Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) do i need a valve grind?

[CodySanders]

i have 110 on my truck and have the head off and at a shop. i want to have it checked for cracks and trued up. the shop wants 550 to go though the whole thing and recomends that. it is only 150 to deck the head and check for cracks. should i get the valves ground or am i ok with only 110,000 miles?

my pistions and walls look great. thanks

 

[GOlsen]

IMO, if you can afford it, I would do it. Better now when the head is already off than having to take it off again if you end up having a problem. Just my 2 cents.

 

[CodySanders]

thanks. i was just wondering cause for the extra dough i can add some fire rings instead of the valve grind and stuff. i already have 60 lb springs and i will be running arp studs as well.

 

[GOlsen]

I have also heard not great things about running fire rings on a street truck. They are hard to get sealed, especially without decking your engine block as well as the head. If your going to do rings, do o-rings instead.

 

[CodySanders]

i think i am just going to do head studs and a 10 gasket and call it good. i have no desire to ever run more power than what i have (tired of fixing things that break). i will have the head all redone and slap it back together and forget about it. i am so tired of my bombing addiction. lol

thanks guys.

 

[HBarlow]

An ordinary Cummins ISB was designed and built to provide at least 350,000 miles of service life before overhaul and many owners have run them a million miles. Your engine should not require a valve job at 110,000 miles unless it has been subjected to prolonged and extremely high exposures to exhaust gas temperatures beyond design limits or has experienced catastrohic failure like burned pistons or dropped valves or valve seats.

 

[SMorneau]

An ordinary Cummins ISB was designed and built to provide at least 350,000 miles of service life before overhaul and many owners have run them a million miles. Your engine should not require a valve job at 110,000 miles unless it has been subjected to prolonged and extremely high exposures to exhaust gas temperatures beyond design limits or has experienced catastrohic failure like burned pistons or dropped valves or valve seats.

I agree they should be in pretty good shape. If you want you could hit the head with some magnaflux spot check to look for cracks. You could also pull the valves out for inspection and check the seals for damage. If you don't find anything you will only be out a couple of hours.



Scott

 

[Hammer]

Harvey... .

I disagree with some of that.....



The heads on the 12v's are known to crack for the heat cycles both in some of the water jacklets and small cracks in the valve area. If I had my head off like Cody does I would have the head checked for cracks,decked and have the valve job done while its off. This is a no brainer as it may save a problem down the road.



Cody...

With having the head off I would have the valve job done. Fire-Rings are a bad idea for the daily driver truck as they do not hold up to the heat cycles very well in daily driving usage. If I was this far I would have the head O-Ringed to go along with the bigger gasket and studs. Once its done and properly torqued down the O-rings should hold anything you want to throw at it on the street. But,I do realize that your wallet may not be wanting the minor cost of the O-ring job.



At 110k the cylinders should be failry decent just have a look and see if you notice anything that doesn't look ordinary. Also make sure you check the deck of the block with a straight edge for flatness. If its out a little then its not a big deal but if its out alot then you may have to consider your options. With 100k it should be OK but better make sure so it does not compromise your sealing when you put the head back on... ... ... Andy

 

[HBarlow]

Harvey... .
I disagree with some of that.....

The heads on the 12v's are known to crack for the heat cycles both in some of the water jacklets and small cracks in the valve area. If I had my head off like Cody does I would have the head checked for cracks,decked and have the valve job done while its off. This is a no brainer as it may save a problem down the road.

Cody...
With having the head off I would have the valve job done. Fire-Rings are a bad idea for the daily driver truck as they do not hold up to the heat cycles very well in daily driving usage. If I was this far I would have the head O-Ringed to go along with the bigger gasket and studs. Once its done and properly torqued down the O-rings should hold anything you want to throw at it on the street. But,I do realize that your wallet may not be wanting the minor cost of the O-ring job.

At 110k the cylinders should be failry decent just have a look and see if you notice anything that doesn't look ordinary. Also make sure you check the deck of the block with a straight edge for flatness. If its out a little then its not a big deal but if its out alot then you may have to consider your options. With 100k it should be OK but better make sure so it does not compromise your sealing when you put the head back on... ... ... Andy

You say you disagree with me but offered no information to support your reason for disagreeing. What is it you disagree with?

I wrote nothing about cracked head. I said the engines are designed and built to run 350,000 miles before overhaul and a valve grind is not necessary at 110,000 miles. That was my answer to the original poster's question.

The head gasket on my '01 HO/six speed with Bosch 275hp injectors began seeping at around 200k miles. A mechanic buddy pulled the head, inspected the block and head surfaces, inspected the valves, cleaned the surfaces, and put it all back together with a new head gasket. The truck ran great pulling trailers for another 100k to 125k miles before I retired it. The truck is still in the family at 350k miles. It still doesn't need a valve job and still runs great.

 

[Hammer]

I did answer you.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I recommend getting a valve job. You will probably find the intake valves have pounded into the seats, and the exhaust valve faces have pitting. You could run the engine longer with the original valve facings, but your engine will benefit from a quality valve job. Be sure the surface on the head is as smooth as factory or it won't seal. You should not need O-rings or fire rings to seal with moderate timing (up to 20 degrees) and boost (under 60 psi). Just get a new stock head gasket (stock . 060” thick is 3283335; . 070” is 3283337; . 080” is 3283339) and be sure the block surface is super clean, and the bolt holes have been mopped out with Q tips so nothing will be forced onto the deck when you screw in the bolts (lightly oiled). If the head is flat (less than . 002” warped) and there is no erosion at the cylinder sealing bead areas, it doesn't need to be resurfaced. If you are planning to replace the governor springs on the P7100 to get more rpm, have the shop install the 60 psi valve springs (on all 12 valves). These springs are available for exhaust brake usage from Cummins, BD Power, and PacBrake.