TeamCapri

Tech, Repairs, Upgrades => Capri XR-2 89-94 => Topic started by: Don Youngmark on September 26, 2017, 10:11:44 AM

Title: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on September 26, 2017, 10:11:44 AM
Brand new here so I hope if this question has been asked you will forgive me.
My father has a 93 X-2. Car had overheated and head is warped. From what I understand we can pull the head off of his spare car(non Turbo) and replace the head on the turbo engine. I think I understand the exhaust cam will need to be switched as well but it should work.
Are there any other suggestions or possible head swaps that may work without tearing down his spare car?
Thanks in advance.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: WashiestSnake on September 26, 2017, 06:04:16 PM
If you don't want to use the n/a head you can get a Miata head from a junkyard. The only difference is the exhaust cam, and instead of a Distributor it uses CAS. All you would have to do would be swap the exhaust cam, exchange the valbe cover, and drop the dizzy in.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on September 26, 2017, 07:15:46 PM
Would that be any Miata head (1.6) or is there anything speacial about the head to look for. Again these are not real familiar to me.
Thanks for any help that you may offer.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: SHOwn on September 26, 2017, 10:24:13 PM
IDK about the Miata head but you can search this forum for "difference n/a" and you will get tons of history on your question. my searching turned up that the cams are different and the turbo has the knock sensor as well. You might be able to pick up a whole running XR2 cheap at this time of year, a lot of owners don't want to store their cars another winter. Check Craigslists within about 150 miles of your location if you have storage space, unless you like changing cam bearings. Can I recommend ARP head studs and a Cometic head gasket? Where are you located?
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on September 27, 2017, 07:24:43 AM
Just north of Minneapolis. I have been checking Craigslist but no parts available. I am OK with the cam and parts swap, it's just getting the proper head that seems to be the most challenge.
Thanks.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: WashiestSnake on September 27, 2017, 08:26:22 AM
Yea it would be any 1.6l Miata head. Definetly agree with SHOwn spend the extra 300$ and get ARP studs and a Cometic headgasket. They really are a good peice of mind, especially if you ever plan to increase horsepower.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Rocketman on September 27, 2017, 12:32:21 PM
The Miata mounts its thermostat on the timing belt side of the head, so you will need to block that off.
The Capri head has a freeze plug installed in the port in question, I believe.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: azgtx on September 27, 2017, 08:06:05 PM
Matt's back, quite the journey young man.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: greywolf27030 on September 28, 2017, 06:17:29 PM
Nice to see you back.  Do you have any feet left?

Jack Byrd
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on October 04, 2017, 05:32:40 PM
To block off the thermostat location on the new Miata head, will it require a plug or bolt?
Any tips will be appreciated.

Don
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: WashiestSnake on October 04, 2017, 06:13:15 PM
Use a Freeze plug. Th ats actually good that Matt saved you like that I had completely forgot that the Miata routes coolant differently. I'm pretty sure you could just use a miata reroute kit to do it.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on October 04, 2017, 07:32:45 PM
Not sure what you mean by Miata reroute kit.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: SHOwn on October 04, 2017, 08:39:57 PM
Well, that would be one of these, but at over $300 that sounds pricey..
https://www.flyinmiata.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=reroute+kit (https://www.flyinmiata.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=reroute+kit)
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: greywolf27030 on October 05, 2017, 05:13:01 PM
Looks like a lot of machined parts there, that and the engineering is where the cost is.  Still expensive though.

Jack Byrd
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on October 30, 2017, 06:36:42 PM
Well, thank you for your help.
We did order a head from Clearwater head in Florida.
We brought it to a local head shop and supposedly they changed the exhaust cams.
When my father got the car back he thought the car did not have as much power as before.
Almost thinking the guy at the head shop charged him but did not change the cams.
Would anyone be able to identify the cams by the numbers. one is a B61P and one is a B660.
I hope someone may be able to say which cams they may be. Are these the Turbo cams??
Thanks again for your help and support. My 91 Year old father wants his power back.
Don
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Rocketman on October 30, 2017, 07:26:28 PM
B660 is the intake cam and B61P is the n/a Miata exhaust cam
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on October 30, 2017, 08:03:12 PM
Once again a question then. The intake cam is OK as is? But to us the turbo, the exhaust cam should be changed. Correct?
The car runs good, just lacks power.
Thanks for yourk reply.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Rocketman on October 30, 2017, 08:17:18 PM
All of the intake cams are the same, all B660.
I searched on the forum here, it appears the stock Capri exhaust cam is also marked B660.

What exhaust cam is in the car?

If it is down on power it could be something else too, related to the work they did. Head replacement is fairly invasive.
Could be the timing belt timing, poorly adjusted throttle cable, pressure leak in the intake piping, etc.
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Don Youngmark on October 30, 2017, 08:22:38 PM
The head was replaced with a Miata head and the cams were to be changed.
The ones they removed look rather clean is one reason that lead to suspicion.
The belts were changed as well. The car does run well and dad was so happy to have it back while we still had a couple of nice days to drive.
I had hoped the numbers on the cams would have indicated for sure that the turbo cams were removed from the old head and installed into the new head. (Turbo vs. non Turbo).
Title: Re: Head replacement
Post by: Gaz on November 03, 2017, 12:11:44 PM
Well hey, if all else fails, I still have my parts capri with the n a head still on it. It's been sitting without the valve cover, but I bet it would clean up nice. And I come down to the cities once a month for drill, from Duluth.