D15, D16, D17 and Mini-Me swaps
User avatar
By eg84dr
#196802 ok so my car was running like shit it was spuddering and had no power
so i took my valve cover off to check timing and it was fine
i put my valve cover back on and i go to tighten the middle bolt and i hear a snap so i think shit i just broke a bolt so i start to back the bolt out and a hear a pop so i take out the bolt and the other three and this is what i find.....

Image
Image
Image
yeah i cracked the casting so im not really sure what to do now i mean ive been driving with only four bolts holding the vc on but three idk i feel like its a bad idea

any sugestions i really dont wanna buy another head and i dont really haver much money
thanks guys
By ditoegsaloon
#196833 can u just buy another casting ? if it possible
User avatar
By d-mon
#196834 sorry to bring you bad news, but those are part of the head casting.
they are numbered so if you take them off, you can put them back in the correct place (because it matters).
one time i tried switching them with ones from another head and it bound up the cam, it absoulutley would not turn, before i had even torqued the bolts.
unlike crankshafts, camshafts do not have bearings so align boring would not help.
d16z6/d15b vtec heads are common and inexpensive, though.

i don't understand why people need to put their v/c bolts so tight, its rubber grommets+thin bolts.
By ditoegsaloon
#196838 so basically its replaceable as long as we follow the number isnt it?
User avatar
By d-mon
#196847
ditoegsaloon wrote:so basically its replaceable as long as we follow the number isnt it?

umm, no.
they are part of the head casting, and therefore unique to each head as they are bored after they are cast.
except in cartoons, you can't move a hole around.
User avatar
By eg84dr
#196870 well thank you d mon for the info
i was just gonna buy some head parts locally till you said that you cant switch em
so i will be doing a head swap it looks like
i feel like such a noob it was such a dumb mistake :thumbdown: :thumbdown:
oh well maybe ill shave the head for a higher cr :thumb:
thanks guys
User avatar
By Eg6H2D
#196991 Just look here and see if you can get the lost motion assembly as the vavle cover bolts down to it. =]

http://www.hondapartsnow.com/online/Pag ... 0Head%20(2)

Happened to my Z6 and dat's all i had to do. no problems since. i just dont gorilla tighten them up. :D
Last edited by Eg6H2D on Wed May 26, 2010 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
By d-mon
#196992 if you can plug the bolt hole in the valve cover, you can use that head as is, indefinitely.
won't hurt anything.
worst case, maybe leak a little oil in the middle.
User avatar
By d-mon
#196993
EG6b20R wrote:Just look here and see if you can get the lost motion assembly as the vavle cover bolts down to it. =]

http://www.hondapartsnow.com/online/Pag ... 0Head%20(2)

no, his lma assembly is fine.
but yes, they can be swapped..
User avatar
By Eg6H2D
#196994 Yes so if he gets that= problem solved. he just wants to bolt down his VC properly in a safe non leaky manner.

tak a look at this. Look where the valve cover threaded holes are.. on that assembly.. why get another head if the head is good? just get wants needed unless it costs more then getting a complete remanufactured head.

http://www.d-series.org/forums/diy-foru ... -head.html
User avatar
By eg84dr
#197036 as d-mon said the lma is fine thats not where the bolt goes into
the tap for the vc bolts are on the rocker arm assembly and those cant be swapped acording to d-mon
i just bought a jdm d15b head for around 140 and will just drive my car around till i get the time to swap heads
im thinking i will shave the head and rebuild it and swap it in
User avatar
By Eg6H2D
#197049 you cant change the rocker arm assembly???? that's BS. somehow if it breaks, like it hass for you, how will it be replaced? that's why honda sells replacement parts. if d-mon is thinking about the jdm d15b more aggressive cam. still doesnt make a diff. about bounding up the cam? just make sure you torque it to the right specs. i agree yes it has to be from the same head, hich makes it the same casting. replacing it with another from a d15b head should not mess things up. but hey you got another head even better just make sure not to over tightn them bolts down.

now that you have 2 heads. send one out to get worked on. =]
User avatar
By eg84dr
#197056 i believe d-mon think about this they get line bored to be within spec but that within spec could be .002 off from the other head so if the first head is .002 off and the rocker arm assembly i get is off .004 or .005 it will not work i have looked at parts online and you cant get a replacement rocker arm ass. it is part of the whole head
any how i got a buddy who says he can weld the pices back on but that will be tried after i put the new head on :thumb: