i was planning to do some headwork, upgrading all the vavle train (CTR cams, ITR valve springs, SK2 retainers, SK2 valves).....also was thinking about having my head polished at a local shop while its off.

well the thing is that i was told that if you upgrade/change the valves and after you seat them and set all clearances that the piston rings will need to be changed also, is this true ? was told the rings will have a blow by causing burning oil.

Is any of that true? do i need to worry about the piston rings or will it be ok to just work the head and leave the block alone?

thanks in advance
-jonathan

cliff notes: about to upgrade all valve train, was told that after seating the valves and adjusting the valves that the piston rings will have a blow by, unless they (rings) are changed.

 

As long as your bottom end is solid and running well you should have no problems,but you should do a leakdown or at least a comp test to find out the condition of the motor before you upgrade.

 

what about if i were to raise the compression by getting a Spoon 2-layer head gasket over an oem head gasket.....could this cause any seals or rings to not seat properly causing a oil leak or blow by?

well, my dad told me that if i were to change to compression of the motor, that the piston rings and any seals would not seal properly due to changing to compression of what the motor was used too.

i really dont know about the whole thing, if you change the compression that you'd need to get new seals and piston rings. just wanted to make sure before its too late or done wrong. like to try and do things right the first time.
anyone esle have any info on this?

thanks again
-jonathan

 

No it shouldn't cause any problems as long as the motor is still tight.Have a leakdown done to find the %of wear to the rings.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JohnnysEG &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


well, my dad told me that if i were to change to compression of the motor, that the piston rings and any seals would not seal properly due to changing to compression of what the motor was used too.

-jonathan</TD></TR></TABLE>

your dad is wrong

 

If the rings are sealing now they will seal after you raise compression some.

 

thanks ya'll.....well thats what i thought, cause i have seen many ppl just do head work and not mess with the block and never hear of anything bad so anyways

thanks again
-jonathan

 

changing the valves doesnt realy have anything to do with piston rings. make sure you lap the valves to make sure they seat well and seal. if you polish the head why not have it ported as well?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by chevyalltheway &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> if you polish the head why not have it ported as well?</TD></TR></TABLE>

well, i can get the head polished by a local guy that a good friend of mine knows, and he can do it within a day or two.
And i really can't afford to have the head ported at this time . If i were to get the head ported i'd personally like to send it off to a reputable honda machinist (sp?) to have them p&p the head, and well also this is my daily driver
couldn't afford to not have a vehicle for that long.

 

If you get a PnP job, I beleive you'll need new valves and seals becuase the old ones wont seat correctly with the new valve seat angles. This might of been what your dad was talking about. But as far as rings go, if they are still good, then raising compression wont affect them.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JohnnysEG &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i was planning to do some headwork, upgrading all the vavle train (CTR cams, ITR valve springs, SK2 retainers, SK2 valves).....also was thinking about having my head polished at a local shop while its off.

well the thing is that i was told that if you upgrade/change the valves and after you seat them and set all clearances that the piston rings will need to be changed also, is this true ? was told the rings will have a blow by causing burning oil.

Is any of that true? do i need to worry about the piston rings or will it be ok to just work the head and leave the block alone?
</TD></TR></TABLE>

To answer your question, It all depends on the mileage on the motor. But, with a completely reconditoned head there is risk that your motor will start smoking.

Generally, the valves, valve seats, and piston rings wears out together. So over time the valves does not seal *** good. This is why higher mileage vechicles have a 12 -18 percent leakage when compared to a new vehicle. So, with a recondition head that is sealing twice as better and with weak rings - there is a poteinal for the rings to good bad.
like I said, your motor may or may not start blowning smoke. I have done hundreds of motor were customer only wanted to repair the head;and, I've only seen 10 that came back a few weeks later smoking like hell.

Thats why ever time I do a head repair, I generally advice the customer to rebuild the whole motor or a least replace the piston rings. This is also why more and more dealerships and independ shops are replacing motors for head gasket failure, bend valves, and excessive oil comsumptions.

 

may i ask who in savannah is doing your headwork because i probably know them because i know everyone here? just wondering. i could show you a head i'm about to put on. if you like it i can make yours just like it. it is very nice.