Don: Successful Head Removal

[policecentral]

After much encouragement from you, I was successful in removing the head. Removed stud nuts, and applied squirts of Seafoam to each stud for many weeks prior to removal attempt. Patience. Mighty pleased when the head started to move -- and about an hour later had the head off (with the assistance of cold beer). All this caused by low compression in two cylinders.

Now the question: the valves look great, I was expecting some visible flaws. Valve seats look a little crusty. So, I intend to lap the valves with MM tool. Should I also replace springs, keepers, guides,or anything else while I am in there? I really don't want to pull pistons, etc. -- is there anyway to do a shadetree test of the rings? What else should I check before reassembly? I don't want to get it back together and still have a compression problem. Engine ran smooth before, but no power in gear. No smoke, or oil consumption.

Finally, several of the water circulation holes look like they are filled with charcoal. I intend to probe them open, then do acid flush when the engine is reassembled. Right strategy?

As always, thanks for any advice.

Jim
Ranger 30
Savannah

[Don Moyer]

Jim,

I can't for the life of me locate your previous post to know for sure what your symptoms were. If you had low compression between two adjacent cylinders, you might cure the problem with a simple head gasket change. If a valve (or two) was sticking, I'd consider replacing the springs with newer stronger springs. If you find the valve seats rough and uneven, lapping the valves would probably be a good thing (at least on the defective seats).

There is no way to replace the rings without removing the engine from the boat, which I don't believe is indicated at this point.

Don