begins to
open.
B. When the intake valve closes (so that both valves
are closed with the rocker arms loose), insert a
wooden dowel through the spark plug hole until
seated at the top of the piston.
C. Rotate engine in the same direction until the piston
pushes the wooden dowel to its highest point. This is
TDC of the compression stroke.
8. Loosen hex lock nuts (
F
) and remove the T-40 TORX
adjuster screws (
G
) from rocker arms (
H
). Remove hex
flange screws (
I
), fulcrums (
J
), and rocker arms from
cylinder head.
9. Remove the intake and exhaust push rods (
K
).
10. Repeat steps 4-9 on the opposite cylinder.
11. Remove 6 cylinder head bolts (
L
) to release cylinder
head (
M
) from crankcase (
N
).
12. Remove cylinder head from 2 locating pins (
O
) cylinder
deck.
13. Remove and discard the old cylinder head gasket (
P
).
14. Remove locating pins from cylinder deck and set
aside. Make sure to note their location to ensure they are
reinstalled in the correct position.
15. See
SECTION 6 - SERVICE ENGINE
SUBASSEMBLIES, CYLINDER HEAD.
81
Summary of Contents for BIG BLOCK M540000
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