Need help removing cylinder head

[HondaBob412]

hey everybody, im kinda new to the whole repair scene, and i know this is a pretty major operation, but i am pretty intelligent , so im going to try and do it. I blew a head gasket on my 1989 accord lx-i with the a20a3 engine. I need to replace this gasket as this is my only transportation to and from work, which i need to pay for school. Any advice on how to get started, useful tips, extensive instructions, links to more helpful sites/sources would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

[turabaka]

first off. Welcome to the site.

I'd suggest getting a haynes manual for your car to start. They have invaluable knowledge. You'll also need to get a torque wrench. Some of the other guys on this site know more than I do though so I'll let them answer the question a little better.

[Vanilla Sky]

Manuals cost money, though.

This manual is free, though. Scanned Honda Service manual.

http://www.3geez.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25137

Everything you need to know about your 3gee is there.

And yeah, stop by a Harbor Freight and pick up their 1/2 inch torque wrench. It's no Snap-On, but it's usually on "sale" for $16, and claims the same tolerance as the Snap-on. The members of the GRM forum love that TQ wrench for the price.

[Demon1024]

Have you ever done the timing belt on this car? now may be a good time. taking off the crankshaft bolt and removing the pully is the easiest way to make sure and not screw anything up, and will also give you an oportunity to change oil/water pumps or T-belt. If you know those are good you can just loosen the tensioner and slide the belt off the cam just make sure your at topdead center before you do(makes it much easier going back together)You retension it the same way you would with the crankpully off,line it up TDC turn,with the crankshaft bolt,three teeth counter clockwise on the cam gear and retighten. Also remember to remove the head bolts in steps just like tightening them or you could warp the head. Check the head for warpage once you get it off. Follow the specs for tightening it back!!!! Like was said a torque wrench is absolutly nessecary! It's also not a bad idea to check the oil control jet for gunk while your in there.
oh and the EGR pipe is usually a pita hit that thing with PBblaster and let it sit (overnight preferably)same with the crankshaft bolt.i ended cutting my egr piping i got so mad at it once.little metal tape and a fastener holds it now
Phew!
This may be my longest post so far but i just did this myself(without removing crank bolt) and thought i'd share in what i remembered

[Dr_Snooz]

I'm not sure what "kinda new" means. If it means that you've never changed spark plugs and that you only have a socket set and a hammer, you might skip this repair. Intelligence counts for a lot, but if you don't know the tricks for freeing a rusted exhaust nut, or don't have the tools to get to those hard-to-reach bolts, you're likely to end up with a heap of steel and plastic sitting in your driveway for a lot longer than you want. You could also end up having someone else do the work anyway, with the added expense of a tow bill. If you rely on this car, have the work done. Work up to this kind of repair.

If you decide to do it yourself anyway, definitely get a Honda shop manual. Read it carefully and be sure you've gone through every step in your head beforehand and understand exactly what you'll be doing. Expect that something will go badly, badly wrong at some point and have backup transportation available. If you're in a hurry, you're a lot more likely to make an error, so take it easy, slowly and methodically.

[turabaka]

I'm not sure what "kinda new" means. If it means that you've never changed spark plugs and that you only have a socket set and a hammer, you might skip this repair. Intelligence counts for a lot, but if you don't know the tricks for freeing a rusted exhaust nut, or don't have the tools to get to those hard-to-reach bolts, you're likely to end up with a heap of steel and plastic sitting in your driveway for a lot longer than you want. You could also end up having someone else do the work anyway, with the added expense of a tow bill. If you rely on this car, have the work done. Work up to this kind of repair.

If you decide to do it yourself anyway, definitely get a Honda shop manual. Read it carefully and be sure you've gone through every step in your head beforehand and understand exactly what you'll be doing. Expect that something will go badly, badly wrong at some point and have backup transportation available. If you're in a hurry, you're a lot more likely to make an error, so take it easy, slowly and methodically.

God that is oh so true. Everytime I work on my car something goes wrong without fail. It's just one of those things. As long as you're working slowly and carefully the thing that goes wrong will be something small like forgetting to hook up the negative terminal on the battery. lawl. Yes I'm guilty of that one..

[Ichiban]

If you want to do it cheap and easy, here's a few tips. You are going to assume that you don't have to check the head, that it is a straight gasket problem, and the idea is to change it as efficiently as possible.
-First, don't remove the intake or exhaust manifolds from the head. Disconnect the wiring harness and fuel lines from the intake, and the exhaust from the downpipe. This saves you the hassle of dealing with gaskets and stripped/seized exhaust manifold studs. Pull the crank pulley, timing cover and timing belt. Don't forget to pull any support brackets from the intake/exhaust manifolds.

- DRAIN THE COOLANT. Now, pull the head. Keep the head bolts labeled so that you can put them back in their original holes. Once the head is off, peel the gasket off, wipe up any crap from the cylinder bores, and pack clean grease into the gap between the cylinder and piston crown, use lots. The point of the grease is to keep the dirt/abrasives/coolant/beer cans out from between the cylinder wall and the piston and rings.

-Buy/borrow a tap and chase the head bolt threads in the block deck. Clean head bolts with a wire brush.

-Clean the head and block deck spotless of crap with a scraper and emery cloth, then wipe both down with brakekleen. Wipe out the grease and dirt from the piston/bore interface area, try and get the piston crown and cylinder bores as clean as possible. If you get grease and oil everywhere, make sure you wipe the block deck with brakekleen again, it has to be perfectly dry and free of dirt and oil for the new gasket to seal.

-Put it together and torque the bolts in the recommended order to the proper torques. Your haynes book will tell you this. Remember to apply a small amount of clean oil to the head bolt threads, never torque a dry fastener.

-Fill and purge the coolant. Run it for a bit with a close eye on coolant, oil gauges/levels. Do an oil change after about 100 km.

[88Accord-DX]

First off, put the engine at #1 TDC. Also, check the head for any warping. The PCV hose will more than likely break when you try to remove it from the bottom. Here is a few pics of what lies ahead. As mentioned, remove the head, intake, exhaust as one piece. Good luck..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/ddude2uc/A20A1pic1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v488/ddude2uc/A20A1intakebottom.jpg