Preparation for Installing used head

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reluctantartist
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Preparation for Installing used head

Post by reluctantartist » Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:01 am

I tried to find anything on this but didn't come across it. I have a 2.0 type 4 engine with hydraulic lifters that has a sunk valve on the #1 cylinderd. I have a good used head that I can install, but everything I find that talks about installation is for rebuilt/new heads that are part of a bigger top end rebuild. Current circumstances don't allow this and I have come across people mentioning always having a spare used head for " just in-case" they need it, but nothing about installing one. DO have to take it and have something special done to it? Can I use my existing lifters if they are ok? What other parts or things that need to be checked before switching heads?

Thanks
82 Westy

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Amskeptic
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Re: Preparation for Installing used head

Post by Amskeptic » Thu Sep 20, 2018 10:45 am

reluctantartist wrote:
Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:01 am
I tried to find anything on this but didn't come across it. I have a 2.0 type 4 engine with hydraulic lifters that has a sunk valve on the #1 cylinder. I have a good used head that I can install, but everything I find that talks about installation is for rebuilt/new heads that are part of a bigger top end rebuild. Current circumstances don't allow this and I have come across people mentioning always having a spare used head for " just in-case" they need it, but nothing about installing one. DO have to take it and have something special done to it? Can I use my existing lifters if they are ok? What other parts or things that need to be checked before switching heads?

Thanks

I am all about just sticking on the spare head. You do have questions that you cannot answer without taking the other head off, so understand the risk.

A) Did your old head have sealing washers between the cylinders and head? If so, you MUST install new sealing washers. Leave the lifters alone. Leave the pistons and cylinders alone, and do not jar them loose inadvertently.

B) Does the spare head match up with the other head as far as part numbers/years utilized?

C) I do not know your mechanical aptitude, so will not suggest that you pull the valves and check clean everything. No, just put in a pair of plugs, fill the combustion chambers with gasoline, and look for wet exhaust/intake ports. If they remain dry, go fer it. If one or more shows gasoline leaking past the valves, you might want to remove and inspect/lap the seats, then cleancleanclean.

D) Clean all mating surfaces. Do not clean the piston crowns, just squirt some engine oil between piston and cylinder walls. You want this side of the engine to mirror the other side of the engine as far as carbon build-up. Do not lull yourself into treating this surgery with anything less than reverence, even if it is "hack".

Adjust all valves after 100 miles then again at 1,000 miles
Colin
BobD - 78 Bus . . . 112,730 miles
Chloe - 70 bus . . . 217,593 miles
Naranja - 77 Westy . . . 142,970 miles
Pluck - 1973 Squareback . . . . . . 55,600 miles
Alexus - 91 Lexus LS400 . . . 96,675 miles

reluctantartist
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Re: Preparation for Installing used head

Post by reluctantartist » Fri Sep 21, 2018 4:09 pm

Thanks, this help.
A) Sealing washers. I still have to pull the old one. So ,if it had sealing washers, I need to get them.
B) The head matches up with the original.
C)and Mechanical ability. My mechanical ability can be advanced, but at the moment I am recovering from a TBI and need to limit what I am doing but did not want to let the kids down for the Halloween camp out they have been looking forward to all year, So I was told it was good so hopefully checking with gas in the chamber proves successful.
D)Cleaning. Would I need to do anything more to the mating surface if there is not a sealing washer on the original?
Do not lull yourself into treating this surgery with anything less than reverence, even if it is "hack".
I hope to have the westy around for a long time so I do treat even a hack with reverence and would rather do it the correct way if I could. Thanks for the help.
82 Westy

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Bleyseng
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Re: Preparation for Installing used head

Post by Bleyseng » Sat Sep 22, 2018 7:32 am

Pull both heads and clean the combustion chambers clean maybe using carb cleaner. Dont scratch the aluminum faces. If you have a old cylinder, put a dab of valve fine grinding compound on the edge and lap the cylinder into each head register. Ditch all the sealing rings as they leak for sure. You will be using used heads on both sides so it should be basically balanced (instead of one used and one brand new head without equal compression). The best solution would be to get two new heads of course.
Geoff
77 Sage Green Westy- CS 2.0L-160,000 miles
70 Ghia vert, black, stock 1600SP,- 139,000 miles,
76 914 2.1L-Nepal Orange- 160,000+ miles
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