Another Blown Head Gasket - repair in progress (2 Viewers)

[SHREG]

What Beowulf said. Some high heat tape does the trick if you are still keeping the EGR system involved.

this sounds interesting. I will consult the search engine for more info...... Cats are gone, who needs EGR anyway......?

 

[alia176]

if you delete the EGR system, then do it properly and fool the ECU into thinking that you still have it. Otherwise, that pesky CEL will be on all the time! Same thing applies to the cat deletion as well.

As far as deleting the EGR system, I was thinking, would it be a good idea to simply prevent the hot air from #6 going around the back of #6 cyl? When you look at the exh manifold, you'll see that there's a way to weld that hole shut so that no hot exh gas can enter the tiny passageway behind #6 cyl. This way, no more heat is heating up the #6 jacket. If you were to simply build a EGR blocking plate and place in the place of the EGR pipe, you still have the hot exh gas trapped in that area and that concerns me over a long term.

Just some food for thought!

 

[SHREG]

if you delete the EGR system, then do it properly and fool the ECU into thinking that you still have it. Otherwise, that pesky CEL will be on all the time! Same thing applies to the cat deletion as well.

As far as deleting the EGR system, I was thinking, would it be a good idea to simply prevent the hot air from #6 going around the back of #6 cyl? When you look at the exh manifold, you'll see that there's a way to weld that hole shut so that no hot exh gas can enter the tiny passageway behind #6 cyl. This way, no more heat is heating up the #6 jacket. If you were to simply build a EGR blocking plate and place in the place of the EGR pipe, you still have the hot exh gas trapped in that area and that concerns me over a long term.

Just some food for thought!

great input thanks. When i got rid of the cats my guy welded new bungs in for the sensors. CEL light does not come on, has a nasty little sound to it now too. I will leave EGR in tact...... Parts are slowly trickling in. The more i look at it the more it looks like humpty will go back together cleaner stronger and more attractive than any F could wish for..... Between mud and the FSM im pretty confident at this point (knock on wood!)

 

[Shipwreck]

This is just an opinion to no one in particular: if your HG goes, chances are your mileage is pretty high and you have plenty of leaks (oil pans, front/rear seals, etc). With this in mind, i feel that it's simply easier to pull the entire engine out of the 80 and do all work on an engine stand and then stab the complete long block (along with the ECU harness) back in.

When working on the oil pans, laying under the vehicle is just a royal PITA. And, it's a shame to replace all seals EXCEPT the rear seal. When the engine is on the stand, it's SO nice take your time and work at a leisurely pace while not killing your back!
Anyway, just .02 cents, take it for what it's worth.

I began to think about this the further I dove into the engine. It's a valid point if you have the time and equipment.
I didn't think that working under the truck was such a PITA, however I do have a 6" lift and I can almost sit upright under there. For me, climbing over that ARB bumper and balancing on the radiator support 150 times was a bigger pain in the ass. (or knee)

 

[alia176]

For me, climbing over that ARB bumper and balancing on the radiator support 150 times was a bigger pain in the ass. (or knee)

No, no, no, you simply move into the engine bay for this type of work (as shown by my helper below)....

 

[OGBeno]

No, no, no, you simply move into the engine bay for this type of work (as shown by my helper below)....

Classic!

Go girl go!

 

[Shipwreck]

You have to be very careful when letting those anklebiters work on your rig. They have a tendency to use non-OEM hardware...

Jack pounded this bolt in with my 3 pound sledge. Took me fifteen minutes to get the damn thing out.

 

[cruiserdan]

Looks like a typical GM fastener being used on a GM bellhousing..........

 

[concretejungle]

Dan, a little off topic here but i was curious....

one of my best friends wife's father (did you get that) owns a automotive supply company that supplies a ton of parts to the auto industry. He supplies to GM, Ford, Toyota, BMW and a few others.

I was talking to him the other day about all this auto bail-out mess, ect.

I was blown away when he told me that Ford now has tighter machining tolerances then Toyota and overall higher build quality then Toyota. He was not playing favorite as he supplies major components to them both. He said years ago Toyota did in fact have the highest build quality, but since they have taken the top spot in sales, they are slacking and losing it.

Do you see any truth to that?

 

[cruiserdan]

I can not speak to that as I do not have access to engineering specifications. I find it somewhat difficult to believe but I can't prove it of course.

 

[Mirage]

thanks

great post

 

[Mumblim187]

I wish I had this thread while I was doing my HG! I had to figure this out by just using a Hane's manuel. And I wish I had replaced the timing chain and guides cause now my valves are bent 3000 mi after all this work.

 

[alia176]

I wish I had this thread while I was doing my HG! I had to figure this out by just using a Hane's manuel. And I wish I had replaced the timing chain and guides cause now my valves are bent 3000 mi after all this work.

Dude that BLOWS real bad, sorry to hear that. What happened exactly, if you don't mind educating the masses!

 

[smug01]

Great thread! I have found it very informative as I am tackling the HG repair as we speak.

Quick question for Shipwreck:
When you removed the Engine Harness, there are 2 connectors right near the starter that the FSM calls Transmission Connectors. The larger one has me beat so far...did you have to do anything special to disconnect it? All the others so far have been a squeeze with a bit of finger force on a single tab that releases the lock...but I cannot get this one to budge. It also doesn't help that there is very little clearance for my hands.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Craig

 

[alia176]

Great thread! I have found it very informative as I am tackling the HG repair as we speak.

Quick question for Shipwreck:
When you removed the Engine Harness, there are 2 connectors right near the starter that the FSM calls Transmission Connectors. The larger one has me beat so far...did you have to do anything special to disconnect it? All the others so far have been a squeeze with a bit of finger force on a single tab that releases the lock...but I cannot get this one to budge. It also doesn't help that there is very little clearance for my hands.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Craig

I may be able to help with this question since you're in a bit of a hurry. I used hose clamp pliers to pinch the connector tabs before pulling them apart. As you found out, there isn't much room to shove a hand in there!

Pliers

 

[smug01]

Thanks for the pliers tip. I will go grab a pair of these. My fingers are just not cutting it in these incredibly tight spots. I was ready to give up and instead start disconnecting the harness from the ECU side like some others have done.

I was also making sure there wasn't some other sort of locking device besides the standard single squeeze tab. From your response, it looks like a standard type of lock. Sound right?

-Craig

 

[alia176]

Thanks for the pliers tip. I will go grab a pair of these. My fingers are just not cutting it in these incredibly tight spots. I was ready to give up and instead start disconnecting the harness from the ECU side like some others have done.

I was also making sure there wasn't some other sort of locking device besides the standard single squeeze tab. From your response, it looks like a standard type of lock. Sound right?

-Craig

I'm a little confused by your post. You ARE trying to remove the harness from the ECU and pull it through the firewall, right? If not, I don't know what you're trying to do.

I pulled the upper half of the intake manifold off, then pulled the ECU harness through the firewall. Then you can thread the ECU harness through the lower half of the intake manifold. Finally, the lower part of the intake manifold can be removed from the vehicle for cleaning.

 

[smug01]

Well I started removing the harness per the FSM by unplugging everything back through to the O2 sensors and pulling the harnes back up through the lower manifold. Where I got stuck was on the transmission connectors that I have yet to be able to remove.

My thought was to change gears and instead tackle the harness from the other end (ECU end) if I get too frustrated with removing the harnes the FSM way. In that case, I would remove the connectors from the ECU and do just as you did through the grommet and fish the harnes back through from the top of the lower intake manifold.

Crap, I just realized...sorry OP, I hope I am not hijacking this thread too much.

 

[Shipwreck]

Great thread! I have found it very informative as I am tackling the HG repair as we speak.

Quick question for Shipwreck:
When you removed the Engine Harness, there are 2 connectors right near the starter that the FSM calls Transmission Connectors. The larger one has me beat so far...did you have to do anything special to disconnect it? All the others so far have been a squeeze with a bit of finger force on a single tab that releases the lock...but I cannot get this one to budge. It also doesn't help that there is very little clearance for my hands.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Craig

Yes it is a simple tab connector like most others. If I remember correctly, mine was wrapped with foam insulation and was gummed up a bit with old oil and grease. You might try hitting it with a little WD-40 from the bottom side to get the two halves to separate. I had to wiggle the two sides back and forth before they released.
I know exactly what you're dealing with... it's a tight fit down there.

I'm a little confused by your post. You ARE trying to remove the harness from the ECU and pull it through the firewall, right? If not, I don't know what you're trying to do. ...snip...

Alia, It sounds like he was trying to pull the complete harness from below as I did and is described in the FSM, but when he couldn't get the big connector loose down near the drivers footwell he gave up and started working from the other end and began unhooking the ECU side of the harness.
...Right smug?

 

[alia176]

Well I started removing the harness per the FSM by unplugging everything back through to the O2 sensors and pulling the harnes back up through the lower manifold. Where I got stuck was on the transmission connectors that I have yet to be able to remove.

My thought was to change gears and instead tackle the harness from the other end (ECU end) if I get too frustrated with removing the harnes the FSM way. In that case, I would remove the connectors from the ECU and do just as you did through the grommet and fish the harnes back through from the top of the lower intake manifold.

Crap, I just realized...sorry OP, I hope I am not hijacking this thread too much.

Ahh, copy that. When I pulled an engine out, I pulled the complete harness out the way you're trying to do. However, for just the head gasket project, I did what I described above, and pulled the ECU harness through the firewall.