New Heads

[Minuteman96]

Okay so I’m pretty sure I have a bad intake valve. Got a thumping from the intake that only gets louder when you remove the air cleaner. Also got a ticking that started right around the same time the thumping started. Found a few threads of guys sharing a video of the same exact noise and i read the general consensus being a bad intake valve/valve guide. I’ve looked into how to fixing the issue, and while it will probably cost less to fix the singular issue, I’m pretty sure I’m just going to buy reman heads with the valves so that I have peace of mind with the top end. I’ve read pulling the passenger head is a bear but not at all impossible, and I pretty much refuse to pull the motor out of the truck. With all of this said, I want to know where the best places are to buy reman heads with the valves, best head gaskets, and best valve cover gaskets so I can scoop all of this up now and replace it all in one job. Also curious about aftermarket valve covers? Is there any out there and are they worth the money? If there’s anything else I should do while I’m into it, please let me know. 94 IDI non turbo. Truck got new injectors about 20k ago, a lightly used IP 5k ago, and I will be installing R&D billet return rails. So the fuel system is good to go for now. I’m just looking to give the motor some new life and mitigate some inevitable issues in the future. With that said, this motor was swapped into the truck before I bought it and I really don’t have a way to know the mileage for sure. Hoping if I go through with all this money and time, I have a reasonably strong, healthy motor for awhile. Thanks for any input.

 

[bulletpruf]

I don't know anything about reman head sellers, but there's someone on eBay who sells a bunch of them, and they're really proud of them, too. I thought someone was selling new ones; if that's the case, I'd go with those, even if more expensive.

The problem with reman stuff is that you just don't have any idea what you're getting. Example - has the head been milled? You have to be careful with these since you don't have much piston-to-valve clearance with a stock set. What about the valve guides? I had a set of heads that someone had just reamed out the valve guides and installed valves with oversize stems, but they didn't ream them out enough so about half of the valves were galled and junk. Someone had also milled down the valve guide bosses on the intake only, so I had a hell of a time finding valve seals that would fit. I'd also be worried about valve recession and the valve seats.

Bottom line -- if you have a good machine shop local to you and they do diesel work (not all will), I'd rebuild the heads that are on the truck, now. At least that way, you know what you're getting.

FYI - I've posted several videos on my trials and tribulations with a few pairs of IDI heads; see link in my signature for details.

 

[Black dawg]

A collapsed exhaust lifter can cause this issue.