Need advise replacing head gaskets, it's my first time. I'd like to do it my self. Any tips and advise are very welcome.


87 IROC TPI 350



:hail:

 

are you changing heads?
Is one of your gaskets blown?

they are not normally just swapped out.
could you be talking about valve cover gaskets?

 

I just got this car for a very good price, knowing that it needed head work, the guy said the head gaskets were blown.
The car was parked since December, it starts but it blows a lot of white smoke from the tail pipes and even from the engine, around the exhaust manifold. I see some oil around the manifolds.
When I drained the oil pan, some clean antifreeze came out and then like a white oil. It may have more damage than just the head gaskets, but I like to start by pulling the head and have them inspected and take it from there.

I'd like to know the proper steps to remove the heads. a good place to get the head all the gaskets I need and whaat to look for.


:hail:

 

Just replacing hg will not address other problems. I would just pull the heads first and have them inspected. If you have water in the cylinders i would be prepared to do a complete rebuild

The most important thing about reassembly is a clean gasket surface and proper torque sequence. Thats about all..but, I think you have bigger fish to fry.

 

Is it easyer just to pull the engine to over the whole thin?
In this case I'm also puzzled, I've never done it.

 

As long as youare sure that the bottom end has not been damaged from the coolant mixed with the oil. Then it will be fairly easy to pull the heads with the engine still in the car.

 

Hey Primo,

I just got done doing the same thing to my 92' Firebird. If you are going to do this yourself, you need the specs for the car so get a Chilton's manual or something like that.

I am recalling this from memory so it might not be in the exact order. Once you start, you will see the path you must take.

You do not have to pull the engine. Get a complete gasket kit that has everything because you will need it.

LABEL EVERYTHING RELIGIOUSLY!!! It is your map because you will not remember everything. Make sure it is methodical and you can remember what you meant.

1. Jack the car up on all four corners because you will be under there a lot.

2. Drain your oil and your coolant.

3. Take out the radiator and all the other crap on the front of the engine. You don't have to take off the water pump.

4. One of the most important things to do in this process is to keep everything clean! Air compress the top of the engine. Remove all the dirt and leaves. Make it as clean as you possibly can or bad stuff will happen.

5. Label your spark plug wires. And pull them from the engine, not the distributor. Once you have easy access to the valve cover, once again make sure everything is clean, and pull them off. Remove and pitch the old gasket material.

6. Methodically remove the rocker arms and all that stuff. I label everything and put it back exactly where I found it. Do not let these get dirty or touch the ground.

7. Get under the car again and disconnect the exhaust pipes from the exhaust manifolds. This was a pain in the *** for me, but pull the exhaust manifolds. Keep the bolts from the various parts in seperate places so you don't have a puzzle when you are done.

8. Here is another fun part for you. I did this on a throttle body, you get to do it on a tuned port. Remove the intake manifold... No dirt, label everything, and keep the bolts seperately. If it will help you, take pictures.

NOTE: IF YOU ARE UNSURE ABOUT HOW TO REMOVE AND REINSTALL THE DISTRIBUTOR BOTTOM, SEEK HELP or you will lose your firing order and screw stuff up in a royal fassion.

9. Now there is probably a ground on your heads, so find those wires, label them, and remove them. Now it is time to pull the heads. Be careful and do not bend anything. Loosen everything manually before you even think of using power tools.

10. Pull the heads and inspect the surfaces. I recommend getting a valve job and having the machine shop check and polish the surfaces of the heads and the manifold.

11. Check the cylinders for warpage, ridges, etc. If you find these, that is a big problem and you should seek additional help. If the cylinders are all right, remove the carbon from them.

12. Polish everything, especially the bolts with a wire brush. If they have rust or residue on them, that means coolant was reaching them. So when you reinstall, use anti-seize sealer. You should retap the holes too, because if the bolt was dirty, so was its home. (I soked all my bolts in diesel fuel before polishing... Hell, I cleaned everything will diesel fuel or brake fluid.)

There are probably a few things here in between that I am forgetting, but that is the general idea.

13. Put everything back together. When you put the heads back on and the intake manifold and all that, there is a specific torque and installation order. If you fail to adhere to this, you will not get a cold seal. Then you will have to do this all again. Some head gaskets will blow again within 100 hours of use if even one bolt is not secured properly. So recheck your torque 3 or 4 times.

14. While you have everything apart, replace anything that needs it. Do a complete tune up. You don't ******* anything that you broke, just replace it. Check all your fluids, put Dura-lube in everything...

15. When done, wash the car :-)

Good luck and if you run into anything or have any more questions, e-mail me at viperphi@ezaccess.net .

Sincerely,

David

 

I went out and stared at my car for about an hour today to think if I missed anything, so here are a few things I forgot or may not have emphasized (and one thing where I was wrong):

1. Before reinstalling your push-rods, polish them. Make sure that the hole in the middle is clear and fluid can move through it. You will lose performance if your pushrods don't flow. Also, make sure they are straight and are not warped in any way.

2. I think I was wrong about the anti-seize on the heads. If you get a gasket kit, most likely it will come with the lubricant that you need to apply to the bolts. Just to emphasize, the torque order for the bolts is the key to this whole operation. If it isn't done the right way in the right order, then the whole thing will not work. Sort of like a space shuttle... BOOM! Another blown gasket. Make sure the surface'a are flat and are not warped or twisted.

3. When you put the bolts back into the heads, retap the holes first. Each time you tap, clean the bit... And stick a small magnet (I have one on a wand) into the tapped hole to get all the little metal shavings out. The shavings could cause trouble with the torque if left there. Polish the bolts too to get all the carbon and rust and grime off. Then you can put the bolt in the hole. You will be suprised because it is a lot easier to put back in than it was to take out. Remember to lubricate before putting it in.

TIPS:

1. If you are going to have the cylinders exposed for any length of time, spray them with fogging (oil) so they do not rust. Even if it is just overnight!

2. When you finish this project and the engine is all back together and the car comes on.... DO NOT PUSH THE ENGINE! It is always a temptation to keep the car in neutral and rev the engine, but don't... Do not push the engine for the first 500 miles of use with the new gasket. After that first 500 miles, change your oil and if you can, flush the coolant and replace (The reason for this is the oil and the coolant have all the dirt, the metal shavings, the oil/coolant mix, etc that you missed or couldn't get to).

3. After that, it is a car again and you can rev your engine.

Best Regards,

David

 

I'm still trying to decide if I replace just the head gasket or do a full rebuild, this engine has 120,000 miles. I will be racing with this car and driving it every day.
If I rebuilt, I'd like to do it myself and try to learn in the process. That will bring even more questions.

 

If you don't have a Haynes or Chilton's manual for the car yet, get one right now.

You will probably need to go buy some Torx sockets to get the intake off. Make sure they are the right size, because some of the bolts can be quite hard to get out.

And I agree with the Happy Viper, wirewheel or brush all the bolts and clean the holes as you go along. You will be much happier when you decide to install headers, etc. later.

 

Whatever you do, DON'T put lubricant on the head bolts. They go directly into the block's water jacket, and will leak water around the threads, up the bolts, out from under the head of the bolts, and into the crankcase. Use some sort of non-hardening sealer such as Loctite PST (pipe thread sealer with Teflon) or Permatex 300 (brown gooey gunk). DO NOT use silicone, it will tear as a result of the motion baused by the heating & cooling of the parts, and will leak every time, sooner or later. Use the sealer on the intake bolts too; they go into the crankcase, and will seep oil up onto the top of the intake manifold. Only the 2 end ones on each side are blind, the rest need sealer.