idosubaru Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 friends 2003 forester SOHC EJ25 broke a belt and has bent valves. i have some used heads with good valves but the heads aren't useable. can't swap valves right - not without a valve job/grind? what's the best course of inexpensive action to repair the heads in the absence of machine shops? am i missing any options? the closest one that does the Subaru dealers work (which i don't think is much since they don't typically resurface heads) botched my last set of heads on a sander (really bad). i'm basically out of machine shop options besides shipping them somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnceggleston Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 GD's recent thread on head re-surfacing is excellent. a similar how to on valves would be much appreciated. i can read a manual but pics and tips are very valuable. do the auto parts stores lend / rent valve spring compressors? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 13, 2011 Author Share Posted October 13, 2011 do the auto parts stores lend / rent valve spring compressors?probably, i have one of those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 You can lap your own valves with the $5 valve lap tool set and a tube of valve grind compound from autozone and a cordless drill. Well you don't NEED a drill but it makes it much easier. Use the one with the smallest suction cup, pull the cup off the other end and chuck the stud into your drill. A little grind compound on each valve and a couple seconds of spinning lift spin lift spin. There is a spec for how wide you want the contact area of the valve to be, consult the FSM for that info, so you do have to be careful when grinding that you don't grind them too far. It took me 20 seconds or so with the drill to lap in the one I replaced on my wagon. Hopefully the seats aren't damaged. Otherwise it will need to go to a shop to have them cut. Valve seat cutters are NOT cheap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralDisorder Posted October 14, 2011 Share Posted October 14, 2011 Yeah - the old suction cup and cordless drill technique works fine for most purposes on an older used engine. If you are doing a total rebuild and you want really good valve seating - have a machine shop do a proper two or three angle grind. Check the guides for wear also and don't forget to replace all the stem seals while you are in there taking springs off. GD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 14, 2011 Author Share Posted October 14, 2011 If you are doing a total rebuild and you want really good valve seating - have a machine shop do a proper two or three angle grind. i'll leave that to a machine shop, the only one around i'm not sure is an option. 3rd largest town in this state is only 29,000 people (first and second are 50k or less) it's a tiny market across the entire state, options are often limited. i think i'll need to ship them or take them somewhere when we travel. i'm doing it for free to help a family and they're in no rush so i have time. Check the guides for wear also and don't forget to replace all the stem seals while you are in there taking springs off. GD right on, i've always replaced the valve stem seals. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted December 11, 2011 Author Share Posted December 11, 2011 You can lap your own valves with the $5 valve lap tool set and a tube of valve grind compound from autozone and a cordless drill. i might be up for trying this. i got used heads for the original vehicle of this thread but just got another 99 EJ22 with bent valves i'm working on with a friend. is it possible to test the valve seating prior to reassembling to make sure it's good? did you replace the valve and valve stem seal, anything else? found another thread on nasioc with a youtube link: http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1733277 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Yeah you can see the wear pattern pretty clearly as you grind the valve. The new valves have a black surface because of the heat treatment and the seat area becomes shiny as it gets ground. I did that valve job on the cheap. I just stuck a new valve in it and put it back together. If the heads have a lot of miles it's probably a good idea to put new stem seals in while you're at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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