Hi! My car, Mr. Churchill, suffers from brightly glowing catalytic converters. It also is running terrible. I already have new spark plug leads on the way, and the FPR and sparkplugs themselves have been changed. I am running out of small items to check and am now contemplating the larger job. (Head Gasket and looking for burnt or stuck valves.)

My question is this, Once the head is removed what do I do? I know for a head gasket you typically take the head to a machine shop to be shaved level, right? But what about valve work, does one buy and install their own valves? Will a machine shop do this for you? Is it difficult work?

I am super handy with a wrench (spanner for those across the pond, right?). I typically always do my own work and do it well. I have my trusty Haynes and use Alldata as well.

Can someone point me in the right direction as to what the next step after head removal is?

 

Maysville, that's right outside Gillsville, right?

test point
ellijay

 

Right!

 

Its not a very dificult job.I would recomend gettig a haynes manual and you will also need a cam locating tool. You should be able to have the valve seats anf faces done by the same machine shop that will surface your head.Also when the head is off you should make sure that the deck in the block is flat (it usually is) if not get a very large flay honing stone and run it front to back back to front side to side and you chould be able to level the deck (very tedous work) you will also need new head bolts as you torque them and then add a 1/4 turn (the bolts stretch a little doing this). As for your cats glowing you may have a blockage in the exhaust system and or an over rich fuel condition causing the heat (blocked exhaust lead to blown head gaskets on #2 and#5 cylinders on 6 cylinder jags).Take your time, take pictures and you should be able to do the job. i forgot to mention while you are reinstalling the head you will have to re adjust the valve clearance (bucket and shims) and you have to keep track of each bucket in relation to the cam (same lobe same matching shim). use the old head bolts as you may have to remove them for the valve adjustment and no need to go to the added expense of having to buy more bolts than you need.

 

Hello xjdefx.

Don't pull the head!!!...not yet.

I'm no auto expert let alone a Jaguar expert, but I'd say you should do more looking before pulling the head off.

Firstly, let us know what you have...year, type, engine so someone who knows more about your vehicle can chime in...that said;

Glowing cats is a definite sign of unburned fuel reaching the cats... and plenty of it. I can't imagine a blocked exhaust would have anything to do with it. For some reason you are having way too much fuel dumped into your cylinders or the fuel is not burning properly or at all in some cylinders.

Pull your spark plugs. Let us know what they are like; black with carbon? Clean & white? etc. Are the electrodes intact or burned to a nub? What's the gap look like? When you first pull them out are they wet or dry?

Post your vehicle info & spark plug conditions...I'm sure you'll get plenty of help!

And those head bolts...my understanding is you always need to use new ones. You will end up with major grief if you dont!

Bob

 

How's it coming along xjdefx?

You might also do a compression check instead of pulling the head off. (don't know why that didn't occur to me before??) That will tell you the general condition of your cylinders. If compression is okay; no need to pull the head off.

 

Not coming along at all really, I am waiting for the plugs wires to come in first. I see sparks coming from all of them when testing but I don't trust them. The cars idle changes when I close or open the hood, so, being that there are only two things that I can think of that sit that high, i checked the connector for the CTS and it was fine, so that leaves SP leads.