Cylinder Head Cleaning: Inspection
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2005 Ford Pickup, 2005 Ford F550 Super Duty, 2005 Ford F450 Super Duty, and 2005 Ford Cab & Chassis. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
- With valves installed to protect the valve seats, remove deposits and gasket material from the valve heads and gasket surface with a scraper and wire brush. Be careful not to damage cylinder head gasket surface.
- Use a suitable solvent to remove dirt, grease and other deposits from the removed parts.
- Clean all bolt holes and be sure gasket surfaces, oil return holes and coolant passages are clean. After rinsing thoroughly with hot water, blow them out using filtered compressed air.
- Wash all bolts (except head bolts, these must be replaced) with a suitable solvent and dry thoroughly.
- Inspect the cylinder head for cracks, burned valves or seats and scratched or marred gasket mating surfaces.
- Measure the cylinder head thickness. If the deck-to-deck measurements are below the minimum specification, install a new cylinder head.
NOTE:
Cylinder heads used on the diesel engine cannot be resurfaced. Install a new cylinder head if it is cracked or warped.
NOTE:
If it is suspected that the cylinder head has been resurfaced, use a suitable micrometer to measure the cylinder head thickness at four different points.