I figured since I was installing the new head Speedchaser made I might as well do a quick install guide and toss in some tips for the new guys.

The first thing you want to do is remove the seat, the seat belt and the plastic radiator guard, removing these only takes about 5 min and is painless, you will need 17mm socket for the seat, 5/8 for the seat belt and 10mm for the guard.

I use a two pan system when I drain coolant, I have a plastic pan they use to put under a washing machine then I use another pan to catch the coolant, the larger white pan catches the splatters.

Remove the radiator cap before draining

It will drain fast, I first drain it at the water pump, next I drain the cylinder.

Keep a eye out when removing the drain plugs that you don't lose the copper washer more often than not they stick to the Engine side then fall off lol

Draining the cylinder, yeah it runs down the pipe, I will rinse this off with water before starting the Engine.

Next remove the spark plug then un-torque the head bolts in a criss cross pattern as said in the service manual when you torque the head up.

Remove the coolant hoses and plug them with something to keep dirt out, I use paper towel.

BEFORE you remove the head rotate the clutch and get the piston to top dead center so if their is any coolant that is trapped into the head it wont run down into the Engine.

Here is the head removed not a drop of coolant where it shouldn't be.

My old head, its a modified stock head, .055 squish clearance, 49cc #158 lbs compression, hated to waste a head gasket, that head was installed and the Engine only run one heat cycle then removed...

Clean the top of the cylinder and remove any grease oil film and old gasket material, don't let ANYTHING fall into the coolant passages, you will NOT need ANY power tools to do this, if some of the black gasket material wont come off with your thumb nail then use something soft like a pop cycle stick if that wont get it carefully use a razor blade.

Check the top of the cylinder for warpage like shown in the manual, if in doubt before installing the new gasket and head take detail close up pics of the head, cylinder and both sides of the head gaskets and post here an untrained eye will not see traces where the head was leaking, most the time if you see black pepper looking specks in your radiator it was leaking, no use installing a new gasket if the top of the cylinder is not flat, it will leak again.

With the gasket surfaces clean install the new head gasket and the head, torque the head in a crisscross pattern in 2-3 steps, torque to 20 FOOT pounds.

I put a light coat of teflon thread compound on the threads of the fitting then screwed it into the head until its snug tight.

Before installing the radiator hose I put a THIN layer of vasoline on the inside of the hose and on the hose barb before installing the hose, this makes it go on and come off easy, you only need a little if you gob it on it will just shove it into your coolant system!

Reinstall BOTH drain plugs, make sure you have the copper washers on only SNUG them up you don't have to try and twist them off it don't take much to tighten them.

Before adding coolant lay towels around the radiator opening so when if you spill any coolant it will be caught this way when your running the system checking for leaks your not looking at coolant you spilled wondering if that is a leak or not.

Pour it in slow don't over fill.

I use all NEW fresh coolant mixed 50/50 with distilled water.!

NOT the RED coolant the old GREEN

The inside of my Pilots coolant system looks NEW no signs of corrosion or dirt and muck I want to keep it that way, the coolant I drained out I run through a coffee filter then save for topping off a system on my cars and trucks.

I checked my squish clearance and compression, the squish was .050 and the compression was #155 lbs, yours might vary, its always good to check your compression before removing the old head as I did for a base line measurement, if your Engine has been modified like this one and the exhaust port raised shooting for a number with a compression tester is a waste of time, when you raise the exhaust port you reduce the amount of the trapped volume so it will read lower, once the Engine is running and you get up on the pipe then the compression levels will be back to design pressures.

On a stock Pilot you should see #150 to #160 psi static, you tell us what you found before and after, alot will depend on the condition of your Engine.

Some other thoughts, if your piston has a lot of carbon build up on the crown DON'T attempt to scrap it off or wash it off the stuff you will remove from the piston will end up down in the rings no matter how much care you have taken, this is much worse than leaving the carbon their, the only way to remove it is to remove the cylinder and piston, anything you scrap off will be hard and abrasive it will score the shit out of the piston and cylinder it might stick the rings so DON'T BE TEMPTED, trust me I have tried to do this many times before removing a cylinder to see if it can be done, it cant, even using a vacuum cleaner whilst scraping followed by blowing with compressed air and the vacuum it STILL had stuff between the piston and the cylinder when it was taken apart.

Start the Engine and heat cycle it a few times then check the coolant level before putting the seat back in and the plastic guard around the radiator, if you have not washed out the coolant over flow tank in a while now is a good time to remove it and flush it out and fill with fresh coolant, if the system needs coolant it will suck it from the tank you don't need to keep checking the coolant level through the radiator cap.

Hoser & Speedchaser

Looks Great, Can't wait to get Mine.

Tim