Need confirmation, and advice.

[bmn1965]

Part of my head cleaning included taking off the valves, cleaning valve seats, and lapping the valves ever so slightly. I don't have much of experience here, but in a few heads I've worked on the worn valve guides manifested themselves quite clearly.

Nothing beats clean heads with shaved mating surfaces, though.

Not always!!!!

 

[enjoi1968]

knewsome- I've done HG on my D1 twice, once in a shop setting and once in the front yard. You'll be fine, just invest in some hobo gloves.

oh and have fun with the DS rear head bolt.

 

[knewsom]

How dirty is dirty?

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWPF5cZyI/AAAAAAAAALE/m_faSRcrv5k/s1024/IMG_0603.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWPiRB75I/AAAAAAAAALI/QrGN2wsc6E0/s1024/IMG_0604.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWQOOmmYI/AAAAAAAAALM/GxH97lS8PAY/s1024/IMG_0606.jpg


And this is just the rocker arm assemblies and the valve-cover gaskets! These pictures hardly do it justice. Yikes! I'm still debating the best way to clean all this - leaning towards a soak in a rubbermade tub with a very very high concentration of laundry detergent, hot water, and maybe some sort of degreaser/solvent, like googone. I'm leaning away from gasoline and laquer thinner because I'm indoors in a big parking garage - don't want to stink up the whole building.

 

[ptschram]

How dirty is dirty?

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWPF5cZyI/AAAAAAAAALE/m_faSRcrv5k/s1024/IMG_0603.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWPiRB75I/AAAAAAAAALI/QrGN2wsc6E0/s1024/IMG_0604.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWQOOmmYI/AAAAAAAAALM/GxH97lS8PAY/s1024/IMG_0606.jpg


And this is just the rocker arm assemblies and the valve-cover gaskets! These pictures hardly do it justice. Yikes! I'm still debating the best way to clean all this - leaning towards a soak in a rubbermade tub with a very very high concentration of laundry detergent, hot water, and maybe some sort of degreaser/solvent, like googone. I'm leaning away from gasoline and laquer thinner because I'm indoors in a big parking garage - don't want to stink up the whole building.

Have them cleaned by the machine shop that's doing your head work. If it's that bad, it will be well worth it to you.

When I worked on airplanes, the shop had a hot tank, cold tank and a vapor degreaser. I loved putting together parts that looked brand new!

 

[ptschram]

How dirty is dirty?

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWPF5cZyI/AAAAAAAAALE/m_faSRcrv5k/s1024/IMG_0603.jpg

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWPiRB75I/AAAAAAAAALI/QrGN2wsc6E0/s1024/IMG_0604.jpg

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_AQRQsDW3Rnk/S3gWQOOmmYI/AAAAAAAAALM/GxH97lS8PAY/s1024/IMG_0606.jpg


And this is just the rocker arm assemblies and the valve-cover gaskets! These pictures hardly do it justice. Yikes! I'm still debating the best way to clean all this - leaning towards a soak in a rubbermade tub with a very very high concentration of laundry detergent, hot water, and maybe some sort of degreaser/solvent, like googone. I'm leaning away from gasoline and laquer thinner because I'm indoors in a big parking garage - don't want to stink up the whole building.

Those aren't dirty at all! When you remove the rocker covers and the imprint of the inside of the valve cover is visible, that's dirty.

I'd suggest a small Harbor Freight parts washer and some diesel fuel and a scrub brush.

 

[knewsom]

The diesel won't fume up that bad inside? Is a small parts washer big enough to fit the rocker covers in? I'll tell ya, I was VERY tempted to throw them in the dishwasher. Then I realized that clean parts weren't worth divorce.

The heads I won't bother doing too much to - Will sent me a nice pair to throw on there, I'll wipe down the old ones a bit and send them off. But I'll need to clean the rocker assembly, pushrods, rocker cover, and probably my intake as well - it looked preeeety nasty.

...and if this is comparatively clean, I'm shocked.

 

[Ed Cheung]

I just use a spray bottle( one with a pump action that can add air pressure is even better) filled with gasoline, and spray all the parts that need to be clean, wait for a while and it should loosen the gunk.

 

[knewsom]

I'm sure gas/diesel/laquer thinner would work better of course - I'm just trying to find a different solution. I'll give some heavy-duty degreaser/cleaner a shot, and see how that works. If I need to go for the big guns, I'll break out the big guns.

In other news, the workshop manual is wrong about which direction to crank the tensioner bolt. It's counterclockwise to loosten it. ....ask me how I know.

...and then maybe you can tell me where to find a replacement.

 

[no694terry]

i pulled my heads yesterday myself in a freezing cold garage. surprisingly easy, only bolt that gave me trouble was an unrelated water pump bolt. te insides of my valve covers and under side of valley pan was coated in milky oil, this milky oil was never seen on the dipstick so i guess i got lucky. the only part that worried me going in was the exhaust manifold bolts but they came right out wit a 12mm 12pt, some will say its a 13mm, mine were 12mm. i i'll ave about 500 into it since im replacing water pump too. i opted not to get a valve job. ill probably have my engine apart again before i need seals.

 

[knewsom]

I'm impressed you got 'em pulled in one day yourself. I got my valve covers off, but haven't taken the rocker assembly and pushrods off yet, and the lower intake assembly with fuel etc. needs to come off too.

Did you have Elias' video to help? Have you done this before? I feel like I spent a lot of time trying to figure out just what needs to come off, and what to do with it when it is off.

Glad to hear you dodged the milky oil. So far none here either. As for machining the heads, I just had Will send me some pre-cleaned and rebuilt heads and I'll send him mine when they come off the truck. $345 shipped.

 

[91 PBP 5079]

Make sure your PCV system is cleaned out befor you put the valve covers back on.

 

[ihscouts]

MFI = Multiport Fuel Injection - 3.9L
MPI = Multiport Injection - 4 banger.
SFI = Sequential Fuel Injection - 4.0L

Potatoes, potato's, fuel injectors, no carburetors.

 

[knewsom]

Make sure your PCV system is cleaned out befor you put the valve covers back on.

Good call! I'm actually soaking the valve covers and rocker arm assembly in degreaser right now, I've scrubbed a bunch today, and gotten some bolts and the pushrods completely clean and nice. The covers and rockers are doing ok, getting nice and clean, but there's a couple screws in the inside of the rocker covers that I can't seem to break free - whoever put them in put them in a little too tight. Once I break those out, I can scrub it completely and get it spotless. The rockers just need an overnight soak for some of the thicker buildup. Mostly nice looking aluminum at this point! After that, it'll be some hot water, then a towelling, then a liberal application of WD40.

I won't bother cleaning the heads too much since they're going back to the machine shop.

Any recommendations for cleaning the intake?

...and any tips for drilling/tapping out a broken bolt?

edit: I forgot to mention, something to keep your eyes out for if you do your heads or pull your valve covers. If the gasket is old, and the rubber is getting to the point of cracking etc, be VERY careful about the metal spacers in it - they can come loose from the shrunken rubber, and if you're not careful, they can fall down through the heads into the engine! Luckily I recovered the three loose ones from the passenger-side gasket!

 

[knewsom]

Damn, that 10th head bolt on the drivers' side IS a bitch! Spent about an hour and a half just trying to figure out how to get that off tonight.

Intake assembly and valley pan gasket are off, exhaust manifolds are disconnected, I'm totally ready to pull the heads - just need to figure out how to get that last bolt. NEARLY had it with a 1/2" drive on a long bar from underneath the truck, but it started rounding the bolt (I think - can't really SEE the bugger) so I think I need a 1/2" drive 6-pt instead of a 12er. A little PB Blaster on it tonight, maybe that'll loosten it up too.

The broken tensioner bolt came out without too much drama today, thank you vice-grips!

 

[KyleT]

do that bolt first, its way easier that way..

 

[knewsom]

do that bolt first, its way easier that way..

Yeah, the manual says to go in reverse order, so starting with that one is the way it's supposed to be. I just can't seem to get the lil' bastard off. Any tips?

 

[KyleT]

6pt is a must. I use a 1/2 to 3/8 adapter and a short 3/8 16mm socket with a large cheater bar on my bar.

never had to bang on the firewall.

 

[no694terry]

maybe my motors mounted up further but i got to that bolt pretty easy with a impact grade 5/8" 6 pt, a 4" extension and my trusty breaker bar. the extension head was right up against the firewall but i got the breaker bar on it and it came loose, my head bolts didn't feel real tight and once cracked loose they all came out my finger turning. lucky i guess. and i just dropped my heads off for surfacing. my parts will be in tomoorw but ill be out of town until friday. my only stubborn bolt was in the water pump. im replacing it because i didn't like how i could tip the fan in and out almost a 1/2". bearing were shot, didn't leak but is no good

i read the jeffreyfall.com right up so i bought a 1/2" swivel and never needed it, come to think of it that guy did a lot of extra steps i didnt do like removing exhaust manifold completly and removing the charcoal box and stuff. i didn't even take off my heater hoses and i have plenty of room to work

 

[Dallas]

Good luck with the head job.

It's a bit late now but when I ran out of Gunk engine cleaner late at night I used oven cleaner to clean the inside of my valve covers, the stuff was amazing for baked on oil.

 

[knewsom]

Thanks guys... Took the night off to rest up and see the fam. I'll make a trip to the store tomorrow for a 16mm 6 pt 1/2" drive socket, that sounds like it'll do the trick.

Maybe a lil' single-malt will help too.