A head case...

[Geeshik]

Okay. i finally got some money together to get my cylinder heads checked at a local machine shop, and it turns out one is cracked. All indications are that they have about 173,000 miles on them. The head gaskets have been replaced at least once before i got the truck with a bad one.

The good head has a burned valve that i've removed and need to replace, and it also needs to be resurfaced. What do you think i should do? i told the guy at the machine shop that i'd need a day to think about it, so if you could offer your opinion soon, that would be good. (i know you have opinions : )

Is it wise to get the one resurfaced without spending the cash for a valve job and get a rebuilt or new head for the other side? i don't think so. And you'd probably want to have the same amount milled off of both heads, right? i don't know.

 

[shadetree]

If there is nothing wrong with the one head, resurface it, do a valve job and proceed. If you purchase a rebuilt head, it will have been resurfaced anyway, so you are not gaining/losing anything. Resurfacing takes little metal off, milling the heads is a different story.shady

 

[Geeshik]

Rebuilt Cylinder heads?

So i was on a website before, and i spied a pair of rebuilt 3.0 cylinder heads for $190. They are from a Company called Dover Cylinder Heads in Georgia. Does anyone have experience with them? They seem really legit and have good feedback. They even offer free UPS ground shipping.

What is the difference between rebuilt and remanufactured heads? Is this as good a deal as it seems?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

3.0's are one of the more prolific ford engines...i would hit the junkyard for a low-ish mileage replacement. you can probably walk off the lot for less than the core charge for a reman head. have your machine shop go over both the heads (true, valve job and valve seals) plop them on the truck (with new gaskets AND new head bolts), rinse, try not to repeat for at least another 100,000 miles.

 

[Geeshik]

Um, now what?

The junkyards around here aren't what they used to be. i didn't really want to go that route. And the machine work isn't cheap either. $42 a head for a pressure check, and $60 a piece for resurfacing. The one good head needed a valve seat reground on top of that. i ordered the e-bay cylinder heads and they came with the smaller valve shaft diameter and a beehive-shaped spring; not the same as my 93 head. Is this okay to use with the same rockers?

Otherwise, very pleased. They came today and i ordered them Friday. Came quick and shipping was free. As far as i can tell there is no core charge. Now i have to wait for a warm day, some time and a little more money. i'm hoping to sell my motorcycle to get the rest of the funds together.

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

the head you got is for a newer truck.

test fir the rockers on the valves and see if they look like they are going to work. you might have to order rockers for a newer truck as well.

 

[Geeshik]

Good to go.

At least that's what Dover told me when i called them. They said that the newer head is completely interchangeable as long as you replace both of them and not just one. So that's good news. As soon as we get some decent weather here, i will be re-assembling the beast.

The cool thing is that they don't require a core return. i guess they must be overstocked on those things or something. So if you have a 3.0 and need heads, check them out.

Larry at the machine shop here in Sheboygan told me that one of the heads was cracked between the valve seat down through the head. It was pretty bad. He also said the other head was warped bad enough that he would have to take off .009 to resurface it and that leads him to believe that it was overheated badly. i didn't think to ask him at the time, but do i need to be worried about my block? How often do the decks on blocks warp? What about the cast aluminum intake?

 

[Wicked_Sludge]

ive never heard of a 3.0 warping the deck...youd have to get migh-ty hot for that. it wouldnt hurt to take a streight edge to it though, just to make sure you arent going to pop a head gasket right away. the aluminum intake manifolds dissipate heat so fast that i think youd seize the motor before it warped.

 

[rurouni20xx]

the only time i seen a block get hot enuff to warp the deck was when somebody was cutting one apart w/ a cutting torch to show how heat affects metal in class. youll melt a piston b4 it gets that hot to say the least. i would get a straightedge and check to be on the safe side but i doubt seriously the block is hurt.

 

[Geeshik]

Thanks again.

Yeah, i didn't think it would mess up the block, but i thought i'd ask. i've got a little bit warmer weather here now. i ordered my head gasket set and it should be here Tuesday. It's going to be a busy week at school again, but maybe if the weather stays a little warmer, i'll have the heads on soon.

For carnage sake, i got some pics of that bad valve too.

 

[fleck]

'bad' valve!