Im replacing my head gaskets, and currently have my heads at the machine shop.

I have a few questions:

1. What should I use to clean the combustion chambers?
2. What should I use to clean the rocker shafts?
3. Do i need to clean the upper and lower inlet manifolds?
3. What type of sealant do i need to buy for the lower intake plenum?

4. When reinstalling the heads, someone was saying that you have to install the valley pan and lower manifold on first? Is this necessary and correct?

 

You need to down load a free copy of the Rave Cd, shop manual, and follow their directions. Have you had the heads sent out for inspection and work?
As for what to use to clean parts, carb cleaner is great.
As for replacing the heads, put them on first.

 

I have the manual, and for the rockers it states:

Clean push rods.
10. Lubricate ends of push rods with clean engine
oil.
11. Fit push rods in their removed order.
12. Clean bases of rocker pillars and mating faces
on cylinder head.
13. Clean contact surfaces on rockers, valves and
push rods.
14. Lubricate contact surfaces and rocker shaft
with clean engine oil.

I've never cleaned these before, so the procedure would basically be spray them down good with carb cleaner, let them dry, then oil them up where ever they make contact with the head and rods?


The heads are currently at a machine shop for inspection, cleaning, and resurfacing.

 

My heads were sent to the machine shop, stripped, soaked and media blasted then repainted. New seals and springs were installed.

Also had the injectors cleaned and tested. Ended up getting 3 new injectors since they were way off. Now all 8 are almost identical. I will try and post up the injectors results later.

 

you should roll the push rods on a flat surface (i use a piece of glass) to make sure they are straight and run a piece a wire thru them to make sure the oil passages are not filled up with crap, i think a piece of 16 gauge solid copper wire fits. and use black form-a-gasket for the corners of the intake.