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GETTING HEAD off.....

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I am in the process of raising my compression. Spent the weekend removing the head. The little booger, of course, didn't want to budge so I sat and made a pot of good Louisiana coffee (dark roast Community) and considered every option short of lifting the car by the head. I resorted to removing all my head studs and in the process ruined most of them. So, add new studs to the list. I found a set of stud and bolt removal caps that hammer onto the top of the stud (ruining it in the process) but will lock itself onto that baby like crazy and allows you to back her right up. And it tapped off for additional use, no damage to the tool. (Hecho in US) Anyway, I resorted to carefully taping a sharp steak knife into the gasket at one corner and every few minutes tap some more. Just like an oyster shell, the head finally broke it's seal and off she popped. Everyone (including Dave at TRF) said don't dare do this. What the hey, it worked. Which brings me to my question of the day - any good suggestions out there for removing the burnt on crude atop my pistons (short of a steak knife). I thought careful and judicious use of a single edge razor in a holder (windshield brake-tag remover)
would work. The book says use a plastic scraper. They must have some really good plastics in England.

Bill
 
I'm not really ready to release this for prime time, but I am in the process of setting up a "knowledge base" which will contain helpful automotive tips as well as help with doing things on the forum here. Anyway, I have populated it with a few articles that were from my old tech tip database, and it so happens one of the articles is a trick for getting a stuck head off easily (its worked for me every time I've tried it).

Check out soon-to-be released knowledge base and either click:
Automotive Tech Tips > General Tech Tips > General Engine Tips. Then look at the article about gett a stuck head off. Or you can find the article by doing a search on the word "Head".

Go HERE

Like I said, this is not really ready for prime time, but as your problem was related to an article I recetly loaded ionto the KB I thought I'd reveal the knowledge base for now.

Basil

PS This knowledge base is going to be mostly populated by articles provided by members and I hope it will grow over time.
 
Steak knife and boogered studs... Mercy! There are several techniques for this (rope trick, shimming & rocking the head w/ alternate tightening & loosening of head nuts front & back, wooden wedges, etc.)

As for the carbon on the top of the pistons, a good series of soakings with Carb Cleaner may soften the crud quite a bit - I would be wary of using a metal scraper.
 
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<snip> There are several techniques for this (rope trick,<snip>

[/ QUOTE ]

Check the knowledge base article references in previous reply /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I've used it several times and worked every time (so far).
Basil
 
Bas,

Just checked out the knowledge base. I like the layout. Some of the info posted in various threads should be migrated to this database.
 
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As for the carbon on the top of the pistons, a good series of soakings with Carb Cleaner may soften the crud quite a bit - I would be wary of using a metal scraper.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've used Kleen-Strip paint remover with some success (carefully, and NOT with plastic scrapers!), as well as Easy-Off oven cleaner... all risky, and packed the piston/bore crack with paper towel to help keep the nasties from gettin' in there. Waay like O.R. protocol. Rather yank the unit out and go right thru it or just leave the crud in sit: "Sleeping dogs" theory an' all that.
 
I use a wire brush on a grinder to clean off my pistons, and prep the block for a new head gasket.
 
I really like a product called SEA FOAM. I have used this to soak small engine pistons in to free up stuck rings. Works better than carb cleaner and does not evaporate quickly. I have freed half a dozen rings and havn't cracked one yet.
This product is available at most auto parts stores and since it can be used in the gas or the oil you don't have to worry about an adverse chemical reaction with anything else in the engine. Let the stuff sit over night if you can. The carbon deposits that haven't disolved by then should be soft enough to remove with some plastic as soft as a credit card.
 
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or just leave the crud in sit: "Sleeping dogs" theory an' all that.

[/ QUOTE ]
Actually a pretty good suggestion. The carbon will only build up a small amount, after which any more burns off as the engine is running. Unless, the engine is burning large amounts of oil.

Racers pay big bucks to have the top of the pistons & combustion chambers ceramic insulation coated. It's quite frequently done in Diesel engines also. It reduces combustion chamber heat losses & increases engine efficiency & power a noticeable amount. It also keeps some of the heat away from the oil & aids cooling in general. Heat kept in the chamber means more power.

A layer of carbon does much the same thing. Shiney surfaces just lose power until the carbon builds back up.
D
 
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I use a wire brush on a grinder to clean off my pistons, and prep the block for a new head gasket.


[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto Walt. I use a fine wire brush on a power drill, make sure to rotate the motor so the piston is at TDC, this way you don't risk messing up the cylinder bore with the wire brush. Also, make sure it's a fine grade brush, medium and course can actually scar the piston tops if you use to much pressure. A rigid plastic scrapper and some carb cleaner comes in handy for the stubborn areas. Afterwards make sure to flush the whole area for debris using compressed air, sometimes the little wires from the wheel come out and you could end up with one in between the piston and bore.

I don't know about just leaving it in place. Am I remembering this correctly, I thought I read in the Bentley manual de-coking the motor is listed as a 60K mile service item. I would think that the thermal insulation properties are right, but the possible uneven distribution of carbon and the irregular surface created by it would be detrimental to efficient combustion. If you could somehow get it to lay down in a perfectly even and smooth flat layer that would be different. Just throwing out ideas.
 
I remember reading in one of those old "VW's for Hippies" books where the guy sweared by pouring a pint of diesel fuel in the carb with the engine running to burn out the carbon on the pistons.

Of course this is the same guy who said that the proper time to warm up your VW engine was the amount of time it took him to hand-roll his own "cigarette" while sitting behind the wheel. So probably by the time he got it lit he had forgotten why he had started the car in the first place. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Your mileage may WILDY vary...
 
I had a neighbor when I was a kid that ran a local repair shop but he was a race team mechanic back in the 50's and 60's, and he recommended either slowly pouring a 2 liter size coke bottle full of water down the carb throat (a trickle at a time), or setting your garden hose on a fine mist and putting the nozzle in the carb throat for a few minutes. The motor would cough and sputter, so you'd have to keep nursing it by hand to keep it running. Once the water was in you'd give it a minute or two to come back to a stable idle, then take it out and stand on it. The water would supposedly loosen up the carbon deposits and that first time you hit it you'd see a huge cloud of carbon come pouring out the exhaust. This guy was full of all sorts of old school tricks like that. Never tried this one in particular but he never gave me advice that didn't work, so maybe there's something to it.
 
Here is a simple answer to removing a stuck head gashet.

Back all of your valves off until there are closed. Plug your spark plug wholes, and crank the heck out of the engine with a strong starter and battery. Should pop the head gastet, unless you have excess ring/piston blow by.

If this doesn't work. Try a sharp cold chiele, gentently working from each corner of the head.

Good luck.

Clyerly
 
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