Did you do a leak down test prior to taking the heads off? This will let you know what direction to go in (Timing issues, stuck valves, bad rings, etc). If you don't have the air compressor I would seriously consider taking it to a good independent shop to have them do the leak down test so as long as the price is reasonable. It could save you a lot of time and aggravation. You may get the heads off and think you found the issue when it is actually leaking past the rings into the case.

As for the crank pulley bolts, I wouldn't drill them out for fear of damaging the threads within the crank shaft and possibly diminishing the harmonic balancer's ability to work properly . Try getting your hands on as they work wonders. Best 60 dollars I ever spent on a tool.

It sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Let us know how you make out or if you need help along the way.

 

I haven't done a leak down, but I figured that the head needs to come off either way right??? I have both valve covers off and slapped my timing clamps on each side and they are perfect. Can I do the leakdown test with the valve covers off? Oh and thanks for the tool tip. I have never used one of these so hopefully this does the trick without me having to remove the rest of the front end.

 

Any advice on where to find a cylinder head R&R DIY?

 

No, you will not be able to do a leak down test with the cylinder heads off as you will be removing the top end of the cylinder thus reducing compression on all cylinders to 0. Assuming you are doing this in preparation for a head gasket job, that is.

The reason why I'd recommend doing a leak down test is it will tell you where your compression is going and you may not see it visually. You may think you see a sticking exhaust valve or a somewhat damage head gasket and fix or replace that, but in reality its worn or broken piston rings and you'll never see that without pulling the motor. Sometimes your eyes will play tricks on you and cause you to think you found the problem when you didn't. It's happened to me several times

Those Irwin bits are great; You can romp on those things like there is no tomorrow and they really won't break. I probably applied at least 100+ foot pounds of force to one once and it didn't break. Broke the bolt free and I was on my way. Another tip is to get yourself some break parts cleaner from Napa or Auto Zone and spay those bolts down first before putting a bit into them as they will be filled with dirt and grime from the years and then you'll strip the bolts pretty easily.

As for a DIY, I don't have a link to a DIY, but if I find one or think of one that I've read I'll post it back for you.

 

Clicky click

This is off what looks to be a 1.8T (?) but it should be somewhat similar and give you an idea of how to get this task done.

 

Gonna do leakdown test in the AM...got the tester this afternoon. Bolt extractors coming tomorrow

 

Leak testing complete! Tested cylinder #4...LOTS of air leaking out of cylinder #5. Nebuchadnezzr, you are brilliant...unless it can be something else besides head gasket?!?!?! Strange part is that #5 was low in compression (90 psi), but not at 0? Any explanation on that?

 

Oh I know...I'm an idiot
Re-tested with the Cylinder up and all valves closed (kinda important). No more air leaking into #5 cylinder. Air is coming straight out of the exhaust pipes. Exhaust valves it is! While I am waiting for the bolt extractor, I figured I would start on the exhaust manifold shields. How the heck do I get those top two bolts out? Torx bit but NO clearance for my ratchet. I have a feeling that every bolt on this thing is going to cause me grief! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

Someone just told me that it could be a failed lifter and that I might not need to pull the head to replace it/them. Any thoughts on that?

 

I would be double sure that you are not doing the leak down test with the piston at the top of its exhaust stroke because that would send you in the wrong direction. You are going to have some trouble with those bolts on the exhaust manifold as your car is a 2004 with lots of miles on it. They are certainly going to be on there pretty well. You may have to remove some more stuff to get to it without risking stripping the bolts and causing yourself more harm.

A side note: When I removed the passenger side kombi valve on my 2.7T I had to modify a 5mm (?) allen wrench in order to fit between the base of the valve and the head of the bolt. Talk about a pain in the ***. And getting that screw back in? Yea, what a pain.

As for a bad lifter, I would think you would be able to see exhaust vales not going up or down when you turn the engine over at the crank with your valve covers off. Obviously, when you do this your timing belt must be on in order to keep everything in time (Assuming timing isn't an issue already). Look at the cam lobes of cylinder 4 and see if you see the rocker arms moving while the engine is being turned. That will give you more evidence to support your assertions that exhaust valves are stuck open / not timed correctly.

Also, how do you know air was leaking into cylinder 5 at one point during the test? Aside from a failing head gasket, I can't see how this would happen. Again, I would be certain cylinder 4 was at TDC when it was at the top of its compression stroke and both sets of valves should be closed.