Note. A new or reconditioned cylinder head can always be ordered from a car service workshop or from the warehouse of the car manufacturer's branded service center. Due to the need to use some special tools during disassembly and inspection of the head, the authors of this Guide believe that it will be easier and cheaper for an amateur mechanic to purchase a replacement head than to get involved in a rather complicated restoration repair of a worn-out one.
1. Disassembling the cylinder head requires preliminary dismantling of the valve mechanism (intake and exhaust valves with associated components). It is assumed that the tappets and camshafts have already been removed from the head (see Part Engine Repair Without Removing It From The Car - Civic Models of this Chapter).
2. Before you begin removing the valve assemblies, prepare the required number of appropriately marked plastic bags to hold the components to be removed (see accompanying illustration).
3. Using a special tool, compress the springs of the first valve and remove the crackers of the split lock of the plate from the groove on the rod (see accompanying illustration). Carefully release the tool and remove the spring plate, springs and their seat from the valve (depending on the configuration).
Note: On Integra models, the valve springs are recessed and will require a special attachment on the standard tool to compress them.
4. Next, remove the valve from the cylinder head and remove the oil deflector cap from the guide sleeve. If the valve jams in the guide sleeve, push it back into the head and carefully clean the edges of the groove for installing crackers with a whetstone or a fine-tooth file. 5. Proceeding in a similar manner, remove the remaining valve assemblies. Place the removed components of each valve in a separate polyethylene bag equipped with an appropriate label - during assembly, each part must be installed strictly in its original place.
Note: On VTEC equipped models, be sure to remove the oil spray nozzles with O-rings from the head (see Parts Engine Repair Without Removing It From The Car - Civic Models or Engine Repair Without Removing It From the Vehicle - Integra Models of this Chapter).
6. Once all valve train components have been removed and stored in an organized manner, you can begin cleaning and inspecting the head (when doing a full-scale engine overhaul, first complete the engine disassembly).