Pulling the head on my 98 TJ 2.5

[Marty]

Any one have any advice on pulling the head on my 98 TJ, I've got the Exaust and Intake manifold loose, and I'm getting ready to pull the head can I just unbolt head break seal and lift off? I was reading about pulling the connecting rods and it seemed to be saying that I needed to have each cylinder TDC before pulling that connecting rod. but if I'm pulling entire head? I'll be taking the head to s&s machine shop in Mesa any one used these guys They specialize in doing heads.

Breif history (Ive had a crack in the top of my tank for some time, I Hadnt fixed it because I'd been debating on setting up a fuel cell versuse not having a rear seat. Last Fiday it finally came back to bite me in the rear. I hit a flooded street pretty hard and about 5 min. later my engine started sputtering and I lost a lot of power. After a bit of trial and error (drained tank) I did a compression test and found 0 compression on #3 added some oil through spark plug opening still no compression, So I'm guessing its something to do with the valves etc.)
Thanks Marty (hope this all makes since)

[OlneyJeeps]

Make sure you have all head bolts off :eek:

try to push all antifreeze out ( with lower radiator hose disconnected, blow through upper heater hose that goes inoo head)

use BFH on 2x4 (or other piece of wood) to break seal (if seal dosen't break very easily, triple check all head bolts are off... some are under stuff like rocker arms etc.)

[danno]

You will not need to pull the connecting rods... These are what connects the piston to the crankshaft. Usually it is best to pull the pushrods and the lifters... and mark them specifically for which cylinders that they came from...

I am not familiar with this engine, so you may want to consult a Haynes manual or a Factory Service Manual for the specifics.