What kind of socket do I need for my head bolts on an 89 pu w/ 3.0L V6? It's a weird many sided star shaped bolt. Will a 12 sided socket work or is it a special socket? If all I need is 12 sided socket, what size is it? FSM gives no help on this, any help/advice greatly appreciated.

 

Yep, you just need a 12 point socket. It will be either 12mm or 14mm. The head bolts on my '95 were 12mm, but I think the older 3vze engines used 14mm.

 

Chicken Lover, were you able to extract all the headbolts with the cams in place with those 12mm headbolts?

benwahballs - my '90 3vze had 12pt 14mm headbolts, so just go by your nearest sears and find those two sizes in the craftsman line up. Youll want that warrenty too, since to pop the head bolts loose you'll likely be putting 100+ftlbs of torque on em... I know my passenger bank was insane how much they were torqued down!!!

 

No, my cams had to come off. But I was using a 1/2" socket and extension. I'm not sure if you could do it with 3/8" or not.