I'm working on removing the drivers side head. There are 5 M11 bolts within the valvetrain area, the two on the ends are the shorter of the 5 bolts.

Anyway, I can not get a socket around the head of the shorter bolt in the back. There is something obstructing the area so the socket can not get into place. I've taken a picture as best as I can to show it. They are ARP head bolts.

Any idea what the obstruction is in there??

 

It looks like an aluminum shaving coming apart around the bolt area... Just get some tweezers and bent it out of the way or break it off, hopefully it wont damage the head.

 

Looks the same to be, but more thick than a shaving. Obviously a small part of the casting has pulled away. I can only imagine how that happened...

 

get you a flat object of push it out of the way..ie. screwdriver, chisel, ect.

 

half of a valve spring retainer??

 

Well, I dont know what it is, but everytime I tried moving the thing out of the way, it ended up moving right back into place, and in the way.

I just went out there this morning, and worked with it more (now that I broke away from the night before, and came headed now :-). I was finally able to move it just enough, and get my socket on there! Hurray, the bolt is out.

I probably wont know what that part is until I've pulled off the head. Luckly the heads are going right back to AFR, to Tony to do some milling and porting. I'll have him examine the head at the same time.

Thanks all.

 

Yea, it looks like one of the Locks..

 

Was it aluminum or steel???

 

It's real tough to see back in there, I had to use a mirror for the most part to see what I was looking for and trying to do....but at this point, I cant see the part anymore.

Looking at the valve springs though, all the retainers and locks are all where they are supposed to be! ...on the springs.

I should have that head off in a day or two, I'll look for stray parts in there then.

 

Might even be a piece of a lifter plunger or something along those lines. When the heads do come off I think you should probably inspect everything else you can possibly think of to find out where it came from so the engine doesn't go boom when the heads go back on.

 

how would a piece from the lifter get into the top of the head

 

that looks like a retainer?

 

im gonna say metal shaving