I have a 2005 honda accord 4cylinder, did a block test and have exhaust fumes in my radiator. I pick n pulled a head and am getting it resurfaced but since I have it out valve job didnt sound like a bad idea except I cant find specs on seats for this car anywhere. Anyone know it? Is it worth it to have the shop do the valve job? kinda wanted to try it myself but if it's easy to mess up I'd rather not. Ideas? Thanks in advance.

 

It depends on what you mean by specs for the valve seats. Assuming you mean Valve Seat Reconditioning and not Valve Guide Replacement you can check the health of the seats by testing the compression of the head with the valves in (this is something a good machine/engine shop can do if you bring them the head) and/or removing the valves and checking the seating/contact area for excessive pitting (which is also something a good machine/engine shop can do). Some small pitting in the seats is normal for a well used car as long as it has good compression. If the valves do not have a clean contact area you should replace and regrind them.

One thing you can do at home to check compression is to turn the heads upside down and put it onto a flat surface. With the valves and springs in, put the spark plugs in and fill the cylinder head depressions with gas. Since gas is extremely thin it will seep through any gaps. If you leave it long enough (10) you will start to see gas residue seeping past the valves even on head with good compression. This can at least give you an idea of if there are and major compression problems.

Grinding the valves is easy to mess up, but it is also well within the grasp of someone smart who takes the time to do it right, so its up to you. I can give you some advice on that if you choose to go that way.

Instructions for inspecting the seats is on page 6-90 of the Service Manual. Remember to stay within the service limits.

 

I'm curious, why did you buy another head instead of simply replacing the head gasket? Asked another way, what led you to believe you had a bad or cracked head?

 

I didn't catch that when I read the post. What is wrong with the original head other than the gasket leaks?