Re-assembling a B18C and the timing belt was off. The crank and both cam gears were at TDC, but then I ended up rotating the exhaust cam gear 180 degrees clockwise by accident. Did I just bend the valves? Is there a way to check without pulling the head off again?

Thanks!

 

how many pounds feet of torque did you put on it when they were making contact? 30 pounds? 300 pounds?

 

If you have the timing belt on and mechanical timing is good now.... You can take the valve cover off and put each cylinder TDC. If any valve is sitting lower than the others on the cylinder when it's TDC position.....

If they are all the same height on the cylinder, move on to the next one in the firing order and put it TDC.

If you don't have any valves sitting lower than the others throughout the test you are pretty likely just fine.

A bent valve usually won't seat properly as it is bent and binds in the guide.

If my explanation isn't clear let me know and I will clarify.

 

It takes quite a bit more force than you turning the motor by hand to bend valves. Don't worry about it.

 

What if one were to use an impact gun or something? I would think it's feasible for a valve to be bent if there's enough force being put into the engine.

 

If someone was using an impact on a cam gear bolt to turn the motor, quite frankly, I think we would need to address that person's rampant, raging, flaming stupidity before we worried about if a valve got bent.

 

Say, a long breaker bar then. Something that would really get leverage up and maximize the torques.

O.P., have you ever seen one of these? It's what you're gonna do to check if the valve is bent, at least bent enough to make any real difference.

 

What is that

 

It is a cylinder pressure tester, commonly referred to as a "leak down tester" by this community. It'l help OP figure out if the valve is sealing to the seat or if it is bent. I've read that it isn't a 100% guarantee, and at some point the valve may break in two. It's the best option short of disassembling the engine and putting the valves into a grinder. Hell, the valve may even pass a master machinist with a cutting edge grinder and it could still be weakened from the contact.

 

This is good to know. Same way I found out that a compression test can NOT be done by hand (by turning the engine by hand.) And I had thought that for the longest time.. by seeing someone else "do" it that way.

Great info.

 

This guy also does good Honda videos, in this case, he making and using the leak down tester on a Civic (he buys and flips Civics and shows ways to do things that save money, and appear to work. This the guy that resurfaced a cylinder head by hand and with sandpaper. And it WORKED.)

This video is not that.. here is another on how to do and make leak down to test for, including: VALVE sealing.

 

Here is a video showing another use and application of leak-down test. This is the one on a Honda Civic, I think 1997.

That's all I got for this thread.

 

NO! YOU DO NOT RESURFACE ANYTHING WITH SANDPAPER EVER!! you may be able to "Get away with it" by using a composite gasket, but you will not have satisfactory results doing that with a multi-layer-steel head gasket. Honda specifically said that they need a fine RA smoothness, which isn't provided by sand paper.

These engines can survive all most anything. It took me 10 mins of 80 mph pulls with no oil just to damage the rod bearings in my b7. It took another 20 minutes of beating to blow a rod out, and then it still drove around if i kept the throttle wide open. You can put one together with spare parts and it'l still run forever. You can pull a w95 and shove paper towels into the engine, maybe even pour sand in it, and it'l still putt around.

But their stoutness doesn't excuse improper workmanship.

 

It would be off-topic for this one, so I PMed you that video I speak of. Dude did it in multiple steps to achieve that smoothness and mentioned it as well.. I PMed it.

My new D16Y8 has been running with the fan on all the time since new thernoswitch was jumpered. My old stuff probably went into some kind of parts bin, for more cars. It was working fine.. but, yes, so far, it's been kept cool that way. Even that may change soon. So I agree with you about toughness. (*the one in my avatar is pretty bulletproof too, but it's not a Honda.)

 

Thanks guys. I'll grab a leak down tester and try it out just to be sure.

I felt some resistance at about 1/2 turn (90 degrees), but now that I think about it that should just be the cam lobes pressing on the rocker arms. I don't know why I was being so careless - I guess that's why you don't work on your engine when you're exhausted (no pun intended).

 

Wetsand 3M 2000 grit sandpaper used to clean up two blocks and one head of graphite "composite" head gasket.

Both cars have MLS gaskets now, one the 2 layer Felpro D16Y8 gasket and the other the OEM 4 layer MLS Leak Gasket. Both cars running fine for quite some time.

If done right you can use sand paper to get a smooth RA. Ideally with a sheet of glass if you are attempting to "shave" a head.

Not really the proper way to do it, but can be done.

However, should never be attempted by W95civicEXcoupe.

Leak tester is ideal, but if you have compression results prior to the "accident" doing another compression test and comparing results can give you the same information as the leak down.

This also assumes you have historical compression test data.

 

Really? You made that work with a steel gasket? That's impressive tom

 

Well, it was 2-3 hours of plastic razor blades and then finally wetsanding with the 3M 2000 grit to get the last little bits reduced. I didn't take it to pure shiny metal everywhere but at the same time the dots of grey were shrunk to pin ***** size.

The idea was I didn't want to take much if any material off and create low spots, but I also didn't want micro mountains of graphite material either.

And I should probably stress, only use top quality (3M Brand) wetsand sandpaper. The cheap **** just isn't the same.

 

I did the same operation with a roloc disc on my block. My graphite gasket was perfectly fine for the ten thousand or so miles i put on my car, the oil consumption was another story. Threading thru traffic with a lifted diesel truck, pulling third between 70 and 90 the entire time, both his truck and my subcompact smoking like crazy. We were both running diesel oil, too. Man, that **** sucked.

 

I drove my b7 for 34 miles freeway and city with no oil cap. Even did a couple of pulls and plenty of downshifting. I only knew when I got home oil was all over the bumper all in the bay even the alt belt was soaked

Upon draining it there was only like barely even a liter. I called a it a miracle. Still running strong.

 

You know I have a D16Y8 in that car now, and asked Mr. RonJ if I could in fact make and keep a centralized thread about the new-life W95, questions and issues, the first of which is if I should get a new steering column for cruise control, which was disabled due to the theft of the OE column that came with that car when it was stolen and the LX column that's in there didn't have it.. and now I found an EX one that says it does..

 

OH, and even though it's not a STANDARD technique and one could ask how much money he saved.. when you broke, you broke. I been there.

So here is how the dude did it, for those curious.

I see a piece of glass, as mentioned..

Watch "HOW TO RESURFACE A WARPED CYLINDER HEAD AT HOME WITH SAND PAPER" on YouTube

 

It's that hard to come up with $75 to ensure that your head gasket doesn't go bad?

 

Ohhhh, it can be.

I'M JUST SAYIN'.

 

That's so painfully ******* stupid