cleaning the cylinder head.

[Shadow1]

i plan on taking the head off of my f22a1 when i replace the oil seals, head and IM gaskets. while its off i wanted to clean the head off to see if it does any better.

is there any chemical i can use to clean it off safely that wont harm the motor when i put it back on? any suggestions before i put it back on for lubing?

[cp[mike]]

carb cleaner, brake cleaner, engine degreaser...

the cylinder head is no different than any other engine part, its a big piece of metal... only thing you dont want to do is physically damage the mating surface or the faces of the valves.

steel wool breaks up carbon buildup easily, but be careful not to gouge/scrape anything with it. brake/carb cleaner works well on oil/grease and minor carbon.

[NAiL05]

You can use a scotch brite pad also. Just dont go to hardcore on it.

[Shadow1]

thanx yall. any other suggestions on cleaning? precautions? something to do and check on while the head is off?

[accordaffair]

A metal bucket and a gallon of lacquer thinner is my current favorite metal parts cleaner. Oh and a brush.

[trah]

Lime away LOL jk thats a kitchen/household cleaner. What I usually do is get a metal brush and hook it up with my drill and spray some carb cleaner/engine degreaser and start at it. Stronger then brushing with my hands but be sure not to leave any metal brissles behind.

[Shadow1]

ill probaly use some pressurized air to blow off the head to make sure none of the lil metal brisles are left. thanx for yalls help.

[lowakkord]

seafoam treatment? or is that only a good cleaner when the motor is capable of running?

[alb_accord]

kerosene and then spray with water. that is what i have done to both of my eads when i replaced the head gasket.

[Shadow1]

what about lubing the head before i put it back on? is there anything i should do? should i pour oil on it to make sure it doesnt star dry or do i not have to worry about that once the oil is back in?

[cp[mike]]

what about lubing the head before i put it back on? is there anything i should do? should i pour oil on it to make sure it doesnt star dry or do i not have to worry about that once the oil is back in?

dont put anything on it until its bolted to the block and torqued down... dont want to risk getting any oil on the headgasket. once its back on and youre reassembling the cam and rockers, you can use either motor oil or assembly lube... assembly lube is stickier and doesnt run, it stays where you put it. or you can just pour some oil over everything, make sure all of the contact surfaces are sufficiently lubed - the rocker arm pads, camshaft lobes, etc.

[Shadow1]

do i have the put that cam lube on evern tho im not taking the cam and roker assemblies apart? all im doing is cleaning the combustion chamber on it. i dont think im qulified to take anything apart and put it back together just yet. lol.

[head4life]

I use paint stripper


worked great just let ti sit for awhile then whipped it off was sparkling

[d112crzy]

spray some kind of solvent/degreaser on it, then pressure wash it off.

after its clean enough for you, get rid of ALL water.

Since you're doing this with the valves/springs/cams still on, leave the valve cover on.

If you're gona leave the head off for a few days, then spray some wd-40 in it so it wont rust. But PLEASE make sure you get rid of all water by using pressurized air.