billythor

I am about to start the process of replacing the head gasket on my 2004 Impala, 3.4 L V6, 154,000 miles. It is running hot, and pouring coolant from around the head bolts in the front right (looking down at the engine from the front). I haven't seen any traces of coolant in the oil yet, thank goodness. I need to get access to a good online repair manual. I would rather have a downloadable book compared to a paper one, if possible.

Any opinions as to which one is the best? I need as much detail as possible for this job, so I don't mind paying a little for it. Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks!

billythor

This one looked good - if anybody is interested, check it out on ebay:

It was $20, and claims to have 8GB of OEM information, here is a quote:

MyBowTieGuy

Billy,

Have you replaced the head gasket yet on your '04 Impala? If not then I have just replaced the right side cylinder head (gasket included) on a customer's car the other day and I'd like to share a nice write-up with you

1) Relieve the fuel system pressure.

2) Drain the cooling system.

3) Remove or disconnect the following:

Throttle body air inlet duct
Fuel injector sight shield
Accessory drive belt
Alternator
Catalytic converter from the exhaust manifold
Engine mount struts
Place the transmission in neutral and rotate the engine forward for access.
Remove or disconnect the following:
Drive belt tensioner
Power steering pump without disconnecting the lines
Heater hoses from the engine
Spark plug wires
Oxygen Sensor (O2S) electrical connector
Throttle and cruise control cables
Fuel lines from the fuel rail
Fuel rail
Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) valve heat shield
EGR valve
EGR valve outlet pipe
EGR valve adapter
Upper intake manifold
Lower intake manifold
Exhaust crossover pipe
Right exhaust manifold
Rocker arm cover
Rocker arms and pushrods
Cylinder head



1) Install a new cylinder head gasket with the arrow pointing to the front of the engine.

2) Install the cylinder head and secure with NEW head bolts. Torque the bolts, in sequence, as follows:

Step 1: 37 ft. lbs. (50 Nm).
Step 2: Plus a 120 degree turn.

3) Install or connect the following:

Push rods and rocker arms
Rocker arm cover and torque the bolts to 89 inch lbs. (10 Nm)
Right exhaust manifold and torque the bolts to 22 ft. lbs. (30 Nm)
Exhaust crossover pipe and torque the nuts to 18 ft. lbs. (25 Nm)
Lower intake manifold and torque the bolts to 11 ft. lbs. (15 Nm)
Upper intake manifold and torque the bolts to 89 inch lbs. (10 Nm)
EGR valve adapter and torque the bolts to 37 ft. lbs. (50 Nm)
EGR valve outlet pipe and torque the bolts to 21 ft. lbs. (29 Nm)
EGR valve and torque the nuts to 21 ft. lbs. (29 Nm)
EGR valve heat shield and torque the bolts to 89 inch lbs. (10 Nm)
Fuel rail
Fuel lines to the fuel rail
Throttle and cruise control cables
O2S electrical connector
Spark plugs and torque them to 20 ft. lbs. (27 Nm)
Spark plug wires
Heater hoses
Power steering pump and torque the bolts to 25 ft. lbs. (34 Nm)
Drive belt tensioner and torque the bolts to 37 ft. lbs. (50 Nm)

4) Carefully return the engine to its proper position.

5) Place the transmission in park.

6) Install or connect the following:

Throttle body air inlet duct
Engine mount struts and torque the bolts to 35 ft. lbs. (48 Nm)
Catalytic converter and torque the bolts to 26 ft. lbs. (35 Nm)
Alternator and torque the bolts to 37 ft. lbs. (50 Nm)
Accessory drive belt
Fuel injector sight shield
Negative battery cable

7) Refill the cooling system.

8) Start the engine and check for leaks.

**Additional ref material: '04 Impala cylinder head diagram <- click the 'get info' button up near the top and a window pops up. Hit 'go' and the diagram will display.


I realize that you just have to replace the gasket and not the entire cylinder head so some of these steps may be unnecessary for you

in2pro

All Data diy is also an excellent source of repair info if you are not able to locate factory repair manuals -> ALLDATAdiy.com :: Leading Source of Diagnostic and Repair Information

MDTAHOE

Alldata is a direct copy of the factory manual. It is one of the most popular used by independent shops