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A few weeks ago I posted about a valve job, some lifter issues, and a no start situation on my 96 CSE. Finally broke down and towed it to Saab Tech, our indy in Chicago.
After two hours of diagnostics, they told me the lifters aren't touching the lobes (I knew this) which, to them, means the valves are stuck down and therefore bent.
I don't believe this to be true as all the valves were closed when I reinstalled the lifters and cams, and the lifters never did touch the lobes upon reinstallation. I assumed they would pump up after building some oil pressure, but that didn't happen because the engine never started. Instead, it tries to fire and just locks up.
They also verified compression at 180psi across all cylinders, and said the valves may have bent in such a way that they still hold compression despite being damaged. Can that be?
So, if I give them the go-ahead, it's another three hours to pull the head and inspect the valves.
Looking at scrap yards, I see a variety of B204 heads for NG900 and OG9-3, but the closest B234 head is 300 miles away. Are they actually interchangeable?
It hurts thinking about dumping the head I just had completely refinished, especially when I don't *really* know the condition of a junkyard part, but labor costs for diagnostics alone are twice what I would pay for a used head.
Why aren't the lifters touching the lobes? Were the valves not installed correctly and this is something easily repairable? Or do I cut my losses and replace the head? I haven't torn down the valves before, so I don't really know what to look for.
->Posting last edited on Wed, 22 Apr 2015 10:56:16.
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