^

I'm just speculating on those potential contact areas of the pistons above. Hopefully, you & the pocket book escaped any possible piston / valve interference.
619rcr's experienced & trained eye would lend more credence in confirming or denying, though.

 

Roger that. I appreciate the insight. I shall wait for sensei to return with an answer. Thank you again zeta.

 

 

Oil pan removed

 

Used purple power and a brush to clean up the pistons a little there are some slight indentations @619rcr your expertise is needed sir

 

I've seen others on YT use a 50/50 mix of ATF & acetone to help clean-up the carbon.

With that said, theoretically, I believe you can easily 'liquid' test the valves to give you a 'quick & dirty' yes or no leak result.

All you have to do is remove the rocker arm assemblies below, following the FSM instructions provided (especially #2 to keep everything together), lifting them (rocker assemblies) out of the head.

This will allow all the valve springs to fully seat the valves closed, as they sit in their current state, with valve spring tension.

Then flip the heads over, valves facing upward, making sure they look fully closed.



Of course, make sure the spark plugs are installed, then pour in some 'fluid' (water, alcohol, gas, lacquer thinner) to fill-up the space to the edge (red arrow) over the valves & observe if any leakage occurs from beneath.

Any leakage could be attributed to either slightly bent valves or perhaps pieces of carbon caught between the valve & valve seat?
In turn, indicating further scrutiny would be needed to accurately determine what is causing penetration.

Good Luck!

 

noted on the ATF/acetone tip.

I’ll do some more research and aiming to tackle this tmw pending the weather.

when I do the liquid test, do I pour it in the case itself or where the spark plugs go? Also which liquid would be the least harmful to my engine?

Just adding this, idk if it means something or not but one piston on each cylinder block is pushed all the way down by the way. Both blocks look identical in terms of how the pistons are sitting right now. One high, one medium high, one very low.

if I have a bent valve , would I need to replace all 24? If a valve is barely bent , could I still use it or just buy a whole new set?

thanks in advance zeta. I appreciate the quick responses.

 

The video below shows the use of water & will help give an idea visually on the test method:

 

thank you zeta. I will do this and update asap.

 

Forgot to take a pic but for the head gaskets (fel pro MLS installed August 2022) I coated them with copper gasket spray from Autozone (~$15).

 

My bad, meant to reply to this earlier. But, have been working on a side project of my own and haven't had time to respond.

It seems like you already figured out there was some valve contact. I was going to suggest what @zeta just said about checking for leaks.

But, don't skip over loosening and backing off the valve spring adjusters on all the valves, before removing the rockers. This helps to reduce tension.

The liquid test is good, but it can get messy. You can also check for leaks with a good flash light and a dark room (I normally do this before a liquid test). Simply turn the head upside down and hold the light over the valves while looking into the intake and exhaust ports one at a time. Be sure to move the light around so that you check from all angles.

Also, don't reuse head gaskets. There is almost always some indentations and degradation of the coating / transfer to the head or block. OEM gaskets are pretty cheap through P2R. Rockauto sells MAHLE / CLEVITE (which is an OEM manufacturer), but I believe the gaskets available in the aftermarket are .0040" vs a .0028" as would be found with an OEM. So you'll lose a bit of compression with a non machined head. Other brands are out there too, be sure to check the bore and thickness.

 

Zeta, your eyesight is probably better than mine.

lol

 

Thank you for chiming in. I appreciate the knowledge nonetheless. You and zeta.

I’ll make sure to follow both of yall instructions on the checking for leaks. If there is a leak, what would be my next steps? Would I need to buy new valves?

noted on the head gaskets. What are thoughts on Victor Reinz? I’ve read they had good reviews, are a manufacturer, and their gaskets are .028. About 74 on RA vs cometics 85 on P2R

 

were you referring to the DNJ or cometic gasket on P2r? I don’t see the dnj thickness anywhere so I’m presuming you’re referring to the cometic

 

OEM Honda
https://powerrevracing.com/products/...2251-pge-a01-2

 

Just finished doing a light test first pic shows how I shone the light in. I started with bank 1, cylinder 3 first (rear cylinder). there was noticeable light seeping thru and none for cylinders 2 & 1 respectively. I then moved to bank 2, and all three cylinders has some slight seepage of light passing thru. (Pics attached). It is starting to rain so I will probably have to tackle removing the valve assemblies tmw, as I’ll be doing more research as well.

I presume I have to remove the valves and get a clear look at them before I know whether I need to lap the valves or just reseat them.

this is the first video for my introduction into part of my project
For reference, I’m just YouTubing “how to lap valves and reseat valves” and looking at different videos but this is just the first one (watching it as I type this out). As always, I appreciate the knowledge fellas


How I shined the light in the cylinder blocks

Cylinder 3

Cylinder 4

Cyl 5

Cyl 6 — very slight leakage

 

uhhh, not quite. flip the head upside down and check with light from the valve side.

ref post #3 :
https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-cl-2.../#post16946848

 

lol my dumbass. Got it. I thought I could revive this engine in hopes itd be quicker than waiting on a competent j35a3 within my budget but being that there’s a good chance I will have to lap and reseal the valves, we shall see which happens first. I’ll possibly save to get a titanium super tech valves kit from halflander or p2r, since I’m already this deep in my engine.

 

Pulled the part of the idler pulley bolt that was snapped in the engine block today.
1. Used a center point to mark it (difficult since it was deep in the block and couldn’t see it which is why the hole is off center)
2. started off with a left handed drill bit (in reverse) on the skinny side to make the initial hole then gradually increased in size.
3. Used decent pressure and would hit the trigger in one second bursts rather than a continuous pull.
4. Took about 40m in total — now waiting for my m10x1.25 tap to arrive so I can rethread it.

 

Supertech is a good brand. Just a bit pricey. I bought some valves during P2R's last 4th of Jul sale. DNJ makes inexpensive valves, but i don't know how good of a quality they are.

Don't buy from Halferland. Some of their products are chinese replicas. Like their so called hyperutectic pistons, are copies on an oem PGK (j35a3/a4) piston with their logo stamped on the top.

 

This is what I was looking at for reference: from halferland they have a full set for 285 https://halferlandperformance-com.3d...NG-_p_108.html and on p2r, I was looking at the ferreas https://powerrevracing.com/products/...gn6vgpTmaQUZWg as well as their supertechs ($315) https://powerrevracing.com/products/...a1a490e3&_ss=r
I read good things about the ferreas but i think im leaning more towards the supertechs. The supertechs look the same, and idk how halferland could get chinese versions of those since i thought supertech was American. But if i could buy from outside p2r, i will. They make good products but i have bad experiences with their customer service after a few purchases

 

Yeah, Ferrea is good too. The junkyard heads I rebuilt have $500 worth of ferrea valves. lol I have those 36mm nitrided supertech intake valves in another set of heads. I really don't see what's so special about em. That's why I went with the ferrea 6000s the second go round.

 

Duly noted. I'll go with the ferrea 6000s and the ferrea valve stems from p2r in that case. Just to clarify, lord willing I'm able to pick up a j35a3 before I grab all these parts, I think you said previously that im able to swap my heads from the j32 over to the j35, correct? So I can plan to level up my heads with the peace of mind knowing they would be transferrable.

 

I think you mean valve guides, not valve stems. I actually have a full new set, that I never installed. pm if you're int.
And yes, the j32a2 heads will swap over to a j35a3. That's part of the reason people choose the j35a3 when it comes to upgrading.

 

https://powerrevracing.com/products/...gn6vgpTmaQUZWg
These are what I'm referring to so then possibly guides > stems.

 

Just wanted some advise on a possible play I have: There's an engine from a very reputable shop selling a j35 for $6 plus a 350 shipping fee. less than 105k on it, out the bay, tested and ready to go. Theres another engine from a mid scrapyard out my way for 400 with 122k. I'm sure I wouldnt have to do anything to the motor from the reputable shop and Idk what to expect from the cheaper one but the owner SOUNDED trusting. Essentially, I guess I'd be paying for peace of mind, but what do yall think? Money is definitely an object in this situation lol.

 

Okay, I was referring to Ferrea bronze valve guides:
https://powerrevracing.com/products/...ides-j-series?
These are more of a performance upgrade than an oe replacement because bronze allows more heat to dissipate to the head.

 

Reputable shop selling a motor for $6 plus shipping sounds odd. But, maybe that's just a selling strategy.

 

It's worth looking into IMHO.
Is it reasonable to think that you are already going to be in neighborhood of $350-400, or more for that matter, just for machine shop services / parts to make the J32A2 heads functional?
That's not even factoring in time spent to this point & perhaps into the future.

 

Apologies on the delay. Had to fix my plumbing past few days.

$400 engine with 122k is gone. I was able to get in touch with the phoenix shop and get a deal for a 91k j35 for 900 total, shipping included. Ill have 300 for the rest of the month if i make this purchase. I talked to my buddy who owns a shop and he advised to just work on the j32. get new head gaskets, buy new valves + valve seals, lap and reseal them, top off fluids, and get back on the road. He's cool with his neighbors a couple garages down that do heads too, in case i f up the valves. My main concern with the j35 is if the engine doesn't work, I would have to send the engine back on my own dime as well as pay for whatever replacement. so If the engine isn't good, I'll probably have to keep it to save another 700 total in shipping. Thoughts? Words of wisdom? What would i have to do to the j35 if it's not good. keep in mind, its got 91k on it.

 

$6 = $600, for clarity
apologies for any confusion

 

for the Ferrea 6000 intake valves https://powerrevracing.com/products/...cdb5a25e&_ss=r would i order two sets of these since they come in sets of 12? It says in the title that theyre intake valves but in the description, it states exhaust valves. I thought they weren't interchangeable? (per ChatGPT).

 

There's 24 valves total in one v6 (4 valves per cyl) 12 intake and 12 exh. Not interchangeable between exhaust and intake due to diff sizes 30mm exh and 35/36 intake. I say 35/36 mm in the sense that you can elect to do all 35s or all 36s.

Got it

You're basically rolling the dice with any used engine. I've purchased used motors from ebay, local shops and junk yards with mixed results. Some only needed minor cleanup, one had low compression on 3 of 6cyls. It's a gamble no matter what. Recommendation is to have it delivered to the shop that's doing the work. Then have them do a compression check and visual inspection right away. Be prepared to encounter some damage to sensors and small components from transport. Cut harness is also pretty typical.
GL

 

Noted. Potentially, I would be doing the install myself, but using my buddy's shop as the receiver (if i end up buying the used engine). I will try to fix my j32 for now, to save money. But I'll know more about the condition of my engine after i pull these valves. Thank you for the response 619rcr

 

I discovered that all of my exhaust valves on bank 2 (front head) got bent. The intake and exhaust valves on bank 1 seem to all be good. I’m unsure of the intake valves on bank 2 because I’m unable to remove the exhaust valves atm and they’re blocking the intake valves from being removed.

 

The camshaft on bank 2 also had some nicks. I wasn’t able to get all of them but i think there were three areas that had damage to them. I still need to remove the cam in bank 1 but I presume it’s in good condition being that the valves were fine.

 

Wow, def not ideal. What's the plan on the bank 2 head?

btw, an 01 CLS showed up at my local yard in Tucson. Thought about pulling the heads for spares. But, I have too many spare parts already.

 

I just ordered some Ferrea intake and exhaust valves from p2r, along with seals. In addition, I ordered a new timing belt (continental), camshaft seals (mahle/clevite), exhaust manifold gaskets/head gaskets, head bolts (all from Victor Reinz), off RA. And i just ordered j35a8 cams off ebay so I'll be installing most of these, hopefully next wk.

I'm getting close to my budget for this rebuild but thankfully, I was able to use Affirm for my p2r parts which gives me breathing room. Not the most cost effective methods by any means but doing what i gotta do to get my car on the road while taking care of these components since im already this far into the engine.

How mandatory would getting upgraded valve springs and retainers be for this setup? Could my upgraded valvetrain still sustain with the oem springs? The upgraded Ferrea spring kit is $1k on p2r and that would push me well beyond my budget.

Just playing this day x day, week x week.. I know this project has been dragged out but god willing, i get this done by this month.

 

Whoops, I prob should have mentioned I have a whole spare j35a8 RL motor. I stopped pulling cams from the junkyards because it took me over a month to sell the last set. Oh well.

Technically the 05 RL(j35a8) uses the same valve springs as the 03 CLS. What is different is the lost motion assemblies. So, you could get away with CLS springs if you're still on the stock limiter. I have 05 RL cams, rockers, valve springs, retainers and LMAs on my j35 prelude and its seen up to 7500rpm. I actually turned the rev limit down because torque falls off after 7k anyways.

GL with the new parts.

 

Lol, all good man. I got them for a little over 100 so not pressed about it.

Noted, yea i'm cool with 300-350 hp if i even get there. Not tryna do anything crazy to it. maybe a supercharger in the long run but no time soon. Just want a little extra kick and punch off the line and something to hang with the hemis for a couple seconds. but not interested in racing or maxxing out the car.

Thank you sir.