for those of you that didnt read the last post, i was driving on the freeway and my timing belt skipped a couple teeth..... i noticed after hearing major backfiring. i alligned the cams by putting them back on TDC, but i still heard the backfiring and the car wouldnt start. so i took my head off today and saw that everything was ok with the pistons, they moved properly. i looked at the head and it seemed ok (but i really dont know what im looking at). how can i really tell if the valves are bent???
now that the head it off, how do i check my pistons to see if theyre ok?
could a bad distributer have caused this?? TIA

 

take the valves out and put the retaining end in a drill and spin it. You can tell if they're bent then. Take a socket and place on the spring retainer, and give it a hit with a hammer to get the retainers out. Make sure you don't lose the retainers though. It's hard to tell what kinda shape your cylinders are in without a compression test, or obivous scarring or burning.

 

Ok, I'll go for the putting them in a drill part, but hitting the retainers with a hammer to get the keepers(not retainers) out. Dont do that. Yeah, they will come out and the keepers will usually disappear, but how about when you have to put them back in? What are you going to do then? You need to get a spring compressor and 2 special twos from Honda that attach to the end of the spring compressor so you can get down in the head. What i believe is if its worth doing, then its worth doing the correct way.


-Ace

 

since you got the head off, do not even bother putting it back on without rebuilding the valve train. You will be much happier in the long run