Front Cover: You'll need to get the correct tool to remove the cam/waterpump pulley from the camshaft. I think I got mine off of amazon. Here is one from
Harbor Freight You should be able to rent from an auto parts store at a minimum. See the pictures for reference
Tools needed:
Socket wrench set
Pulley removal tool
Flathead screwdriver
Torque Wrench
Brake Clean and Rags
You have to remove the top radiator support/cover (a whole lot of 10mm bolts and nuts and I think two 13mm bolts) and the plastic engine cover for clearance.
The vacuum hose that connects to the valve cover needs to come off (just pull it out from the cover and the throttle body and set it aside)
The four spark plug wires need to be pulled off (plugs can be left in place). Be sure to keep track of which one is which, ask me why haha
The egr tube..at least I think that's what its called..needs to come off for clearance (just one 10mm bolt each end, real simple.) It's that aluminum looking tube near the cam cover on the driver's side of the engine
The
water pump belt tensioner cover, tensioner, and belt need to be removed for clearance.(10mm nuts on the cover, 10mm studs on the actual tensioner.)
The cam pulley needs to be removed from the cam with the tool. I found a post by
bobsblue95 showing the tool and the procedure to remove the pulley
I've had these photos for a while, figured this thread could use them.
Here is the proper tool for pulley removal. Just line up the two halves with the non-beveled side towards the pulley...
Slide the ring over the halves, securing the puller to the pulley...
Now screw in the big, flat-bottom bolt to pull the pulley...
Reinstallation uses this dual-stage bolt that screws into the camshaft...
Now wrench to press the pulley on until the tool bottoms out on the camshaft (pulley flush with end.)
HTH!
Once you get the pulley off, remove the cam shaft seal that was obstructed by the pulley, they are the three smaller bolts you see in the second to last picture.
You'll have to pull the wire clip to the alternator off of the cover where it attaches, you can leave the wires connected...just need to get it off of the cover and out of the way.
After everything is removed you can start loosening the 10mm bolts on the cover. I can't think exactly how many there are off the top of my head but there's more than a few. You can get to all of them but some of them you have to be more creative;
You can get to around the power steering hose to the bolt but it takes some finesse. Remove if you find it easier.
Once you get them all off the cover should be loose enough to pull off without too much effort. You're going to want to lift the left (passenger) side of the cover first to get it over the timing chain and sprockets, slide it to the right (drivers) side as you lift. Be sure that as you lift you're not catching the end of the cam where the pulley was because you can snap the cam end off easier than you'd think.
You can get around the upper radiator hose but it might be easier just to remove it. I didn't remove either the power steering or the radiator hose because I didn't want to deal with the mess haha.
Clean up the gasket mating surfaces. I used brake clean and a rag. Don't use any metal tools like a scraper or screwdriver, you'll damage the mating surface!
After that it's just a matter of doing everything backwards. I couldn't find an exact tightening sequence for the valve cover fasteners but I believe the bolts are supposed to be 89 INCH/lbs. I started from the center and worked my way out.
It's really not TOO difficult, it's just time consuming. Feel free to ask any questions you might have if this wasn't in depth enough.
Rear Cover:Tools needed:
10mm socket
10mm Deep Socket
7mm Deep Socket
All the bolts/nuts besides the one that connects the body harness (I assume that's what the harness is) are 10mm.
Universal adapter for the hard to reach bolts (optional)
Short, medium, long extensions for socket wrench
Torque wrench capable of tightening to 89 inch/pounds
A set of ratcheting wrenches couldn't hurt.
Flathead screwdriver.
Good light source
Brake clean and rags
Someone to help you move things aside/zipties
Start by removing a 10mm bolt holding down the body harness to the cruise control bracket. Then remove the cruise control bracket and the electrical connector to the cruise control and flip the whole assembly out of the way towards the driver's side.
Then disconnect the body harness (7 mm bolt) and zip tie each end up and out of the way (I used the wiper arm).
Once that is out of the way you can remove the coil pack assembly. 4 10mm bolts, one each side and two in back. The two in back are rather difficult to reach but they are possible (most of this job I spent kneeling on the radiator support hunched over the engine haha). One of the rear bolts holds a ground cable too, don't forget to reattach when you put everything back. The coil pack has two connectors each side, you can't mix them up so don't worry. I left the front spark plug wires attached, but remove the four spark plug wires from the rear plugs and then swing the whole assembly forward. I placed it on the junction/fuse box in front of the torque axis mount. You can remove all plug wires and remove from car if desired.
Remove the PCV valve from the grommet and remove the vacuum line from the intake. Set both aside.
Next remove the evap purge solenoid (little plastic solenoid with a vacuum line each end on the passenger side of the valve cover). It is held in place by one 10mm bolt. Squeeze the end of the vacuum lines and pull off to disconnect. Remove the electrical connector. Remove the straight ended vacuum line from the solenoid and from the intake manifold and set aside. The curved line flexes to the driver side where it connects by the fuel lines, so you can push it aside and leave connected.
There are two spots where the large wire harness connects to the valve cover with metal brackets. Remove each bracket (1 10mm bolt a piece) and set aside after you unclip the harness from them. Lastly, unclip the connector on the cam sensor and the connector for what I believe is for the starter. These are both on the very right (passenger) side of the valve cover. There is also a wire clip holding the starter harness to the cover, use the flathead to pop that open too. Now you can go ahead and push the whole harness down below the head/valve cover and out of the way (it will still be in the way on the driver's side but this step is completely necessary for clearance)
Remove one 10 mm nut on the bracket for the A/C lines on the passenger side strut tower. Bend the bracket out and push out the lines so they are semi-moveable. This is needed for clearance.
Now you're ready to start unbolting the cover. There are I believe 9 bolts. 4 on top 4 on bottom and one on the driver's side. The one in the very corner on the bottom passenger side will give you the most trouble. There is a plastic box in the way that I believe holds the AC evaporator (but don't quote me on that) You can get it with a socket and small extension and by forcing the box over a little bit. The other bottom bolts you aren't able to see but you can feel them and get the socket on them rather easily. The other one that will give you trouble is the one on the driver's side of the cover. There is a metal bracket there that JUST hits the socket on the side enough to make it difficult. All of the bolts just need to be cracked with the wrench a bit and you should be able to thread them out with the socket by hand.
Now comes removing the cover. This is where a helping hand comes in...well...handy. You can do it without but it'd be easier with someone holding the wire harness up on the Driver's side for clearance. Have them pull up on the harness while you push up on the A/C lines and lift your end of the cover over the cam sprockets. then you should be able to slide it out.
Remove the old gasket and clean up the cover. I used brake clean and a rag and a plastic straw from the brake clean to get into the grooves for the gasket mating surface. You'll probably notice there is paint on the inside of the cover that is flaking off. The brake clean takes care of a lot of this. Use some compressed air to get the flakes and the brake clean out of the cover. I only used the brake clean on the mating surfaces and not on the actual inside of the cover as I don't want any residue inside the engine. Be sure the brake clean is completely evaporated and then press in the new gasket. Pull out the bolts and clean them up then put the new gaskets on them and press them into the cover. Don't forget about the rings for the spark plug holes. Now would also be a good time to replace the PCV grommet as they can become like mush from the heat and oil.
Clean up the mating surface on the engine. I used a rag and brake clean. Spray the rag with brake clean and rub. Don't use any kind of metal scraper/screwdriver here as you could damage the mating surface.
Putting the cover on was actually easier than removal for me. Have a helper hold up the wire harness again. Get the cover over the cam sprockets.Basically the main goal here is don't dislodge the gasket from the cover. Once that's on tighten up the cover. I started from the center and worked my way out like with the front cover. 89 INCH/lbs per bolt. After that start replacing everything you unbolted in the reverse of removal.
All in all a difficult but not impossible job.
I took some pics with the cover off.
You can see the body harness unbolted and zip tied out of the way, and also the wire harness that needs to be lifted out of the way/pushed down below the head.
