Head Removal

[johnconradlee]

I\'m currently in the process of trying to remove the head from the 1974 engine in my car. I have thus far removed everything apart from the head! I\'ve tried tapping it with a mallet, wiggling it, swearing at it and waving my fist at it but I cannot break it loose! I\'m wondering if I\'m being too gentle with it or whether there\'s a technique that I\'ve missed.

[Alec]

Hello John, <br><br>they can be awkward, partly because they are a long reach from outside the car so you have little leverage and the head needs to come up evenly or it binds on the studs. You could use an engine hoist, but as the engine is not level some compensation is required to get it to come off. That is after you have broken the cylinder head joint. <br>Some people swear by the rope in the plug hole trick, that is feeding some soft rope into the cylinder and then turn over the engine slowly with a spanner to \'jack the head free. I have never used it myself but I would expect you would need to use two cylinders, say 2 and 5.<br>I have used the rather more brutal method of a couple of wedges driven into the head joint and lever from there. It is possible to cause damage that way so some common sense is required.<br><br>Alec<br>

[Alan Chatterton]

The head will be stuck on the studs.
Make sure you remove all the studs using a proper stud exctracter (or the old 2 nuts trick!) then give it will just lift off.
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[Alec]

Hello Alan, <br><br>ah, the patience method?, for those that have some <br><br>Just a point, you cannot use a stud extractor or the threads will be ruined, two nuts is the only and rather hard option.<br><br>Alec<br>

[sorbs]

I was talking to someone recently who had problems removing the head from his 2500 when the car was only a few years old.
He was told by his local dealer that Triumph were experimenting with all sorts of instant gasket type goo at the time.....

[Alan Chatterton]

Alec,
Yes, you might ruin some head studs, but sometimes you just gotta do it! (anyway, head studs are pennies..........!)
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[Alec]

Hello Alan, <br><br>the profligate sasenachs!<br><br>Alec<br>

[Alan Chatterton]

Que?

[Glenn]

<em>profligate</em> (adj) - reckless extravagance
<br>
<br><em>Sasenach</em> (n) - insulting term for Englishman/ Lowlander<em>
<br>
<br> <img> <edited><editID>Glenn</editID><editDate>39455.9199768519</editDate></edited>

[Alec]

Hello Glenn, <br><br>succinctly put.<br><br>Alec<br><br><br>