i have heard about putting marvel mystery oil to the rings during a rebuild also. Nice job.
Another Blown Head Gasket - repair in progress
- Thread starter Shipwreck
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- Thread starter
- #82
Well done mate... very well done!
-B-
-B-
- Thread starter
- #84
A few thoughts on how I approached this job and what I’d do differently if I were to do this as a preventive maintenance.
1) The wiring harness – This seems to be one of the biggest debates or differences in how people approach the head gasket repair. I chose to pull the entire harness through the intake manifold. With my plan to overhaul the oil pans and r & r as much as I could while I was in there, this made the most sense to me. I would do this again if this were a planned preventive maintenance HG replacement. If I were in a rush to get the truck back on the road sooner, or was concerned about the fragility of the wires near the EGR, I might have considered pulling the ECU end or leaving the intake manifold in the truck as described in Doug’s video.
One advantage to pulling the harness was that I could clean all the connectors. Several of the lower block and tranny connections were soaked with old oil and grease. After cleaning them I placed dielectric grease on the contacts to prevent corrosion and aid in waterproofing. Another advantage was being able to heat wrap the wiring harness near the EGR before it went back in place. I also have added to my knowledge base as I had to learn the location and function of each of the sensors. I’m sure this will benefit me in the future.
2) Parts list - I placed my order to CDan hastily because I wanted to get moving on the repair quickly. In hindsight I could have stepped back, read the FSM thoroughly, and made a comprehensive list of all the little things I needed in addition to the basic head gasket items. Since I was also doing the oil pans, oil cooler, timing chain cover and oil pump there were several gaskets needed that aren’t included in a typical head gasket replacement. Since the head spent a week at the machine shop, I didn’t need any parts for at least a week and a half after tear-down.
Luckily, I pass Stevens Creek Toyota on my way to work. They are a TLCA member business and offer the same discount that CDan does. I had to make a couple stops for little things like dipstick tube gaskets and bypass hoses.
3) Injectors – In the interest of time, I didn’t send mine in to be cleaned and flow tested. If I were to do this as a PM I’d have this done.
3) Shock Towers - I’ve been considering a change to longer, custom Bilstein or Sway A Way shocks in the front. When the engine bay was torn down to just a block, this would have been a perfect opportunity to weld in an eyelet shock tower extension like Slee did on the Shortbus. (without all the ghetto flat washers
) Clearance is especially tight on the drivers side and it would have been easier to get the position correct. I didn’t have a chance to do this and I kind of regret it.
As I mentioned earlier, I think most guys on this board could tackle this job without too much difficulty. Aside from the monetary savings, doing it yourself gives you the peace of mind that it was done correctly and with attention to detail. No matter how good a shop is they will not put the effort to clean, polish and inspect each part that you can when doing it yourself. I’m confident this engine will be trouble free for any upcoming trip (knock on wood). I also know that if a problem does show up I’m in a much better position to pinpoint where it is.
Now I just need to figure out how to get this:
Into this:
1) The wiring harness – This seems to be one of the biggest debates or differences in how people approach the head gasket repair. I chose to pull the entire harness through the intake manifold. With my plan to overhaul the oil pans and r & r as much as I could while I was in there, this made the most sense to me. I would do this again if this were a planned preventive maintenance HG replacement. If I were in a rush to get the truck back on the road sooner, or was concerned about the fragility of the wires near the EGR, I might have considered pulling the ECU end or leaving the intake manifold in the truck as described in Doug’s video.
One advantage to pulling the harness was that I could clean all the connectors. Several of the lower block and tranny connections were soaked with old oil and grease. After cleaning them I placed dielectric grease on the contacts to prevent corrosion and aid in waterproofing. Another advantage was being able to heat wrap the wiring harness near the EGR before it went back in place. I also have added to my knowledge base as I had to learn the location and function of each of the sensors. I’m sure this will benefit me in the future.
2) Parts list - I placed my order to CDan hastily because I wanted to get moving on the repair quickly. In hindsight I could have stepped back, read the FSM thoroughly, and made a comprehensive list of all the little things I needed in addition to the basic head gasket items. Since I was also doing the oil pans, oil cooler, timing chain cover and oil pump there were several gaskets needed that aren’t included in a typical head gasket replacement. Since the head spent a week at the machine shop, I didn’t need any parts for at least a week and a half after tear-down.
Luckily, I pass Stevens Creek Toyota on my way to work. They are a TLCA member business and offer the same discount that CDan does. I had to make a couple stops for little things like dipstick tube gaskets and bypass hoses.
3) Injectors – In the interest of time, I didn’t send mine in to be cleaned and flow tested. If I were to do this as a PM I’d have this done.
3) Shock Towers - I’ve been considering a change to longer, custom Bilstein or Sway A Way shocks in the front. When the engine bay was torn down to just a block, this would have been a perfect opportunity to weld in an eyelet shock tower extension like Slee did on the Shortbus. (without all the ghetto flat washers
) Clearance is especially tight on the drivers side and it would have been easier to get the position correct. I didn’t have a chance to do this and I kind of regret it.
As I mentioned earlier, I think most guys on this board could tackle this job without too much difficulty. Aside from the monetary savings, doing it yourself gives you the peace of mind that it was done correctly and with attention to detail. No matter how good a shop is they will not put the effort to clean, polish and inspect each part that you can when doing it yourself. I’m confident this engine will be trouble free for any upcoming trip (knock on wood). I also know that if a problem does show up I’m in a much better position to pinpoint where it is.
Now I just need to figure out how to get this:
Into this:
Hey Craig, when you have some time, can you elaborate a little bit on how much extra work it took to pull and reseal the oil pans and the timing cover/oil pump? I have a bunch of little leaks on most of these parts and I would like to pull them while I do the HG. I'm wondering how much more complicated my project would become if I decide to add these steps.
Somebody needs to stop me!
This is getting out of hand now. The head didn't come back from the machine shop, so I've been delving further into the engine and it's stripped down to a block, crankshaft and pistons now. I think I've finally removed everything that needed service and now I'm starting to put things back on.
Before all of this started I planned to pull the oil pans to reseal the pan arches. They were leaking front and rear. Now was the time since I had easier access.
It took along time to clean the pans. They were both coated with a thick layer of old grease and oil.
The front was also leaking at the timing cover, so it came off too:
Since the cover was off, it was a simple procedure to replace the oil pump gasket and the front crankshaft seal.
The oil pump seal was dry, brittle and cracked easily when I pryed it out.
I had to use an impact driver to remove the screws on the cover. This job would have been a bitch if trying to go at it with everything still mounted on the truck.
I placed a new crankshaft seal in the cover and tapped it into place using the old seal.
Next step was to set the timing again. I aligned the bright link of the timing chain with timing mark on the crankshaft gear:
...and then did the same with the upper gear:
After the chain was aligned with the gears, I buttoned up the timing cover using some black FIPG.
josharre2000 - When you set the head back on the block, the timing gear and chain needs to be positioned as shown in this photo. I'll try to take more pics of the process of putting the cams back into position once I get the head back from the machine shop.
just for parts? Or are you going to pay for labor plus parts?
I'm also interested in all associated gaskets, hoses, ect. parts pricing for this. I want to do the work myself.
- Thread starter
- #88
Hey Craig, when you have some time, can you elaborate a little bit on how much extra work it took to pull and reseal the oil pans and the timing cover/oil pump?
Another full day. Much of that time was spent cleaning up the pans and sealing surfaces.
- Thread starter
- #89
Damn. I was hoping no one would ask about this. Now I had to go back and total up the receipts.
Here is the breakdown:
I didn't have to rent or buy any tools aside from replacing my broken timing light. I have an engine hoist and large torque wrench. If you need to rent or buy extra tools that would add to your total cost.
Remember, this was not a standard head gasket job. It was also redoing the oil pan arches, replacing water pump, new fan clutch and resealing oil pump and timing covers. These prices also reflect my location; which is silicon valley, and it has one of the highest cost of living in the nation. I suspect machining and local parts cost elsewhere will be less.
Just for grins I asked the local dealer what a ballpark estimate would be for a headgasket job and they came back with a 3 - $3500 figure. No preventive maintenance or oilpan work included. I'm glad I did this myself.
Who did the machine shop work seems like a good deal?
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I (heart) the search function. HG went on Saturday close to home. Saw this thread and went to work.
Head is at the machine shop.
Great thread pics etc
I second the "sticky" vote for this thread.
Wire harness = PITA.
cheers
Head is at the machine shop.
Great thread pics etc
I second the "sticky" vote for this thread.
Wire harness = PITA.
cheers
alia176
SILVER Star
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.
IH8MUD Forums - View Single Post - How to get a diesel freak and an anti 1FZFE freak in the same place?
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.
IH8MUD Forums - View Single Post - How to get a diesel freak and an anti 1FZFE freak in the same place?
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Man I wish I had the skills to do work that involved!
Grench
SILVER Star
It doesn't have to be. Disconnect the plugs and roll the lower intake over to the DS. Secure with bungee. No unraveling and re-threading. Did it twice. The PITA with this way though is getting to the lower intake bolts with the head on.
IMHO YMMV
yeah, i removed the intake then the head. Then, the harness was easy to remove. In my late 11/94 there are 3 connectors near teh starter, disconnected them and it pulled through with ease.
On a separate note, my harness was a bit burnt (no wire damage) by the EGR dealio. What do folks do to protect that wire harness??
What Beowulf said. Some high heat tape does the trick if you are still keeping the EGR system involved.
That looks like a very well executed repair and a bunch of work. I guess I have been lucky. Nearing 180,000 miles with no signs of a popped HG. I don't know how long that will last and want some more zip so a core engine from a another cruiser will be located and built up considerably. I will likely run the stock engine another year now. I'd rather rebuild another engine outside the engine bay and do a quick swap than do that much work on an installed block.
For protecting wires there are heat sleeves that are slick.t
For protecting wires there are heat sleeves that are slick.t
