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heads coming off

8579 Views 128 Replies 20 Participants Last post by  undivide
and here we go...
this is a work in progress to replace the head gaskets.
before I purchase any replacement parts I'm going to get both heads off and do a visual inspection of all critical areas then drop the heads off at a shop for pressure testing, cleaning, and resurfacing. it is so difficult to find the time and motivation to get out in the garage in 30 degree weather with 30 mph winds and lock myself in there and turn ice cold wrenches with minimal lighting.

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Did your head gasket fail? This is quite a project.
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Did your head gasket fail? This is quite a project.
yes it is presumed they did fail or at least start to fail due to an earlier overheating situation. coolant was initially detected during an oil analysis done with blackstone labs, then got worse to where it was causing misfires during cold starts, presumably either through direct cylinder or indirectly through the egr system ports. actually there was a significant amount of moisture in the egr section of the intake manifold upon removal.
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the back fuel rail, fuel line, rear head and intake runner came off yesterday! down to the bare block now. dropped off the injectors at a local speed shop here in Wilmington, DE - Off-Vehicle Fuel Injector Service - Fuel Injector Cleaning
also dropped off both heads at a local machine shop in New Castle, DE - Services Offered — Alderman Automotive Machine
The history behind both shops is neat and the fact that they still exist in today's throw away society should be a testament to their quality of service.
Now, I can focus my efforts on cleaning up this mess I made in my garage...
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@undivide your motivation in the cold is truly amazing. Nothing more frustrating than removing rusted on bolts that are also cold as hell. I got something similar to Amazon.com: Cooking Torches: Home & Kitchen for when I need to heat stuff up.

Keep us posted on your progress. Super cool that you're taking this much care of your Pilot. I just did a valve adjustment and alignment on mine, and boosted my mpg from 17 to 20 on the highway. These Pilots respond well to TLC.

--Chris N.
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Good stuff... I hope this resolves the issues you've been having and you get many years of trouble-free motoring...

And honestly, I was thinking of this when I read your thread title:

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the motivation is keeping my pregnant wife from yelling at me for NOT working on it in the freezing cold. I've gotten a couple breaks with the weather which helps me really knock out a lot of work. I'm surprised I was able to break loose and remove the head bolts with only a 1/2" breaker bar medium length handle, not anywhere near as long as the torque wrench I will be using for reassembly!

rusted bolts respond well to a quick splash of PB blaster. I have never ever had to heat up any fastener as long as I've been turning wrenches, but I have had to saw or dremel off a couple :D

if it doesn't fix the issues I've been having I will likely start hunting for a replacement engine as the vehicle is really in pretty excellent condition
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@undivide your motivation in the cold is truly amazing. Nothing more frustrating than removing rusted on bolts that are also cold as hell.
the motivation is keeping my pregnant wife from yelling at me for NOT working on it in the freezing cold.

Indeed. When you're done, can you come do mine? My car, I mean.:)

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update Received a phone call earlier in the week alerting me that one of the heads was cracked. Guy offered to search for a pair of rebuilt heads for me because his advice was to not pay him to just clean up and resurface ONE head while using an essentially brand new head on the other side of the engine. So that's the bad news, the good news is, my fuel injectors are serviced and ready for pickup. Can't wait to see the before and after results. They weren't dirty or visibly clogged BUT the o-rings were in need of replacing along with other hidden items you can't see inside like the filter basket.
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UPDATE - machine shop is going to get me 2 rebuilt heads and send my old heads back as cores. hopefully they order the right ones... I know these J35A9 weren't around for very long and not sure how many heads are actually compatible.
as long as it has the vtec and lacks the vcm that's all that matters. I just have to remember to swap over all the external mounting bolts and remove the brand new spark plugs!
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UPDATE - fuel injectors came back. some were flowing good, some were spraying uneven, 2 were flowing very weak.
after the cleaning the flow tests came back perfectly balanced with great spray patterns. just need to drop a couple hundred to get all these gaskets & head bolts ordered
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I love this thread! It's like an online graphic novel that you enjoy a lot and eagerly anticipate each new posting.
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well you're in for a treat...

only bad thing is, he forgot to remove the spark plugs from the old heads so he took $60 off the bill to compensate for me having to order a new set. I literally just installed those plugs right before the vehicle was taken out of service. oh well, never complain about brand new parts!
Thanks for documenting this. I plan on doing this one of these days. I’ve got two slightly burnt exhaust valves. Considering just ordering rebuilt heads to reduce the downtime.
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UPDATE - all parts arrived today from hondapartsnow except they only shipped me one of the two coolant pipe o-rings I needed. I also should have read the FSM before ordering because it recommends replacing the o-rings on the oil control orifices (x2)
UPDATE - all parts arrived today from hondapartsnow except they only shipped me one of the two coolant pipe o-rings I needed. I also should have read the FSM before ordering because it recommends replacing the o-rings on the oil control orifices (x2)
You might check with this guy and see what he has in stock.;)
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You might check with this guy and see what he has in stock.
Yeah he didn't have anything I need or want...

UPDATE - Got my 2nd o-ring for the coolant pipe from the local stealer (they had a bunch in stock) that runs along the block between the water pump and crossover. Was able to wiggle that pipe loose, nothing broke and did a brief inspection, looks good though will need to clean up the surface rust spots. The original o-rings are actually still in good shape and could be re-used so I will save them in the spare parts drawer.

Had to place another order for the oil control orifice o-rings, they came in and are on. Almost time to start working on the heads getting them prepped up for reinstallation.
Helped a buddy out yesterday while the weather was nice. He had EGR code on his 2001 Accord with the J30A1. He had replaced the valve but most codes pop up because of a restriction or blockage in the manifold. Took it apart and found the flow hole on the intake manifold completely clogged with carbon and black oily sludge. Took awhile to get that passage completely free of the buildup but did it with a skinny flat head screwdriver and a can of carb cleaner for the win! Plenty of youtube videos on this issue which helped.

Some pictures of the flow control orifice.
They were fun to get out. Wrapped some electrical tape around an allen key and did a twist wiggle pulling motion that eventually caused them to pop out. Old o-ring on the left / New o-ring on the right as you can see!

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tapped in a cam seal... with a roll of electrical tape :LOL:
just a little bit of clean engine oil around the rim to help it get in there
what a lazy Sunday

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This is unbelievable on your part, so cool. it literally makes me want to rebuild my heads even though they don't need it just to do it ! I might just buy a used engine and completely rebuild it for the fun of it - back to high school - let's rock !

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