Just another blown Head Gasket (1 Viewer)

What method is easiest for head gasket repair?

  • Pull just the engine

    Votes: 0 0.0%

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    31

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Thought I had dodged this last year when the cammo truck was showing signs of being hot on occasion. The PO had definitely put Bars Stop Leak in the system before I purchased it. Cleaned that out as best I could and then ran straight water for a while, then did Blue Devil sealer and all was well for several months and a few thousand miles. Was driving to a friends house and felt the idle stumble when I pulled in and saw the temp on the ScanGauge was 204*F, shut it off and left it for several hours. Saw some coolant dripping from the exhaust and had it towed home.

After a few days I have repair parts on the way now and got the truck off the 37" tires and onto the 28" tires so it fits in the garage. I had to remove the spacers too, but such is life. Now it just looks ridiculous.
20190327_143523[1].jpg


Finally ready to get started and realize I have some questions before I start digging in:

Is there a method to depressurizing the fuel system?

Does the AC system need to be evacuated and disassembled if the engine is pulled?

How are people reaching the top 2 bolts on the transmission? I can't even get a hand up there with the 1" body lift.


I have a 1 ton engine stand, a 2 ton hoist (arm style) and a spare 1fz-fe already in the garage. The spare engine was working when removed, but it is unknown if any of the seals were already replaced or not (main front, oil pump, valve cover, water pump) and all of that has already been done on the engine in the cammo truck now.

I think I have just enough clearance in my garage to pull the engine straight up if that is an option. 8'6" to the bottom of the I-beam.
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I just bought this unit on Amazon that is 10" tall with 1 ton capacity. If the AC system needs to be opened I will have plenty of room once the radiator and condenser are out. The radiator has to come out anyway so I can adjust the mounts to correct for the body lift and fit the shroud back on.
Vestil LOW-2G Geared Low Headroom Combination Chain Hoist/Trolley, 2000 lbs Capacity, 2-1/2"- 8" I-Beam Flange

Screenshot_20190329-131936_Amazon_Shopping[1].jpg


I've read up on several threads and was hoping to see if there were and ideas to make things more simple or easy (since I'm hella lazy). Any help or insight is appreciated and the FSM and OTRAMM vids should give me a real solid guide once I get the head out of the truck, it's getting to that point that's stressing me out.
 
I've done it both ways. On one HG job, I removed the engine taking the the tranny with it. Removing the head with the engine in place is definitely easier and quicker. And a lot easier to avoid all the "while you're in there's." LOL
 
I’d just pull the head off, to depressure the fuel by opening the cap, alittle will leak out during filter-removal that’s it
 
Take off the hood. Then it’s all easy. Take out the head, not everything else. I’m on my 3rd. Not a big deal. Replace injectors or at least have serviced. Do the PHH and other hoses. Do the EGR, or delete. Do water pump, thermostat and fan clutch. Do plugs and wires if it’s time. Never easier.
 
And @OTRAMM videos are worth watching.
 
Remove the front tires and cut up some 2x4, screw together and place under control arms. Your back will thank you.
 
Remove the front tires and cut up some 2x4, screw together and place under control arms. Your back will thank you.
What? Instructions unclear
 
I don't know. If you are old, fat, have a bad back and over 5' 6", pulling the engine, trans and transf is definitely the way to go IMHO. I did this and had access to everything else that you would like to get to and do a "while you are in there" job. PHH, all hoses on the fire wall, Starter, Fuel filter etc. Cleaning is ohhhh so much easier as well!

On the other hand, if you are young and gumby like, working with it in the vehicle is fine. As stated before, pull the hood.
 
I just replaced my cyclinder head with the engine still installed. What I thought was a BHG ended up to be a cracked cyclinder head. So I would definitely get it pressure tested to make sure the head is not cracked.
 
I can have the whole drivetrain out in a few hours. Much easier to work on then. I say pull the whole package.
 
PHH - done
Hose next to PHH - done at dealership
Front main seal - done
Oil pump gasket - done
Water pump - done
Fresh plugs - done
Fresh wires - done
Cap & Rotor - done
Dizzy o-ring - done
Valve cover gasket - done
New Radiator - done
Thermostat - done
New belts - done
Fuel filter - done
Spark plug gaskets - done
All new front hoses - done

Need to do:
Blue fan clutch
PCV Valve
Rear heater delete (inside is done, but it's looped somewhere underneath and very hot in summer)
Steering pump - it's starting to whine a bit
Drop the radiator down 1" to remount shroud
Install winch switch inside to cab to power winch on/off

Made myself a nice platform to work on out of an aluminum dunnage rack from work I had lying around. Nice stable base for $0.

I guess I will just start disconnecting things tomorrow from the top down and then pull the hood once I need the room since my light is mounted to it. Just getting flashbacks of the PHH repair and how much it sucked. I will save the big pulls for the other two 80s since they both need the valve seals done and all the other stuffs too.

The head will go out for pressure test, valve grind and new valve seals. Not sure if the shop sets the cams or not, haven't gotten that far yet.
 
Why is this better than jackstands or something?

I'm assuming this is to lower the entire chassis only a foot or so off the ground, making it easier to work on. You could probably just use some small jack stands instead, but maybe they don't make them that short? I only have the large ones from HF, so not sure how small they can get and safely support an 80.
 
Why is this better than jackstands or something?


Don’t trust the small jack stands. The 6 tons are too tall. Made it easier for me. I wonder if I could make them out of billet aluminum and sell them for a left nut.
 
Don’t trust the small jack stands. The 6 tons are too tall. Made it easier for me. I wonder if I could make them out of billet aluminum and sell them for a left nut.
Got it. I like this idea now
 
Making slow progress

20190402_134205[1].jpg


I got the nuts off the downpipes for the exhaust and removed the front header hardware, but it left a single stud in the block and won't let the header slide out. Hoping to pick up a Torx head removal set today.
20190402_124405[1].jpg


Same issue with the EGR hardware. Got the nuts off, but studs won't allow me to get the large pipe off the fitting.
20190402_124400[1].jpg


Was able to remove the pass side factory heater hoses without damaging the heat control, so minor win there. Finally found a use for the set of standard huge wrenches I bought years ago at Harbor Freight. The largest wrench, 1.25" is a fit for the large nut on the EGR pipe.
20190402_103438[1].jpg


Got all the sensors unplugged from the head itself and the two lower sensors at the oil pan. The front knock sensor is being very stubborn so far and I haven't even located the rear one yet or the two large connectors for the trans harness. Do I need to remove the starter to get to those?

Got 6 of the 8 upper plenum bolts out too, but having a lot of trouble locating the 2 bolts nearest the firewall. Pretty sure I can get the 2nd closest one with a guide from someone up top, but the last one is a mystery.

Parts and tools keep showing up and I will keep pushing along. My best friend today was my 24" 3/8" extension for my sockets. Not sure how I would have gotten at things without it today.

This stuff is my new favorite thing:
20190402_133850[1].jpg


Asking a question here, but will start another thread as well ...

Can I undo the harness from the interior side of the truck and pass it through the gap in the intake manifold instead of disassembling the knock, oil pan, O2 and transmission sensors?

That would save me a lot of hassle working under the truck. I can pull the head straight up with the hoist and thread the harness through if it will fit.
 
Yes, that is the way I did it when I pulled the engine.
 
Making slow progress

View attachment 1942947

I got the nuts off the downpipes for the exhaust and removed the front header hardware, but it left a single stud in the block and won't let the header slide out. Hoping to pick up a Torx head removal set today.
View attachment 1942953

Same issue with the EGR hardware. Got the nuts off, but studs won't allow me to get the large pipe off the fitting.
View attachment 1942954

Was able to remove the pass side factory heater hoses without damaging the heat control, so minor win there. Finally found a use for the set of standard huge wrenches I bought years ago at Harbor Freight. The largest wrench, 1.25" is a fit for the large nut on the EGR pipe.
View attachment 1942958

Got all the sensors unplugged from the head itself and the two lower sensors at the oil pan. The front knock sensor is being very stubborn so far and I haven't even located the rear one yet or the two large connectors for the trans harness. Do I need to remove the starter to get to those?

Got 6 of the 8 upper plenum bolts out too, but having a lot of trouble locating the 2 bolts nearest the firewall. Pretty sure I can get the 2nd closest one with a guide from someone up top, but the last one is a mystery.

Parts and tools keep showing up and I will keep pushing along. My best friend today was my 24" 3/8" extension for my sockets. Not sure how I would have gotten at things without it today.

This stuff is my new favorite thing:
View attachment 1942966

Asking a question here, but will start another thread as well ...

Can I undo the harness from the interior side of the truck and pass it through the gap in the intake manifold instead of disassembling the knock, oil pan, O2 and transmission sensors?

That would save me a lot of hassle working under the truck. I can pull the head straight up with the hoist and thread the harness through if it will fit.
Convenient KING SIZE lol
 

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