Source for a cylinder head

[Jacques]

I'm at 286k, as far as I know it's never been taken apart. I have most records all the way back to 89 when the car was bought new and they dont say anything about rebuilding or anything. Just oil, belts, things like that.
Guy I bought it from said it had sat for about a year. It had carb problems and he never could get it running right so it ended up just sitting. Thing barely ran when I got it, wouldn't idle below 2k but once you put it in gear and tried moving, would barely go at all. Drove it 2 1/2 hours back home and it was all it could do to do 70mph on the interstate.
First thing was to rip out the old carb and put a weber 32/36 I had from the first 3g I had years ago. Then it was just a ton of repairs from old parts and leaky stuff.
Now it's been 5 speed swapped, suspension has been almost all replaced at this point and lowered, twin weber dcoe 45s, header to 2.5" pipe all the way back to a flowmaster, cat removed, and working on a megajolt ignition which should be up and running the next time I can get a day off.
Next plan is brake upgrades.
I would like to find a spare engine though to tear apart and try B-series rods and pistons in and do larger valves in the head.

Wow, you have done a lot to bring the old beast back to life! Good work.
My LXi Coupe is a manual. I bought it in Oct. '88 new. I have replaced a half a zillion parts to keep it going through the years. I also put lowering springs years ago, and a few years back did pretty much a total suspension rebuild too. Pulled several FI sensors from junk yards. I wish Honda still sold parts! Oh well.......I'll get back here once I have the Cylinder Head rebuilt and give a report. It runs okay now, but because of a broken exhaust stud on one end, I get a good leak. With the bad valve seals (maybe guides too) the fumes leak into the car with a window open and it's killin' me. It's been somewhat of a money pit over the later years, so now I figure whats a few more bills if I can get it running more like new again. Bla bla bla! I'll be back.

[InAccordance]

valve guides on mine are worn out as well, it'll poof oil smoke if you sit idling for more than a minute. Only time it does it.

Those damn exhaust studs are the worst. I had to change out a head on the 2g Prelude I had years ago because of them. Had two of them break off inside the head.

[Jacques]

valve guides on mine are worn out as well, it'll poof oil smoke if you sit idling for more than a minute. Only time it does it.

Those damn exhaust studs are the worst. I had to change out a head on the 2g Prelude I had years ago because of them. Had two of them break off inside the head.

There used to be a good video on dissolving the stud using alum and water with heat from a light bulb only. I can't find it for the life of me now.
Using a plastic bottle fixed to the head with silicone RTV type stuff. Cut off end of bottle, and fix the spout over the stud hole. Need to remove head and have the area upright. Then put the alum and water only solution in it and heat with a light bulb and sit overnight. Not so hot to melt the plastic, just to heat it up with the solution.
This dissolves the steel stud without any damage to the aluminum. The head could have been fixed that way.

Edit: From Wiki:
"Alum in the form of potassium aluminium sulphate or ammonium aluminium sulfate in a concentrated bath of hot water is regularly used by jewelers and machinists to dissolve hardened steel drill bits that have broken off in items made of aluminum, copper, brass, gold (any karat) and silver (both sterling and fine). This is because alum does not react chemically to any significant degree with any of these metals, but will corrode steel. When heat is applied to an alum mixture holding a piece of work that has a drill bit stuck in it, if the lost bit is small enough, it can sometimes be dissolved / removed within hours."

[Dr_Snooz]

I have the opposite problem. All the threads in my head were spongy and weak when I re-assembled the engine. I veeery gingerly tightened them as much as I dared. Of course they kept coming loose after that. So I kept tightening them until one pulled right out of the head and brought the soft aluminum threads along with it. Thankfully it doesn't leak, so "someday" I'll pull the manifold and Heli-Coil all of them and be done with that problem for good. Until then, I taunts me every time I open the head.

[InAccordance]

Had that happen on one of my studs, pulled the threads out. I flipped the stud, one end is longer than the other and was enough to bite the threads further into the head. Had to use a thinner washer but so far it hasn't leaked or backed out.

[Dr_Snooz]

Oh. Thank you! I think the stud is still rolling around on my floor somewhere after 5 years or so.

[Jacques]

Okay, the CYLINDER HEAD was removed. Report was all eight intake valves were not sealing and one exhaust valve was not sealing.
The shop sent me this gnarly photo of the 338,000 plus mile virgin engine with head removed.

[AC439]

It does look like some coolant passages are clogged. On the side nearer to the oil filter, you can see few of the "bean shape" coolant passages on the head gasket seems clogged.

[Dr_Snooz]

You sure you want to put a new head on a block that old?

[InAccordance]

Snooz and his photobucket ad lolz

[Jacques]

It does look like some coolant passages are clogged. On the side nearer to the oil filter, you can see few of the "bean shape" coolant passages on the head gasket seems clogged.

Yes, looks rusty. You can see openings that are about the size of a pencil though. I have not seen it up close. The shop sent me the photo. Maybe that's the size of the openings in the jackets?

[Jacques]

You sure you want to put a new head on a block that old?

Well, I'm doing it now. Rather than using one of those rebuilt head places, I just let the shop take it to a local machine shop they use.

I won't be driving it a lot. Just some fun and Autocross. When it's done, we will see how long it last before it blows up.

[InAccordance]

There's a few that look straight up plugged.

[AC439]

Well, I'm doing it now. Rather than using one of those rebuilt head places, I just let the shop take it to a local machine shop they use.

I won't be driving it a lot. Just some fun and Autocross. When it's done, we will see how long it last before it blows up.

So the shop is taking the head for a rebuild ? I would be interested to know the result too. I'm debating if I should take mine for a rebuild or get a reman head. But I'm leaning towards rebuild.

[Jacques]

There's a few that look straight up plugged.

Yea, as good as I have been on maintenance, the coolant change got neglected a few times. Ouch! Still, it ran at normal temp.
The time it went above normal was when a fan went out. At any rate, it should be better when it's done. I'm sure they will flush out the block a bit and the cylinder head will be clean from the machine shop.
Also it would go up in temp on a hot day when I would tow about 1,700 lbs, up a good long grade going up about 1,500 feet.

[Jacques]

So the shop is taking the head for a rebuild ? I would be interested to know the result too. I'm debating if I should take mine for a rebuild or get a reman head. But I'm leaning towards rebuild.

Yea, I figured it would be best to have all the work done local. The cylinder head was in good shape for a valve job. Not like it was destroyed in some way.

I am hoping the job will be finished this week as I want to Autocross this weekend!

Edit: BTW if I did get an already rebuilt head, I would have saved the original head just in case. I could have gotten a no core return head for like $400.00 or a bit less. Don't remember the exact cost anymore.

[Oldblueaccord]

Yes, looks rusty. You can see openings that are about the size of a pencil though. I have not seen it up close. The shop sent me the photo. Maybe that's the size of the openings in the jackets?

its possible that the head gasket has smaller openings to restrict coolant flow. usually you will have build up there. it gives the coolant time to pick up heat.

[Jacques]

its possible that the head gasket has smaller openings to restrict coolant flow. usually you will have build up there. it gives the coolant time to pick up heat.

Thanks for that info. Like I said, I should have changed coolant more often. Hey, she got 338,000 plus miles on it!
I am the OG owner, so it's my fault! Bought it in Oct. 1988!

Shop says it should be done later this week. Right now the exhaust manifold is having studs replaced at the machine shop. The threads took a crap after some 27 years of never being removed.
I did remove it years ago to polish out the insides of it. I used the legs of a pair of Levi jeans connected to a drill along with water and sand. It worked pretty good! Took some time though. I did not want to go with a "header" because something about the cast iron holding more even heat between the aluminum head and cast iron block during cool down time. Speaking of that, it took me a long time to find another cooling fan timer when mine went bad. Found one at a junk yard, and so far, so good again.
Thing would come on at random times with a cold engine and run the battery dead!
Too bad Honda won't make parts for their old cars anymore! Glad I snagged several FI sensors from the yards in the past too! Both of my altitude sensors had gone bad. Honda told me no more were to be had. Could not find any on the after market either. Bla bla bla.
I'll be back. Low end should be better after fixing 8 leaking intake and one leaking exhaust valve.
Blow-by be dammed! I just need a few more years of fun with the old beast.

[Dr_Snooz]

Snooz and his photobucket ad lolz

[Jacques]

So I got the car back from the shop.
They did not shake it down after the work.
First thing, I got code for O2 sensors. The head work and gasket sealing etc. contaminated the sensors. It was not running right with that, although it did seem a bit stronger.
Then the next day I got a cooling fan issue. Been through that before. The larger fan is still OG. The smaller one (drivers side) has been replaced prior.
So I am waiting for sensors and just in case a fan switch (the one in the bottom of the radiator)
Also I will check the coolant bleed valve, even though I mentioned that to the boss, the guys may not have bled the air out.
They broke the top of the PCV chamber where the valve plugs in too! I got it connected now, but it needs a proper fix. The guy said he would fix it. Good guy.
I will be back after I get the new O2 sensors in. Still, gonna' have blow-by, but it should run stronger for my autocross than before with all intakes leaking and one exhaust too.

[InAccordance]

[Dr_Snooz]

It's just God telling me to update my sig pic. I'm going to start using Dropbox as my new host.

[Jacques]

It's just God telling me to update my sig pic. I'm going to start using Dropbox as my new host.

Off topic, but I want to thank you @Dr_Snooz. I finally got the full meal ticket on the 1989 Accord Manual from your box. Prior, I only had some incomplete manuals.

I am still waiting on some O2 sensors as I wanted OG connectors on them. As it goes, I only had one of the two O2 sensors contaminated as I only had one flash at the ECU.
Hey, now I know which is which for 1 or 2 flashes!
I am getting Denso sensors. Only 30 bucks each! OGs if one can find are like 240 bucks. It's been running fine with I believe Bosh sensors for many years now until the CYLINDER HEAD R&R.
Because the A/C was out anyway, I removed the pump. Less weight for my autocross.
I will run a jumper at the A/C pressure switch terminal just for good measure. This way if I hit the A/C switch it may still engage the fans fully.
It could be the condenser fan motor is failing. (larger right side fan) I replaced the cooling (smaller fan left side) a few years ago as the motor was toast.
I'll get back here as I attempt to iron it out. Thanks again!

[Jacques]

Awesome. I just jumped the A/C pressure connector and now when I hit the A/C switch both fans worked.
I will and check the connector at the sensor (bottom of the radiator) by jumping next. If the fan comes on I will replace the thermo switch.
If that ends up being a fail, it will more than likely be the condenser fan motor taking a crap.
I'll come back as I work more, but now it's kinda' raining. Oh, it stopped. Time to check the coolant bleed valve for air in the top.

[Jacques]

Althouht the engine was dead cold it got to 85 degrees so there was a tiny bit of pressure in the coolant system.
I opened the bleeder valve and got coolant under that bit of pressure.
The radiator was full to the brim, yet once the pressure was relieved, no coolant continued to flow out. (maybe front end too low)
I totally removed bleeder valve and the coolant was right there, so that should be a non issuue.
I never got a code for the TW sensor anyway, yet with running issues always good to check.
After I get the new O2 sensors installed, I'll test drive and come back.
Main lesson seems to be is, after a CYLINDER HEAD job, one might get a contaminated O2 sensor.
338,800 something miles now.

It ran okay before. https://youtu.be/gHsNif2srMA