Builds GW Nugget's Family Haulin Lx450 build (4 Viewers)

[GW Nugget]

SLOW, BUT SURE...

I was able to drain & see the rad fluid, it doesn't look bad & doesn't look good either. No milky though.

I also removed the throttle body.

I only got 8 bolts off the upper intake, WOW THAT WAS FUN!

It took 3' of exstention to get them from the underside. I have no clue how I'm going to get those back up in there & torqued?

 

[sbman]

My theory was that anything cooling related was a 'must have'. Head gaskets and other general engine damage can be caused by overheating. Things like injector cleaning can be done at a later time and are more in the 'nice to have' category, especially if it was running OK before.

 

[GW Nugget]

My theory was that anything cooling related was a 'must have'. Head gaskets and other general engine damage can be caused by overheating. Things like injector cleaning can be done at a later time and are more in the 'nice to have' category, especially if it was running OK before.

I think you nailed it!
Central focus will be on cooling.
Rad. & heater core (Ugg! heater core) as many heater hoses as possible even all those small ones & water pump.

 

[GW Nugget]

SLOW, SLOW & EVEN SLOWER...

I just made the decision to reroute the wiring harness out side the lower intake manifold so i can take it out & clean it. I don't know if this was a good idea anymore??? I'm pretty committed now. Oh well...

 

[GW Nugget]

TEST
This might work?

 

[GW Nugget]

Another road block... I was on it at a bad angle I didn't know & stripped a lower exhaust nut. What do I do now?
Seriously I don't know my next move. I'm a blank here...

 

[operatorTRP]

Can you get a vice grip on it? Maybe a nele nose vice grip?

 

[White Stripe]

heat the nut up red hot with a torch, to the point its almost melting, then use a socket and a ratchet and spin it off with what little nut is left to grab.

 

[GW Nugget]

Got it!!!

Friends are the best...
I don't like pulling the friend card on a buddy to borrow tools but this time I had to. He had these cool things that I don't know the name to, it came right out.

 

[operatorTRP]

Also pounding a slightly undersized 12pt socket on there has much the same effect if the friend card has expired!

 

[jcardona1]

Got it!!!

Friends are the best...
I don't like pulling the friend card on a buddy to borrow tools but this time I had to. He had these cool things that I don't know the name to, it came right out.
View attachment 1081217

Irwin Bolt Grips. They're a life saver

 

[GW Nugget]

Irwin Bolt Grips. They're a life saver

I have read your build & thank you for all those high quality pictures of your head gasket job you did years ago. You definitely have a gift for photography. I don't have a FSM as of yet & you have help bunches as for all the things I have leaned about my 80 series is from all you mudders out there.

Last night at about 1am my wife & I lifted the head off of the LX What a milestone... here is a few pics... I will be posting up more pictures later. More details to come on putting it back together, to be honest I have been extremely overwhelmed with this tear down.

 

[1973Guppie]

nice build, sub'd, lots of work tearing that engine apart, been there and done that so let me know if you have questions, you are going to end up being very happy when it all goes back together. My truck purrs after the HG job, etc.

 

[GW Nugget]

Here is a update post from my blog... some things have been duplicated but have value... Enjoy!

Pulling off the head of the LX450.

Pulling off the head of the LX has been a grueling adventure so far. I want to stay positive here, but it has not been fun at all. All I can say is Lord willing this thing will be good for another 100K after the while I'm here stuff is replaced. ie new water pump, belts, hoses etc.
Here is some pics of what I got so far. I will be giving a better detail as it goes back together. Stay tuned...

Here is a sequence of the tear down...



Oops there it is a text book #6 water jacket failer.


I have found a dry cracked vacuum hose that might be part of my P0401 restricted EGR problem.

I made the crazy decision to start a wiring harness reroute to be able to remove the lower intake off & get the wire away from the hot EGR pipe.



I don't have a pic of a before but here is one from another rig so you can see why I moved the wiring.
That's all for now...

 

[1973Guppie]

for the EGR pipe you can just rewrap the harness with some heat sleeving, I got some from summit racing that worked really well, no need to modify the routing of the harness. I did however find it usefull to remove the engine portion of the harness per the FSM although it was a pain.

 

[GW Nugget]

for the EGR pipe you can just rewrap the harness with some heat sleeving, I got some from summit racing that worked really well, no need to modify the routing of the harness. I did however find it usefull to remove the engine portion of the harness per the FSM although it was a pain.

Yes Sir that is my plan is to rewrap in heat shield & aluminum tape & bypass the PHH around the brake booster. It gets hot out here in the Central Valley of CA. Another reason I moving the wires behind the intake is I'm entertaining the idea of installing the head back in with the intake already install all together. Has anyone ever tried this? It was such a pain to get to all those underside bolts. Putting them back in would even be more difficult. Just thinking out loud here... maybe it might work???

 

[1973Guppie]

I really reccomend just following the fsm, that worked for me. The bolts on the intake are not too hard if you use a little wobbler and some very long extensions from the bottom of the truck. I use a little blue masking tape in the socket and wrapped around the wobbler to keep things intact in order to get the bolt of nut started.

 

[Nors]

Inspiring rig

 

[GW Nugget]

Thursday, May 28, 2015
Blow head gasket update.

GOOD NEWS...
The head was checked out by the machine shop & came back with a clean bill of health. It was jet washed & found to be straight. It only needed to be decked .008" to clean it up.

As for the other stuff I have been chugging away at gasket removal, clean up & rerouting the wiring harness.

Most of the heater hoses have come in & now that I now how much material came off the head I can now order the valve grind kit, head bolts & gasket set.

I'm still waiting on water pump, fuel filter & still debating on if I should dig into the oil cooler or not?

 

[1973Guppie]

I dug into my oil cooler and replaced the outer seals, I just figured I should do it while I was there as it was super easy. I would say pull the cover off, clean it and replace the seals. I did not want to get everything done and end up with an oil leak there.