Originally Posted by
Flatland2D
Well I made the valve spring compressor problem a little easier now that I'll be taking the head off. I wasn't paying attention and sure enough, removed one too many valve springs (on a cylinder that was at BDC). I couldn't believe I was so stupid, but sure enough, the valve has dissapeared into the cylinder. So now I've got most everything disconnected from the head except the intake manifold. Any easy way to take that off? I can't get to those bolts on the bottom side of it. Also, any other routine maintenance I should perform since I'm going this far? I figure I'll at least replace the head gasket. Would replacing the piston rings be much more trouble? The purpose of all this was to fix my burning oil problem and I'm pretty sure it is the valve seals, but I'll be pretty upset if it's coming from the rings. Previous compression test worked out ok. Cylinder 4 definitely has some black gunk in it. The others (pistons) look somewhat shiney still. Any suggestions welcome.
If the head is coming off, you might as well replace the rings as well. It is another 30 minutes to drop the pan and undo the rod bolts. The new rings need to be gapped and spaced correctly and the cylinders honed. The head gasket will need to be replaced anytime the head is removed.
Getting the intake manifold off is possible, but tricky. To get those two or three bottom bolts, you need to get underneath the car, remove the oil filter and any wiring in the way (probably the knock sensor harness as well), and use a 12 mm socket and smaller 3/8" socket wrench on those bolts. I assume the manifold bracket has been removed. That piece can be thrown away to avoid any future hassle.