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YSE12: can't get the flippin' head off !

Nitram

New member
Any suggestions as to how to get the cylinder head off ?
I've removed the four nuts and the rockers and rocker shaft etc.
I've removed the injector.
I've removed the inlet pipe and the exhaust pipe.

The head just seems to be just stuck on tight. I've sprayed WD40-type penetrating oil around the studs, and I'll leave that a while, but I'm not hopeful that it'll achieve much.
A mate suggested sticking some rope down the injector hole and using the piston to ram the head off, but having taken off the injector, there doesn't seem to be direct access through that hole to the combustion chamber. And looking through the parts book I think there's some kind of pre-combustion chamber down there.

I have a 3ft wrecking bar and have been levering with that against the stub of the exhaust pipe, but with no effect. I could try a longer bar, like a 5ft crow bar, but I wouldn't be surprised in the exhaust stub broke first.

I've just about run out of ideas. The reason the head is coming off is because the valves are sticking and/or there's a blown head gasket. So there's no compression, so the idea of getting it running to compress the head loose is a non starter......

Any thoughts on the subject, or should I just resort to the longer crowbar ?

Cheers

Nitram
 
How did this turn out? I had a bad head gasket leave soot to bind a head bolt...

Turned out OK, though it seemed pretty barbaric at the time. I used a couple of cheap chisels from the hardware and a heavy lump hammer............and it was still quite an effort. But because both the head and the block are made from very tough steel, they were pretty much unscathed by the ordeal.
Once I got it off I could see that the water passages were almost completely salted up, the exhaust valve was badly burnt and not sealing, and the head was corroded and leaking at the gasket surface. All of which was quite fixable: new valve and regrind, head skimmed at the car cylinder head place and it was good as new !
Good luck !
Nitram
 
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