Re: Stuck Spider Head

[Simon Favre <simon@xxxxxxxxxx>]

First, let's eliminate the obvious. You DID remember to remove the 2 bolts
that go under the edge of the timing case, right? Sorry, I had to ask. ;=)

What the esteemed Fred D. recommends is quite simple. Start the motor. Of
course, this means putting back all the stuff you took off to get the head
ready to remove. If you start the motor with all the head nuts loose, you
WILL blow the gasket. I believe he recommends doing this with the water
drained out. You only need to idle the motor for a few seconds to blow the
gasket enough to get the head off. 

Over the years, I have also found it easier to break a head loose from the
rear first. The rear is where the big oil return is, and the gasket tends
to get oiled and therefore looser at the back. Put lots of WD-40 down the
stud holes. Your problem may be more due to corrosion than the gasket
itself. Let the WD-40 work on it overnight.

Philip Walton wrote:

>I have an 88 Spider Veloce with 60K and an extremely stuck cylinder head.
>I have tried all variations of the methods listed in the Shop Manual, Alfa
>Owner's Bible and the great advice of the folks at Centerline,  no luck!
>The methods that have so far been used are:  Rubber Mallet, Rope in the 1st
>and 4th cylinders (from the AOB), Scissors Jack mounted on the head bolts
>lifting on rope attached to the exhaust studs and the intake manifold, and
>the factory approach with a threaded dowel screwed into the 2nd cylinder
>and a nut turning against a platform mounted on the cylinder head bolts.
>I can't even get the thing to budge at all.

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