Hello everyone! I bought a 2000 neon with some bad valve noise (the price was right!). In addition it misses between 1000-2000 RPM and it feels like it's only running on three cylinders. The valve tapping is much louder than what you'd hear on a typical neon (I've owned a 95, 96, and 2004).

So the obvious answer is that it needs a head job. I bought a used cylindar head from a 2001 donor (unkown mileage). The head looks to be in decent shape but the valves have a bit of surface rust. I've worked on all my cars but I've never done a head job. My plan was to buy a full gasket set off eBay and try to clean the replacement head up.

My first question is this: the guy at the wrecker told me not to mess with the valves because I'll just have more problems. Is this true or should I tear the new head apart?

Secondly, I know that I'm not going to get back to stock horse power (or more) unless I do a simple head/valve polish. Is there a guide somewhere on how to do this on the cheap? I really want to try it myself.

Thanks,
Matthew

 

well, have u taken the valve cover off the car yet to check the lifters? this is something that anyone can do, and only takes a little time... pull the valve cover off and check the lifters for play or movement, pushing up and down if they move the lifter is not pumping up as it should. then all u have to do is pull the bolts off and put new lifters in and u r set... simple as that.... if all the lifters are solid, more than likely u have a valve of valves that are sticking.....

also have u changed the plugs and wires latly?

 

No I haven't taken the cover off. However I know that some work was done to it since the owner _said_ he took it to a mechanic and the mechanic couldn't figure it out without tearing the engine apart. Although I doubt it was a competent mechanic, I assume he'd notice a sticky lifter. Nonetheless that'll be the first thing I check before starting the project.

The other possibilities are that the seller was a test pilot and he either bent a valve or didn't change the timing belt in time. I can't vouch for his honesty but that doesn't matter much since I knew what I was getting into.

I changed the plugs right away and also cleaned the wires with contact cleaner but they looked like they were in good shape. Would this cause the clacking though? I had also considered the EGR valve but the loud clack still makes me think there is something really wrong with the valves.

The other consideration is that I need to change the timing belt/water pump/cam seal/engine mounts so I have to open up that side anyway.

Anyway your reputation precedes you. I've you think that's it's probably a sticky lifter then I'll take the time to pull the cover off before I do anything else.

 

well i would check the lifter first if i were u, it can save u alot of time and money if that is all it is.... a ten mil rachet with an extension it is a ten min project. i would be betting it is a stuck lifter or valve... one or the other.... neons have a tendency to be loud lifter noise, but u say u have had them in the past so u know that... lol. just wondering does the tick go away after 2k rpm? u say is skips from 1-2k, what does it do after that?

 

you gotta pull the valve cover off to swap the head anyway so deff a good place to start...

 

The idle isn't perfect ("stumbles" slightly every few seconds) but it's relatively calm. All you hear is the clacking. When you rev the engine or put it in gear the engine will hesitate until you reach about 3k rpm and then it seems to smooth out. The clacking also gets louder. I know there are a dozen other things that could cause this but I'm not getting an engine light so who knows. I'll borrow my friend's code reader tonight or tomorrow.

I should mention that the lifter noise does get slightly quieter after the engine warms up, but it's still very evident. My other neons would lose the clack in a few minutes.

The hesitation also improves very slightly but it still catches me off guard sometimes. It feels like the engines going to die in the middle of an intersection until I get the revs back up.

 

it is a lifter not pumping up, when it is gets warm the oil gets thinner and starts to pump up, but never does fully, i would be very suprised if it was not a lifter honestly.... i would forget the code reader and just pull the valve cover off and check the lifters...

 

Well I changed the rockers and the car runs a lot better but it's still not perfect. How long do I have to run it until the lifters have been completely filled from (partially) dry?

BTW, the replacement rockers look different from the ones I took out. My neon is a 2000 and the donor was a 2001. Did they remove the little crossmember between the wishbone rockers in 2001? The lifters also look longer but I suppose that the bad ones have been shortened by wear somehow...

 

u have pics of the difference in lifters?

depends alot on how long the lifters have been sitting on how long some of them take to pump up