I did this job last fall. It's not too hard - just take your time and be careful.
Here's an approximate set of instructions. I don't guarantee that they are complete so please use common sense if you choose to follow them.
- Remove the valve cover.
- Slowly turn the engine (using a breaker bar & socket on the crankshaft) to TDC of #1 cylinder (the pointer on the crankshaft should point at the "0T" mark). Don't turn the engine backwards!
- Use cable ties, wire, etc. to securely fasten the chain to the sprocket on the end of the camshaft. Also take a paint pen (or something similar) and mark the position of the chain relative to the sprocket, just to be safe.
- Loosen (or remove) the timing chain tensioner. See attached drawing for location.
- Unscrew the bolt holding the sprocket to the camshaft. You may need to stick a piece of wood or something through the sprocket and brace it against the cylinder head to prevent the engine from turning when you undo the bolt. You don't want to turn the engine when loosening the bolt.
- Remove the sprocket and allow the sprocket and chain to dangle there in place.
- Pick some sort of reference point and note the orientation of the camshaft (for reinstallation later). If I remember correctly, there should be a groove on the end closest to the front of the car that is facing up.
- Remove the camshaft bearing caps as shown in the attached image. This sequence is important and it relies upon previously rotating the engine to TDC as mentioned above.
- Remove the camshaft once the bearing caps are off.
- The lifters will now just lift out. Some sort of suction cup may help, but I was able to just use my fingers.
- The service manual says there's an oil bore you can blow out with compressed air. Apparently you remove a plug (location unknown to me) and blast air through this, which clears out the oil passages leading to the lifters. I couldn't tell where the plug was so I skipped this step without any apparent negative consequences.
- Drop the new lifters in. Be sure they're lubricated (mine were spectacularly greasy from the factory so I didn't add any oil).
- Reinstall the camshaft in the same position as when you removed it.
- Drizzle a small amount of fresh motor oil over the camshaft and lifters to make sure they're lubricated.
- Install the bearing caps, in the reverse order from how you removed them. Be careful here again!! The bearing caps are tightened to 25Nm (18.5 ft-lbs).
- Put the sprocket back on the camshaft. The hex-head bolt is tightened to 65Nm (48 ft-lbs). If it's a 12-point bolt, then it's tightened to 25Nm+90°.
- Reinstall/tighten the chain tensioner, 65Nm (48 ft-lbs).
- Once you're certain everything is in place, remove the ties you used to attach the chain to the sprocket.
- Clean the gasket and cylinder head surface and reinstall the valve cover (10Nm / 7 ft-lbs).
There are no special tools needed other than a variety of metric sockets and a torque wrench.