Finally got the head off.......

It was the craziest thing. One bolt would not budge, I rounded the head, resorted to several methods of getting the thing out , including using an extractor which broke in the bolt (don't reccomend using them) which made it impossible to tap out. After lots of carnage---dulled titanium drill bits, srtipped sockets etc, the freaking thing started wobbling and I literally turned it out by hand?????? Guess I offered up enough sacrificial tools? Maybe it got warmed up by the friction and just let go... Guess i'll be looking for a few head bolts...


I ended up getting some metal shavings around the valve springs. Anyone with some input on going about cleaning this thing? My plan was to take it to a shop, have them dye it and look at the valves to see if they could use any work. Maybe I should leave it dirty as the dirt can tell the mechanic what it's been through? For 140 k, It looks kind of gunky at least compared to my other cars.

While I have this off, should I try cleaning up the intake ports or anything or is it better to leave that stuff alone?Ain't broke. There seems to be a good deal of carbon in the intake.

I don't know if I am going crazy now. As originally I took this apart thinking there was oil in the cylinder heads. I do not see any huge signs of a blown headthough admittedly, i may not know what I am looking for. A couple of spots look suspicious. The tops of the pistons are not coated in oil. I know that a leaky valve cover would get oil in the plug holes, but if I dried them out, and then tried to crank the car, why would they be pitch black and oily after only a few minutes of rough idle? I have hear people mention valve cover grommets, do those sit inside the spark plugs holes? Why would they be necessary in addition to a valve cover gasket?

I definitely think the timing somehow got out as the pistons are tdc, but the balance shafts and oil pump was not perfectly in alignment but maybe a tooth or two off. Could that allow oil in through the valves?

Starting to think i've been a little too ambitous and should have just changed plug wires to see if it would start. Just kind of odd that it was running fine just prior to overheating and then it suddenly won't even crank. It had been standing a while....

 

IDK how handy u are but it sounds like you have a serious problem that might not even be worth fixing vs. getting a junkyard motor.

 

I don't see how a junkyard motor could be better, most likely you'd still have to check all the things I am checking. And have no history of the car. With the exception of this overheat this car has been treated okay.

MAybe I am wrong but it seems like a lot more work to go get a new motor and put in in---granted there is not much motor left in the engine bay but it is still connected to motor mounts, tranny etc.

The more I look at this thing, the more I think the timing just got out of whack somehow.

I am gonna pull the oil pan and check the crank next. Oil gasket leaking anyway