Put your gloves on to protect your hands from the chemicals used to clean the cylinder heads. Put the cylinder head in a large tub or container so that you can work on it. Step 2: Remove old head gasket material from bottom of head. Chances are some of the old head gasket will be stuck to the head and it will need to be removed first.
Use a plastic scraper to carefully remove the old head gasket material without scratching the surface of the cylinder head. This may take a few minutes to complete and will leave a smoother surface when complete.
Step 3: Cleaning the cylinder head. A parts cleaner or brake cleaner will work well for cleaning the cylinder head. With the cylinder head in the tub, begin to clean the head using a shop rag sprayed with the cleaner to remove the oil and grime.
Clean the cylinder head as best as possible, including any passages and parts that can be reached easily by hand. You can leave out any areas with nooks and crannies that may be hard to reach. Step 4: Soak the cylinder head. Soak the cylinder head in warm water to soften up any remaining dirt and particles. This is done to clean the various oil and coolant passages and galleries that cannot be reached by hand. The warm water will help remove any remaining oil and dirt left behind from the first round of cleaning.
Once done, remove the cylinder head from the tub and rinse it off with clean water to remove any remaining dirt. Step 5: Use compressed air on the passages. Like cleaning it by hand, spray washers do a poor job of cleaning the internal surfaces that are hard to reach, but can dramatically reduce the labor required to clean the rest of the cylinder head.
Spray washers are common in many professional garages and machine shops. Smaller spray washers can be purchased at auto-parts stores, though the cost may be prohibitive if you do not intend to clean other parts.
These tanks are filled with caustic cleaning agents that can reach all internal and external surfaces in the cylinder head. These tanks require significantly less labor than other cleaning options, as all you need to do is place the part in the tank and turn it on.
Hot tanks are usually found in professional machine shops. You may opt to have your cylinder heads hot tanked after cleaning them yourself to ensure your heads are as clean as possible.
Method 3. Use compressed air to blow water out of hard to reach places. This will dry the head as well as removing any dust or other debris that may have fallen into the head during the cleaning process. Make certain that there is no debris of any kind in the cylinder head. Even small amounts of debris can seriously damage the cylinder head once installed. Allow the head to dry completely. Leave the cylinder head on a counter to dry completely. Place paper towels over the top of the head to ensure dust does not fall into and settle in the newly clean and debris free head.
Iron heads, in particular, will oxidize and rust if stored wet. Inspect the head for defects or damage. Before re-assembling or storing your clean cylinder head, inspect it for any damage that may have resulted from the cleaning process or that may have occurred previously. Any cracks in the head will compromise its ability to function and blemishes, scuffs or scratches on the mating surface the bottom of the cylinder head will cause head gasket failure.
If you notice any such damage, you may be able to have the cylinder head repaired at a machine shop, but you likely will need to purchase a new head. If you notice the cylinder head is still dirty in some places during your inspection, begin the cleaning process again. Reassembly and installation of a cylinder head will require a significant investment of time. If you are concerned that the head is damaged, have it looked at by a local machine shop.
Oil and bag the head for storage. If you intend to store your cylinder head for a time before re-assembly, you will need to take preventative action to protect it from debris and oxidization while stored. Spray the head lightly with WD40 before enclosing it in a heavy duty plastic bag.
Will it hurt to soak the heads for cleaning while the valves and springs are still attached? I would imagine this could damage the valve seals, but the springs, seats, retainers, valves, and guides should all be fine.
Not Helpful 3 Helpful 5. When I was changing spark plugs on my car, some dirt fell into the combustion chamber. How do I clean it out? You could remove the cylinder head to do this, but if it was only a little bit of dirt, then it will probably be fine. In the future, use compressed air and clean all the dirt away from the spark plugs before you remove them. Not Helpful 2 Helpful 2. To take the heads off, you need to remove any parts that are in the way and remove the bolts.
Scrape head gasket material off the cylinder head, being careful not to scratch the surface, in order to ensure a perfect seal when you reinstall it. If the cylinder head surface is damaged you may wish to have it skimmed to restore a perfect finish.
Clean the cylinder head with a clean rag dipped in the appropriate cleaner solution — you should be able to find various options online or in your local car parts retailer. Pour the cleaner carefully into the parts of the head you cannot reach with the rag. Submerge the head in a plastic tub or bowl filled with warm-to-hot water and leave for a few minutes.
Leave to dry completely, using compressed air if you have it. What should I use to clean the mating surfaces? The engine block is cast iron but the cylinder heads are aluminum. If the heads are aluminum I would have them checked at a machine shop for warpedge. You could use a conventional gasket scraper. I believe they make spray on gasket remover sold at most auto stores. This is something they often do as part of a rebuild. In that it leaked on you, I would surface to clean.
However for the block, use a thumb sized piece of wet and dry sandpaper and gently work around the tops of the cylinders where the gasket seals.
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