Bad bad day!

strath44 · strath44's Garage

okay woke up today not well at all hope its not the swine flu thats hitting the country!

First thing I find is that my DD has been keyed front and rear in our drive overnight B*&%$£@@'s its only a year old!

So as a result of that plus a late night at my folks the night before (cleaning my cylinder head and intake manifold to go back on plus feeling ill and not concentrating...............some idiot cuts me up and I have to seriously emergency stop!

This resulted in everything in the boot (seats down) ending up on the floor. Of course this included 2 cylinder heads, intake manifold and camshaft housing and lots of little plastic boxes of parts!

I checked everything and it seems ok no marks or damage just bits everywhere. My new head was roughly wrapped in bubble wrap fortunately.

Now the big prob after a lot of advice I have taken great care not to mix up valves and springs etc. The majority of the shims, springs and valves are pretty much muddled up F@@&&*(!!! What should I do?

HondaDustR · 08-21-2009, 07:36 AM

Are you serious?!?

strath44 · strath44's Garage

Yeah unfortunately, this might sound nuts but it seemed logical at the time to pair up each shim, valve, collar and 2 springs etc in a tub (had ran out of bags at the time) and number it to the relevant valve on the head. About 2 out of 8 didn't pop open the lids were crap and my old head landed on them! I use my daily driver almost like a van during the week so there is a lot of stuff in it! Pretty calm person but.....

HondaDustR · 08-21-2009, 08:02 AM

Looks like installed height is supposed to be 41mm +/- 0.5mm. Of course they use some obscure special tool that doesn't give a clue as to how to actually measure it.

If 2 out of 8 tubs weren't broken open, do they by any chance have the valve with the 2 shims or the thin shim, so you'd at least still be able to get those back where they came from without having to figure it out?

I would think getting the valves back in the ports they came from would not be a big deal, since you are going to lap them in anyway, and I assume the valves do not vary in length more than 0.5mm. Springs and keepers probably not a big deal either. Just a matter of figuring out the shims.

strath44 · strath44's Garage

Randomly there is only 1 shim 0.5mm and 8 standard 1.0mm unfortunately the 0.5mm shim escaped! Will check the valve lengths.

"I would think getting the valves back in the ports they came from would not be a big deal, since you are going to lap them in anyway"

does that mean that it doesn't matter essentially which valve goes where as I will be lapping them in or does it mean that I should be able to figure out which goes where?

cheers for the help that diagram is really interesting! Missed that if its in the workshop manual.

HondaDustR · 08-21-2009, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by strath44

"I would think getting the valves back in the ports they came from would not be a big deal, since you are going to lap them in anyway"

does that mean that it doesn't matter essentially which valve goes where as I will be lapping them in or does it mean that I should be able to figure out which goes where?

cheers for the help that diagram is really interesting! Missed that if its in the workshop manual.

Sorry if that was confusing, but you are correct. It probably doesn't matter which goes where since you will be lapping them. If it were me, I would begin lapping each valve only very minimally. Just enough to make a mark on the valve and the seat. If it looks totally off, i.e. making a very thin strip along only an edge of the face or seat, try a different valve.

Maybe you can use a thin straight piece of something to reach down to the bottom of the valve spring seating area to be able to measure the installed height. My head is waiting until I have time during daylight to give it a thorough cleaning after my porting work before the valves come near it, or I'd be down there figuring something out that might work.

strath44 · strath44's Garage

Thanks for the help. I have put up a sep post on the lapping as not sure how to do it relevant to our engines and worried about over grinding.

I have found a method of measuring springs compressions at home using weighing scales

might try it and see how all the springs compare and then put the shim on the worst one otherwise might buy 7 X 0.5mm shims and put one on each as they must all need it by now!!!

HondaDustR · 08-23-2009, 01:21 PM

It's not so much the tension in the springs, although there's probably a specification for force at installed height. It's the variation in manufacturing of the head, and the amount the valve seats were cut, etc. The installed height is the important measurement, although it is probably for keeping installed tension consistent. Don't shim too much, or the coils could possibly bind. If the springs are weak, they should just be replaced.

strath44 · strath44's Garage

ah I see, will try and figure a way of finding the installed height that gives figures similar to the workshop spec and go from there.

cvriv.charles · 08-23-2009, 09:53 PM

Dude,.... do you have any enemies? Sounds like it. Someone did a real number on you. Keying a car,... ok. But wrecking all your s@#$ too? I would be pissed. Better be careful. They might try it again.

strath44 · strath44's Garage

well hopefully not we are in a pretty good area think someone just took the opportunity to damage what they will never have!

Not a happy bunny at the moment none of the local parts shops can get various bits i need till mid week and the weather is good just now- after it has rained for 2 weeks solid - when i should be getting the car done!! Must get it running in the next week or two!!