Ok, I have a 92 Civic CX and I recently broke the camshaft in it and ruined the head at the same time so I figured that since I was replacing the head anyway, why not put a 16 valve head on it. Well, I have the head on there and it's running but not well at all. I think the rocker arms may be hitting the valve cover but when I run the car then look at the underside of the valve cover I don't see any evidence of it. Is the 8 valve cover the same as the 16 vavle? Also, are there any other considerations I'm not thinking about? By the way, the engine rpm is oscillating up and down at a idle. Thanks.

 

Do you hear clicking noises from the engine? it could be the valves hitting the top of the piston? Also, did you change the ecu? I'm not sure if it would be needed or not but that might also cause trouble. You might also check the dizzy to make sure that the one for your old head is the same as the one for the new head. Have you checked it with a timing light to make sure it's in time?

 

I'm pretty sure that the pistons in early years (92-93) cx's don't have the valve reliefs in them. The sound probably is the pistons hitting valves.