The following evenings, I removed the cylinder heads, oil pan, water pump, oil pump, and front timing gear assembly. The engine looks really clean...no ridge at the top of the cylinder bore, and minimal carbon on the pistons or cylinder heads.
I probably could have done without removing the cylinder heads, but since I have never heard the engine run, I figured it was worth the effort to ensure that the combustion chambers are sealed up tight.
There wasn't much grime on the cylinder heads, but I did clean them with water-based degreaser and put some into the intake and exhaust ports. To clean that off, I went a few blocks to the local car wash, and used the high pressure rinse setting to remove all of the grime and degreaser. Then, I brought the cylinder heads home and used compressed air to dry them. I then sprayed the sensitive areas [valve assembly, combustion chambers with WD-40 to displace any residual moisture.
Another job I need to do [this week] is remove the valves, both so I can check the valves for fit and wear, and also to replace the rubber valve seals. Even without a lot of wear on the engine, the [rubbger] valve seals harden and cause a little oil to drain into the combustion chamber, causing a little puff of smoke when the engine is started.
A few years ago, a similar puff of smoke on startup kept me from being able to register my Mazda until I changed the valve guide seals, so I figured it was worth replacing the [$16/set] seals now, when the cylinder heads were conveniently on the workbench, rather than try to do it when the engine is in the vehicle.
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