i got this head back from the machine shop, and i haven't really taken a look at it until now... but this worries me.. if i rub my finger over it i can feel it. will it be ok or should i take it back to have them fix it?

 

Since the marks go into the area where the HG would try to seal then yes I would approach your machine shop about the issue.

 

I wouldnt trust that. Take it back... It looks like the mark may have something to do with that allen head plug that they, for some reason didnt remove before milling.

 

take it back

 

doesnt look good

 

i went back, he said he's never had issues with marks like that. but if something happens he'll reimburse me. so we'll see i guess.

 

screw that. tell him that you don't feel like pulling the head and buying a new gasket later because he doesn't feel like fixing it now. Aluminum heads with MLS gaskets need a very smooth surface to seal properly.

 

yeah man if somthing does happen your wasting your time and effort and another headgasket

 

He's either wrong or not telling the truth (I know which one I believe). I would not use that head until it was fixed. From the pic (and your description) it seems like a pretty substantial score. You can definitely see where it runs into the combustion chamber.

If its me, I say no.

MB

BTW guys, I'm not that familiar with your heads. What bolt is his cutter running into? More importantly, is that an indicator that it is decked too far?

 

That looks like a GSR b18c1 head. It's machined too far when that square in the upper left starts getting cut. I'm not sure why there is an allen head plug in it though.

 

its the vtec feed plug.

 

How is that the VTEC oil feed? It looks like it's under the dizzy.

 

Thats where the feed is.

 

Looks like they milled the head and and some point placed it onto a grinder or some other spinnign surface while it was still in motion and are trying to get away with it.

DONT let them get away with it, make them fix it now. i had some bad experiences with machine shops and they gave me a song and a dance back in the day before i knew about engines and building and what they said was always a lie to cover up a mistake and always ended up costing me alot of extra money i didnt have

 

OP I would get it in writing saying that if the head does not seal properly, that they will give you the cash + parts for screwing it up and pay for a new head if it is out of spec after they resurface it. I can't tell how far down it was surfaced, but looks like it's pretty close, depending on how deep that score mark is.

 

i would not trust it and he should have never milled it with that plug in the head

 

*sigh* i'm just gonna take it to another machine shop. **** that shop. sucks that it'll have to be milled again. i am already above where i want to be for compression ratio. ls/vtec cp 9:1 ls pistons and gsr head. so like what, 9.7 or so, plus whatever they have to take off the head?

 

Man, if you don't take that back to the machine shop that did it and tell them to do what you paid them to do, then i'm going to come to your house and slap you in the face! I go to college in worcester haha

 

Either: 1) get it in writing that if the HG goes FOR ANY REASON, he'll pay for a remachining+HG+labor costs; 2) get your money back and get it redone elsewhere.

To give you an idea, an aluminum engine that uses an MLS hg (Honda) needs at LEAST an RA finish of 30. An average updated head milling machine can get it below 20. A regular window pane has an RA of ~6, and polished steel can be as high as 16. If you can feel it, its almost certainly too rough. They probably have an old, worn machine, never threw down money for a PCD cutter, and are just cheating their customers.

FYI If it's a "domestic" shop, that would explain something - many old V8's use fibrous gaskets abd require a rougher finish, so the gasket has lateral "bite".

 

i am just taking it to someone else. i am having my car tuned by jeff evans, and theres no way i am driving to PA and pop a headgasket. then to have to pay for a retune. that and who knows if the guy will **** this up again. i just can't risk it.

it is a domestic shop, but they have done a ton of import stuff. they even built my friend's high compression b series motor, which is still running strong to this day.

 

Why not take it back to the same shop then? I would go there and get my money back asap if they didn't want to fix it. That is most likely gonna fail so why even bother to put it on. One thing is never be scared to go back and raise hell if you pay for a service and it wasn't performed to your standard or what you asked them to do in the beginning. I don't see the point of paying double.

 

PM me if you need the name of a reputable shop in the area. Neon (yeah, don't be afraid of that, lol) buddy of mine is up in Worcester who knows the shops etc.

MB

 

i had it done in RI. my boss has a friend who owns a machine shop, i'm gonna have him take a look at it.