So i rebuilt my head like six months ago. everything had been good. had to replace my tct again a couple months in.

Today i was driving to work. not pushing the car or anything. and i heard a small rattle. and the engine cut off.

manage to get into a parking lot with the speed i had, i took off my valve cover than and there to see what happened. no leaks. from the motor.
i found a rocker piston on the bottom of my head. i wasnt sure what it was. but after i got towed home, i got my magnet and fished it out. sure enough i belive its one of the rocker arm pistons.. but its one that doesnt have the little hole in the middle.

im very confused.. as to how this could happen.. i would think its impossible for rocker arm pistons to pop out like that. i see no visible damage and the car immediately cut off after the quick rattle. should i be concerned about other damages?

anything would help at this point. ill be taking apart the head tomorrow. thanks! from GA.

 

The only way that can happen is the pim fell out during reassembly.

Remove upper cam caps and cams. Lift the rockers one at a time, until you find where the pin goes.

 

well bad news. i broke a valve on the exhaust side. also rocker arm piston was from the 1st cap section of the intake side. i just dont know why the rocker pin would come off.

 

could you recommend a set of good valve to replace the ones? this is actually going to be my second time rebuilding the head. the first time i used OE valves that the machine shop i took it to recommended. i didnt wanna buy oem. as they were expensive.

i daily my s2k. no track. i do push it quite a bit but when it broke i was only going 50mph

 

If the valve broke, you likely now need an entire engine.

There really aren't any suitable aftermarket replacements. That's why the genuine Honda valves are expensive. You should have bought Honda valves. Unfortunately, the machine shop gave you bad advice.

Something went wrong within your previous rebuild process, or you used something besides genuine Honda parts. Don't use aftermarket parts.

I'm guessing your TCT failed in a couple of months because you went with a cheap aftermarket one?

If your block isn't damaged, just buy a factory built head and swap it on. Maybe try to find a used one.

Also...why did you decide to rebuild your head in the first place?

 

Yeah, a lot of dots still need to be connected.

 

Seems to be some confusion. Isn't he saying initial rebuild he DID use oem valves, because shop wisely DID recommend using oem? But this time around he wants to find something cheaper (bad idea).

 

Everything below is in past tense.

 

This is a swapped motor ive had for two years. with 50k added on to it. currently at 150k. bought it with 100k miles.
the first time around a valve head was broken but not separated from the stem. the head was chipped off. like 1/4 of the valve head.

i took it to a very reputable machine shop in Atl. yes i did look up how much oem valves were. and i think it was like 1.2k for both sides. the shop told me that they had done plenty of s2k heads with OE valves. just as good as OEM. so i went with that. i ended u paying like 600$to have it all cleaned up. resurfaced. new exhaust valves. and all put back together for me to just install. that was in November of 2022. the intake valves were cleaned up and good according to the shop. (orginally the first time it broke was because of the valve guides were shot.there was visual play)

for 8 months the car ran fine. nothing out of the ordinary but a tct from the swapped motor started clicking. i use my old tct i had on my original motor and it stopped ticking after the install.

today i was on my way to work. driving at about 50mph. and for a split second. it rattled, the car turned off. i cranked it once more in a parking lot and nothing. pretty much got it towed to my house and started disassembling the head. removed the cams. all my springs were compressed but one on the exhaust side. cylinder 3. which i THINK. if i recall. was the exact same valve. that chipped the first time around.

This time the valve HEAD. was literally broken off the stem of the valve. so the valve head is laying on top of my cylinder. i will be removing the head tomorrow. to see damage. hopefully its not LODGED into the head of the cylinder. at this point im worried my cylinder wall might be scratched and damaged. if not i will attempt to rebuild it once more. aftermarket valves? or OEM? i do have my original motor. all the parts. a spare head. should i use my original head with this block if all is good?(spun a bearing on the original motor, which is why i swapped)

i was asking for after market recommendations because i hear brands like supertech,ferrea. would be good viable parts. obviously i probably should have bought OEM, and or one of these brands.

your input is much appreciated.

 

Still confused.

OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer. The vendor that Honda (or whatever car manufacturer) chose to supply a specific part when car was built. Sometimes more than one supplier, potentially slight differences in parts, but functionally same.

If you buy OEM parts, they may be the exact same part they supplied to Honda, or they might find a way to make it cheaper, less quality, etc, to sell as aftermarket OEM.

OE = Original Equipment. The same exact parts you get if you go to dealer, but lacking Honda logos on the box. Sometimes if actual part has Honda logo on it, manufacturer has to grind it off if they want to sell it to anyone other than Honda.


Very often, people use the term OEM, when they actually mean OE.

But you actually said you used OE valves, which would mean you used the exact same parts you'd get from Honda, but you bought them much cheaper (smart!)

But then you make it sound like you think the valves you used aren't as good as Genuine Honda parts, which calls into question if you really meant OE.

Definitely DON'T use Ferrea or Supertech. Useful only for high hp and limited lifespan (miles) build, such as a drag car. Over time will ruin head.