My daughter's Neon has an intermittent misfire on cylinder 2 (code P0302).

I've replaced the coil, plugs and plug wires. We've had a mechanic look at the problem. He checked the fuel injectors, and they're all fine.

He did a compression test, and compression was fine across all cylinders.

He did a leak-down test, and found that cylinder 2 has a leak, probably on the intake side. He recommended that the cylinder head be removed and the valves inspected. Realistically, we're looking at a valve job at this point.

My question is, how difficult is this to do? I have the mechanical skills and tools to do routine maintenance and repairs. I've done water pumps, brakes, radiator replacements, etc, but I've never had the head off an engine. I know I have the skills to remove and replace the head, I'm just not sure about the difficulty of removing and replacing the valves.

Tough job? Pay to have it done? Any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance....

Ron

 

If you don't have the specific tools to get it done, you can't do it. If you don't have the tools, it's a toss up because then you have to go invest in the tools to do the job one time.