My spark plug broke the inside tip off in my #4 cylinder. So I changed the plug but now it runs like it has a fowled plug all the time (sputtering at low rpm). The guy at the parts store said the piece could have got stuck in the exhaust valve so I started tearing down to the head. Is there any diagrams or steps on replacing a head gasket on this motor? And when I get there should I have the head rebuilt? If so how much should it run? It's a 1988 Ranger 2.3l 4x4. Thanks.

 

ok I got the the head off and the valve on cylinder 4 is all burnt up and won't close right. But does anyone still know the average cost of rebuilding a head? Can I do it myself?

 

Any damage to the piston or cylinder walls?

 

As you are in Kuhleeeforneeeuh the cost will be higher than the rest of the world. I'd expect a rebuilt would cost around $200-300 depending. You can buy new valves to replace the ones that are burned, and you can get valve lapping compound to clean up the seating area on the valve and seat if you don't want to spend a lot of money.
It is rare to burn valves in these engines, so you might want to check that your lifters (in this case, cam follower supports) are not gummed up or locked up, as that could cause the valve to seat improperly, and then burn.
You will need a prybar of some sort to collapse the lifter to remove the follower so you can disassemble the head. There is a special tool if you have the bucks.
tom

 

pistons and cylinder walls look surprisingly good. I'm definetly tight on money so I will probably go through the replacing the valves. It ran great before this happened. I think the piece of the plug got stuck in there long enough to stick something in the valve. I have a feeling the chiltons books don't have this in there? Does anybody know where to find a step by step?

 

The cheapest way is to do a search either on this board or on the 4banger forum. Outside of that, the Haynes/Chilton is the cheapest. Then you have the Ford books. They tend to cost a lot...unless you have a friend...

 

You have to push down on the valves to get clearance to move the cam followers out from under the cam. Or you can try to compress the lifters... The valve is easier. Keep all the parts in order so they can go back 'home' when you re-assemble.
Once the followers are off, you use a large C-clamp looking tool to compress the valve spring, allowing you to remove the 'keepers' which are wedged in place by the spring compression. Then you can remove the valve from its guide. Inspect the seat, where the valve touches the head, and inspect the head surface also. Both should be smooth, and not pitted in any way. If the are relatively smooth, you can use valve grinding / lapping compound to polish up the seating surfaces. Dab a small amount of the compound on the seat surface of the valve all the way around, insert the valve into the guide, and twist the valve back and forth while pressing lightly to keep the valve in contact with the head. I have (I won't admit to anyone) used a 3/8" drill on the valve stem, and pulled the valve towards the seat while running the drill in both directions. Remove, wipe off, and inspect. Repeat until you get a polished or clean metal area where the two meet. It will give decent surface, but is not a 3-angle grind by any measure. This is old-style shade tree, and may not work on hardened seats, though I have not had to do it to any cars designed to run on un-leaded fuel, which would have had hardened seats. When you are done, the compound will leave a demarcation line all the way around the seat where the valve pulls away. If it is even, and you do not have any gaps, the valve will seal OK.
tom

 

That's awesome. I'll give that a try. Save me some money. Thanks for the help.