First and foremost question, Should I replace the valves myself?

I'm comfortable working in all areas of my car, I have the helms manual and follow it religiously, I've done an engine swap, timing belt water pump clutch IM gasket etc. replace axles brakes master cylinder's etc.

I have never removed the head off an engine block before, I've never done any head work except putting in an aftermarket cam seal... this is the extent of my mechanical knowledge.

My other question, how long in hours would it take to remove the head if I worked steady ? What difficulties will hamper me the most and what tools can help me override the pain in the *** parts like tiny head bolts and trying to access them etc.

What do I need to know, visibily how do I tell which are bent? Do I need to replace anything else (head gasket?)

thx all for your responses.

 

I'm having a shop do my valvetrain installation just because there is so much that can go wrong. I pulled my head on my own in 1.5 hours the first time. Just make sure to follow the manual and you'll be fine. Good luck

 

It goes pretty quickly. Id say the biggest pain in the *** is removing all the wires,hoses, and sensor plugs.

May as well drain the cooling system for ease of working. You can leave the IM on while removing. Header needs to come off. Just take your time and follow the helms exactly. You are going to need new cam seals, new gaskets all around ( headgasket, IM gasket because the machine shop will need the IM removed. and whatever else you take apart that has a shitty paper gasket.) The helms also shows you in the diagram which seals/gaskets need to be replaced with head removal.

It would be advised to get a new set of OEM head bolts as well. Get out that beefy torque wrench for installation of the head.

Find a local reputable machine shop to do the work. I had a full rework done on both of my heads for $129 bucks each. this was new valve seals, pressure tested, new seats cut if necessary, checked for straightness, and all valves inspected and cleaned, as well as a hot tank prior to all this. Replace all parts with OEM unless you are building the head. Then match all valve train products to avoid any future issues.

 

Yeah, DEFINATELY take it to a machine shop for inspection and rebuilding the head. No one has all the equipment in their garage to do it properly.

I say take the head off and re-install it yourself, just let them do the valve work.

 

Excellent, thanks so much for all the advice..

I'll certainly be dropping the head at a machine shop here in town (Calgary AB Canada)..

Is there any steps in the helms that I *can* skip ?

 

As i had said, intake manifold doesnt need to be removed to pull the head. Timing belt needs to come off the cams for sure, then cam caps, then headbolts. They wouldent put anything in there that wasnt necessary. Just losen the head bolts in sequence in 3 steps to avoid warpage as it states. Good luck. Let us know how it goes.

 

Don't forget about THIS DAMN bolt underneath the IM
Pay attention to fuel lines. And have a spare pair of hands when pulling and installing the head as it weights quite a lot.

 

This is great advice coming out of this thread, thanks much .. how about opinions on this other tidbit somebody recommended::

" I would never replace valves without having a full valve job done. I'd take the head to a machine shop, have it cleaned, have the valve seats and faces cut, have valves you're reusing checked to make sure they're straight, and have all the valve to valve guide clearances checked. Also have the head milled just a bit to clean up the mating surface. A typical valve job in our area runs $225 including assembly/disassembly. Add $40 for milling."