Could I let the cylinder heads sit in hot water?

[e200e]

96 4.0 v6 OHV I am in the process of cleaning the cylinder heads/mating surfaces. I have both cylinder heads out and have scraped some gasket & grime and such with a razor and brake clean. They are still pretty dirty and cleaning the passages inside are a pita. I saw on wikihow.com they have cleaning cylinder head page and it says to let it sit in hot water. I don't want to risk damaging anything, this is the only source I've seen recommending dipping it in hot water. Anyone have any insight?

Thanks in advance

Johnny

 

[AP9]

I've never heard of soaking in hot water before, but I guess it can be done as long as it's dried out well once done soaking. Probably not as effective in getting stuff off as kerosene would be.

 

[lobo411]

96 4.0 v6 OHV I am in the process of cleaning the cylinder heads/mating surfaces. I have both cylinder heads out and have scraped some gasket & grime and such with a razor and brake clean. They are still pretty dirty and cleaning the passages inside are a pita. I saw on wikihow.com they have cleaning cylinder head page and it says to let it sit in hot water. I don't want to risk damaging anything, this is the only source I've seen recommending dipping it in hot water. Anyone have any insight?

Thanks in advance

Johnny

Why don't you just take them to a machine shop? I forget what I paid last time, but I'm a cheapskate. Couldn't be more than $150 or so. For that price, the machinist will:

1. Do a valve job so you have good sealing surfaces on the valves
2. Replace your valve guides (you supply the seals) so you don't leak oil down the valve stems
3. Clean the heads way better than you could possibly achieve on your own
4. Repaint the heads so they look awesome
and crucially,
5. Pressure test the heads to see if they have any microscopic cracks or warping, which you can't do at home.

Personally, I think it's worth the money just for #5 , because if your heads are warped or cracked you're just going to be wondering why your repair didn't work. Don't be penny wise and pound foolish I say.