Blew the Replacement HG Today (1 Viewer)

[CruiserLegolas]

Alan,

Good luck getting the HG fixed. I hope it gets done right and for free.

This is the scary part of the HG. We are all afraid of it because it can blow anytime. We don't rest until it's replaced.

However, it's not so easy to replace. It must be done by someone who knows what they are doing. Unfortunately, there aren't too many in the know how.

I have to drive from LA to Utah again this Summer and I'm a little concerned. My 80 overheated going over Las Vegas last year and it turned out to be the radiator. It's just too expensive to be left stranded that far from home.

Anyway, good luck and keep us posted. I'm eager to find out the details of this blown replacement HG.

 

[Alan802]

glad you enjoyed that rook. I was a tad under the influence last night and especially at the time of my dumbass reply. I think the worst part about this whole thing is having my wife take me to work and then wait for her to get off to come get me.

 

[CruiserLegolas]

How do you like riding in the passenger seat? Any updates on your rig?

 

[Alan802]

How do you like riding in the passenger seat? Any updates on your rig?

She's a terrible driver. I didn't get anything accomplished today because work was too hectic. I'll talk to the shop on monday when I drop it off and hopefully won't be without my ride for too long. I almost have enough money saved for the lift and an arb so this work better be completely free. I also think I should be owed something for the inconvenience of not having my truck for a possible month. Am I asking for too much?

 

[mmw68]

Alan,

Sorry to hear about the troubles! PM off line, or e-mail me.

 

[Skillet]

I was considering some HG PM on my rig before I take it into Baja next October for a two week trip, just to feel warm and fuzzy while enjoying the peninsula.
This kind of sh*t takes the warm and fuzzy right out of that plan.
What to do...what to do...?

 

[-Spike-]

I also think I should be owed something for the inconvenience of not having my truck for a possible month. Am I asking for too much?

Yes. Be happy if they fix the truck, that's all they 'owe' you. In an ideal world we would never be inconvenienced, but reality is a little different.

-Spike

 

[IdahoDoug]

Skillet,

I wouldn't let an inferior headgasket install slow you down on a pre-trip PM. Anything can be done improperly, from a differential fill to a birfield-repack-without-replacing-the-inner-axle-seal job for $1200. Plenty of those documented here, but it doesn't mean the best course of action is to drive the crap out of a dry axle without regard to service....

DougM

 

[MH_Stevens]

I have been dreading getting out Doug's video and doing this job - even thinking that if I needed too then I would go to the dealer - but once again we have it proved to us that doing it yourself from the manual and first time too with love and care is better than any pro who is just rushing to get to the billing part.

Michael

 

[Alan802]

Finally got the cruiser back to the original mechanics that did the HG work today. They did every test they had available, leak down, compression, etc., and found no evidence of a second head gasket failure. I was there for most of it and he said he was 100 percent sure the HG wasn't blown. I'll take his word over the other shop. Now I have to talk to the shop that did the original diagnosis and find out how they found evidence of coolant seepage into the #2 cylinder and why the hell I paid 80 bucks for a false diagnosis. I wonder if they even did any work on it at all. As soon as he told me the original bad news over the phone, about an hour after I dropped it off, he had gotten 3 quotes to replace the engine. I guess the unlucky ones of us that aren't as savvy under the hood have to find out the hard way on who to trust to do the maintenance on our trucks. Anyway, now we have to find out why it was running like S, and hopefully it won't be too bad, because I am about a month away from ordering my lift and front bumper (Slee or ARB). Later

 

[semlin]

a few ways to check you did not mention

-pull plug #2, pull the main coil wire and crank the engine and look to see what came squirting out and look down into the cylinder?

-go under the truck and look at head/block seam on both sides and check for coolant?

-do a dye test and repeat 1 and 2

 

[Alan802]

Thanks, I will see if they did the first and third options you mentioned. I'll probably suggest sending a sample to blackstone also, just to be absolutely certain.

 

[landtank]

Thanks, I will see if they did the first and third options you mentioned. I'll probably suggest sending a sample to blackstone also, just to be absolutely certain.

I think blackstone is a complete waste of money. The only time I remember that it reported coolant in the oil was when the truck had a cracked head. I beleive the combustion process negates the value of this test.

 

[Dusty]

sir you started this thread with how your truck was "running poorly". would you care to talk more about the symptoms? perhaps your trucks behavior could shed further light.

 

[Alan802]

Rough idle, missing while accelerating, especially between 1K and 2K rpms. Exhaust smells different, but not sweet. Acts like it has "bad gas" and needs a tune up. From my little knowledge is seems like something wrong with the fuel delivery. The only thing I can liken it to, from my limited experience, is when my bike and four wheeler used to get trash in the carb. Sorry again for the lack of knowledge, still fairly new to diagnosing problems with the truck.

 

[Lockd97]

Shot in the dark

Maybe a connector not completly seated on an injector or other component or maybe got damaged in the disassembly or assembly. I've thought that all the injector clips were in before and have found one not fully "clicked' in.
Try to get your fingers under a S/C'd 3.4l to the DS injector rail! Not gonna happen.

Scott

 

[semlin]

assuming the first shop can't explain their diagnosis very well, and assuming the truck ran fine at first, here are a couple of ideas.

i wonder how the main engine wiring harness looks beside the egr valve. this is known to cause symptoms like yours from heat breaking down the heat wrap and then the wires. they had to move it to pull the head. did they wrap it up properly after the job or leave the brittle remains of the old harness? try prodding it while the engine is idling at different rpm to see if it produces any symptoms

also try putting a wooden dowel to each injector and your ear to the other end and rev the motor. if one sounds different you have your culprit.


finally, maybe it is bad gas. take look at the fuel filter. did they replace it? it's a bugger to get at but worth pulling it if you have eliminated the h/g as the cause.

 

[landtank]

you might even look at the air tube from the filter canister to the throttle body and check for cracks.

 

[Alan802]

Thanks fellas, I'll pass on the info to the guys tomorrow. Hopefully they made some headway today, didn't get a chance to chat with them.