So as some of you may know had valve cover bolts break off in my head, have tried for a while to get em out with no luck at all and shop said wanted several 100 to get em out. Well a used head is only around 100bucks so decided to go that path rather than waste any more money/time trying to get these out.

Though does anyone have any suggestions for replacing the head? like what tools/gaskets(do i need new ones if these are good?)/fluids/cleaners i need? Also its a D16Y8 Head on a D16Y7 Bottom, anything special i should watch out for or do? or any recommended maintenance while i'm doing this? or any how to guides?

Sorry for all the questions and thanks again for the info.

 

Follow a guide on how to do a mini-me swap is a must.

 

what have you done to try and take the bolts out? i know there kits for problems like that.

Do you have a Helms manual? if not, i suggest you buy one. best thing ever for honda's. everytime you take off the head you always wanna replace the gasket. at least that's the way i was taught. as for maintenance im not totally sure on that i havent done that in awhile. you might try checking out the FAQ's Sticky its got a ton of info on there.

hope this helps.

 

Yeah i've bought a few kits, with no luck, got all sorts of drill bits, thing is bolts are broken off at an angle so not even flat to drill into. Drill bit just winds up snapping or slides off and damages the sides, the bolts on the valve cover are hell of strong ><.

which one should i buy since it's not really a stock engine?

Does the gasket go by the head or the bottom?

 

damn that sucks man, but i feel for you.

just the helms manual for your year/make/model of your car is best. its got everything in there to tear your car down to the chassis if you really wanted to.
but like JuggerNaut-CTR said check out the mini-me swap it will help you out.
https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/faqs-frequently-asked-tech-questions-1998336/
its under number 6 in the table of contents. and that same FAQ should have maintenance stuff in there as well.

as for the gasket it goes under the head and on top of the block. it sits in between them.

 

Though my car is a gen 5 with a gen 6 motor. Oy buying someone else's project might have been a mistake lol

 

At one time in my life a good friend (old farmer) would say to me "Well a person could..."

It might be possible just to silicon the valve cover permanently. Enough RTV blue and problem fixed. Do a clean job and adjust your valves before you seal it up. Likely you will spend in the neighborhood of $400 to swap out a head plus your time. The valve cover serves only keeping the oil in the motor.

How many times in a lifetime will you take off the valve cover? It would still be possible to get the valve cover off it would just be a pain in the butt.

Just giving you an idea. There are no rules that say you must use five bolts to hold the valve cover in place. What is under the valve cover to look at anyways aside setting the valve lash every 100k. I have never taken the valve cover off to show a girlfriend how cool the vtec camshaft looks.

 

RTV eh? ghetto rigging it might be the best option at this point

 

If you're even considering it you might as well stop posting now. Pay the money if you can't do it yourself or swap heads.

 

I will be the first to admit it is getto or a farmer special. Sometimes a person is that low on the bank funds. They need to see all the options, both sides the dirty embarrassing cheap and the to do it correct options.
When Thy balks with giving a shop professional a couple hundred to resolve the problem AND this is if they can even fix the problem, let us understand. It is a large project to change a head and get it correct 100%. Little mistakes can cost you your entire ride and that really stinks. $400 is if he can do the work himself. What does a professional shop cost to slap on a new head? I would be afraid to ask.
Do a clean job and nobody would be the wiser.
I am always grateful when a forum gives me a useable idea. A 10mm bolt broke and you want this person to shell out how much money to fix his whip. Save your money for when you warp your head about 200k miles.

 

Your thread makes no sense.
Nor was your suggestion to use RTV sealant to get around a needed repair a "useable idea". A head for $100 plus his own investment of time to pull the old one and swap it sounds like a better idea. Post #5 was trying to steer him in the right direction. If you follow the directions listed in a Helms then you should have no problem.

Nobody being the wiser sucks when you are the next owner and discover that people like yourself, that like to drastically cut corners, have butchered another poor Honda.

 

Attempted one more time to drill out the broken bolts, but it ended very poorly lol. Just going to get a new head, stopped by salvage yards and pretty much everyone has em laying around (only 100$). Though can get one from a reputable salvage yard or get one off a Craigslist listed for 30$ cheaper. Anything i need to watch out for when buying a used head?