I'm doing a rering job in a 91 crx si. The head and valves are just covered in carbon build up. There an effective home remedy for cleaning some of it off that won't damage the head surface?
I'm doing a rering job in a 91 crx si. The head and valves are just covered in carbon build up. There an effective home remedy for cleaning some of it off that won't damage the head surface?
I've used an old toothbrush dipped in seafoam and it worked well. I wasn't dealing with a super thick layer. If some was stubborn I let the seafoam sit for a while and it came off easily with the toothbrush.
On the flat quench pads, I usually just scrape it off with a razor blade (iron heads only, not aluminum). Never had enough carbon on the valves or in the chamber to really worry about it.
wire brush
Brass brush and Seafoam. If it's really caked on, the new CRC intake cleaner for GDI engines works wonders.
Would oven cleaner hurt the heads? I've used it with luck on valves before. Just let them sit, and brushed the stuff right off.
Use gloves though. That stuff burns like the dickens!
Five gallon bucket with about three gallons of diesel in it. Drop head in bucket. Come back tomorrow and pull head out of bucket, turn over and drop other end into bucket. Softens even the most stubborn of carbon.
BE CAREFUL - any chemical cleaner may damage the valve seals... if NOT replacing the seals, then you may want to use a brush, or other mechanical method
since you have the head off.... you might want to get it rebuilt.... new seals... checking the guides, and seats..... would suck to throw a few hundred @ it (gaskets, etc.) just to have to do it again in a little bit....
remington 870
oldeskewltoy wrote: BE CAREFUL - any chemical cleaner may damage the valve seals... if NOT replacing the seals, then you may want to use a brush, or other mechanical method since you have the head off.... you might want to get it rebuilt.... new seals... checking the guides, and seats..... would suck to throw a few hundred @ it (gaskets, etc.) just to have to do it again in a little bit....
Valve seals are getting replaced. If it were my car, it would be at the machine shop to get checked out. However, it's my ex girlfriends car. She broke up with me after I had started on it, and she lost her job recently so she doesn't have the coin to pay for machining. If I was a total shiny happy person if just slap it back on there, but I want to try and clean it up some before reassembly.
I'll try the seafoam and a brass brush tonight. It's an aluminum head, so I'm scared to use some of the more powerful cleaners.
Spoolpigeon wrote:oldeskewltoy wrote: BE CAREFUL - any chemical cleaner may damage the valve seals... if NOT replacing the seals, then you may want to use a brush, or other mechanical method since you have the head off.... you might want to get it rebuilt.... new seals... checking the guides, and seats..... would suck to throw a few hundred @ it (gaskets, etc.) just to have to do it again in a little bit....Valve seals are getting replaced. If it were my car, it would be at the machine shop to get checked out. However, it's my ex girlfriends car. She broke up with me after I had started on it, and she lost her job recently so she doesn't have the coin to pay for machining. If I was a total shiny happy person if just slap it back on there, but I want to try and clean it up some before reassembly. I'll try the seafoam and a brass brush tonight. It's an aluminum head, so I'm scared to use some of the more powerful cleaners.
Been there man.
I was right in the middle of an engine swap on her Civic when my ex and I decided we'd had enough of each other. Worst part was the car was parked at her mom's house...
Good times (and good luck!)
I would hate to use oven cleaner on aluminum - it's pretty aggressive and can definitely etch bare aluminum.
Cousin_Eddie wrote: Five gallon bucket with about three gallons of diesel in it. Drop head in bucket. Come back tomorrow and pull head out of bucket, turn over and drop other end into bucket. Softens even the most stubborn of carbon.
This will work. Add a bit of ATF fluid as well, at least that is the recipe that I have used in the past.
Sending it out for co2/soda blast is pretty cheap though and you only have the one head.
Spoolpigeon wrote: However, it's my ex girlfriends car. She broke up with me after I had started on it, and she lost her job recently so she doesn't have the coin to pay for machining.
Hungary Bill wrote: Been there man. I was right in the middle of an engine swap on her Civic when my ex and I decided we'd had enough of each other. Worst part was the car was parked at her mom's house...
Y'all are much nicer than me. Most I've done for my ex was loan her a ladder. I only did it cause she'd been drinking so I hung out for the free entertainment.
In reply to Stampie:
Like I said, I'm not a complete shiny happy person, just a partial one. The timing was pretty terrible though. You'd have thought she would have held off until I was done. Oh well.
Seafoam soak has begun. We'll see how that turns out.
If the bottom of the valves have carbon you can bet the other side is just as gummed up. You need to dis- assemble the head to do it correctly.... and if the valves are out, change the seals.
If Sea-foam doesn't do it try MMO. It has never failed me.
I've used Vinegar to clean cast iron heads. Cheap at your local grocery store or Dollar General in gallon containers.
http://www.orisonmarketing.com/pistonkleen.html?gclid=CjwKEAjwq6m3BRCP7IfMq6Oo9gESJACRc0bNeAw6Ft3Tjck1xaD5-1LPIt8v2R9_uk1NmH4R4A1f5hoCfmrw_wcB
It works.
In reply to f6sk:
Valves will be coming out to change the seals and lap them.
Did the soak for an hour or so and hit it with a soft brush and quite a bit of the gunk came off. I added more and left it overnight and we'll see how much comes off tonight. Also found that #3 has a small leak on one of the exhaust valves as some of the Seafoam was coming out the exhaust port. It leaked out maybe a tablespoon in the hot it soaked, so lapping should take care of that.
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