Corolla Head issues

[vgames33]

I also posted this in the Corolla section.

I have a '96 Toyota Corolla that needs a new cylinder head (4AFE). The head that came from my engine has an egr port under the #4 intake port that feeds the egr through a passage in the intake manifold. All the junkyard heads around here do not have the egr port on the head. Is there a way around this?

If it helps, according to a manual for the 4AFE engine (in a Celica), I have a California emissions exhaust manifold. I'm assuming that is why my egr design is different.

[vgames33]

The guy at my machine shop suggested using a "head saver shim" if all else fails. My head is warped 20 thousandths. I've never done this or seen anyone do this before. Any thoughts?

[MagicRat]

If the only problem is the head warping, then imo get the head machined to remove the warp and go for the shim.
A used head may have its own problems, like worn valve guides, cracks etc.

If your head had multiple problems, then sure, get a new one. But shaving a head and using a shim is no big deal. Just get the correct thickness of shim. Imo leave this to the machine shop. Have them order the correct shim and machine the head accordingly.

[vgames33]

I ended up finding a head at a boneyard about an hour from here. Hopefully it checks out ok.

In the future, I'll consider the shim. Thanks.