For what it is worth there has been no documented failure of the neweest design factory head gasket.
Stuck doing head gasket months before doing supercharger
- Thread starter NLXTACY
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6 MORE DAYS!!, was the wife planning on taking the truck to Vegas? if she was, rent her a car dude, and relax. If she dont like it, tell her to start wrenchin!!! Its gettin hot in CA too isnt it?
NLXTACY
Wits' End
- Thread starter
- #23
when you say "newest" when was that design brought out? at 61k I had new motor put in and with recommendation I had the head gasket changed at the time as well. I'm not sure when it was and at this point, because of a move, I don't think I still have documentation going back that far. My guess is it was either 99 or 00.
alia176
SILVER Star
You made the right decision about renting her a car. Even if you could get the project done in time, would you really be comfortable sending her on her way to LV w/o having a chance to do few shake down runs?
I second the cometic HG. However, they may have to make them for you if they don't have one in stock so call them first. Send a PM to Powderpig in case he is in the area. He is a roving tech who does this sorta thing for a decent price.
cheers.
I second the cometic HG. However, they may have to make them for you if they don't have one in stock so call them first. Send a PM to Powderpig in case he is in the area. He is a roving tech who does this sorta thing for a decent price.
cheers.
NLXTACY
Wits' End
- Thread starter
- #28
Yeah the timeline was definitely too tight. This was I can work at my own leisure and wallet.
Cometic may be the direction I will go after reading up on it. I thought about just having someone else do it for me but I am very comfortable with engine work, I'm just not adept at working on an engine that ISN'T on an engine stand
so I am looking forward to this learning experience. Doug was cool enough to send me out the Word file so I get prep'd before the DVD gets here. Definitely some areas where an extra set of hands would be greatly helpful though 
Yeah the timeline was definitely too tight. This was I can work at my own leisure and wallet.
Cometic may be the direction I will go after reading up on it. I thought about just having someone else do it for me but I am very comfortable with engine work, I'm just not adept at working on an engine that ISN'T on an engine stand
Quit talking and start wrenching, now
NLXTACY
Wits' End
- Thread starter
- #30
Quit talking and start wrenching, now
It all starts tomorrow. Still reading up on threads to make sure I don't screw myself over. Plus I need to get together the stuff I will need. Plus I DO need to be discreet working in my 1.5 car garage with an HOA that is looking for a reason to fine me.
NLXTACY
Wits' End
- Thread starter
- #31
Well I MIGHT be started this tonight after I attempt to clear some room in the garage and go buy another one of those plastic folding tables and then try and figure out where THAT is going to reside.
The 60 was having vapor lock issues for my wife so I drove the LX to take care of the things I needed to before we rent the car. This is VERY frustrating because yesterday it was 105º here in the valley and the truck did totally fine. Never overheated. A/C blew ice cold and of course NOT A DROP of coolant missing. I open up the radiator cap this morning and it was filled to the brim and the overflow tank is about half full. This is driving me nuts because the issue isn't consistent. In fact if it wasn't for the dye test I would seriously think there was another issue instead of head gasket. I'm going to pull the spark plugs once the truck cools down again. I get this feeling that something else is going on and I want to be sure before I spend a lot of money and a lot of time for nothing. Thoughts?
The 60 was having vapor lock issues for my wife so I drove the LX to take care of the things I needed to before we rent the car. This is VERY frustrating because yesterday it was 105º here in the valley and the truck did totally fine. Never overheated. A/C blew ice cold and of course NOT A DROP of coolant missing. I open up the radiator cap this morning and it was filled to the brim and the overflow tank is about half full. This is driving me nuts because the issue isn't consistent. In fact if it wasn't for the dye test I would seriously think there was another issue instead of head gasket. I'm going to pull the spark plugs once the truck cools down again. I get this feeling that something else is going on and I want to be sure before I spend a lot of money and a lot of time for nothing. Thoughts?
alia176
SILVER Star
Are you sure you don't have any coolant trace over the tranny bell housing, at the rear of the engine?
NLXTACY
Wits' End
- Thread starter
- #33
I've decided to take some sage advice and I'm going to drop in some Bar's Stop Leak and wait until I can do everything at one time and save myself some grief. I seem to have a very intermittent coolant leak somewhere and Bar's MAY remedy it temporarily enough to have the truck drivable and be able to get all of the parts together and work out a time line that makes sense for me instead of rushing any part of it.
I'll report back if the B.S.L. gives some temporary respite.
I'll report back if the B.S.L. gives some temporary respite.
It all starts tomorrow. Still reading up on threads to make sure I don't screw myself over. Plus I need to get together the stuff I will need. Plus I DO need to be discreet working in my 1.5 car garage with an HOA that is looking for a reason to fine me.
No kidding. My land lord about shat herself when she walked into my garage mid-front axle service. I ended up having to install the s/c under a cloak of darkness after she and all the neighbors had gone to bed, wrenching into the wee hours of the night.
Is that bar stuff bad for the waterpump? I'd imagine you will replace it anyway down the road. I can't think of anything that you could do while you are in there that would make the s/c install easier. Although it would be a good time to replace all of your rubber hoses including the PHH if you haven't already. Cleaning the intake and the injectors would be nice to do during a HG job too.
In reality, the only PITA with the s/c install is the crank bolt and it had been remedied by a couple of neat techniques found in the threads. Probably the biggest pita is finding a torque wrench that goes up over 300ft/lbs.
NLXTACY
Wits' End
- Thread starter
- #35
Well I have to try and do this in stealth mode as well 
Now that I am planning to give myself more time I will be doing more for PM. Water pump is a given regardless. All the hoses and breeze constant torque clamps were changed about two weeks ago. Radiator is going to the radiator shop now to be cleaned up now that I am using the Bar's. I wasn't going to worry about the radiator because its pretty young.
Crank nut is noted and torque wrench will be rented
Now that I am planning to give myself more time I will be doing more for PM. Water pump is a given regardless. All the hoses and breeze constant torque clamps were changed about two weeks ago. Radiator is going to the radiator shop now to be cleaned up now that I am using the Bar's. I wasn't going to worry about the radiator because its pretty young.
Crank nut is noted and torque wrench will be rented
On a positive note, at least you didn't get the SC installed and the head gasket blew after.
Keep us posted on the HG decision. I'm eventually going to replace mine and probably add an SC after, so I'm particularly interested in what you come up with on which HG to go with.
Keep us posted on the HG decision. I'm eventually going to replace mine and probably add an SC after, so I'm particularly interested in what you come up with on which HG to go with.
NLXTACY
Wits' End
- Thread starter
- #37
Tell me about it, that would bring the suck in a big way.
Cometic seems to be the direction I'm heading in. Although I may need to wait the time for them to make more for the FZ because Robbie keeps stealing them all
But I will know more tomorrow after I call them and ARP.
Cometic seems to be the direction I'm heading in. Although I may need to wait the time for them to make more for the FZ because Robbie keeps stealing them all
But I will know more tomorrow after I call them and ARP.
Do you know if Robbie is using them on all his HG repairs, or just the 4.7L bores?
If he's doing them on all HG repairs/PM's then that makes the decision pretty easy for me.
