hirsche23

Got the head off the runner last night at midnight,now I have some questions.I did a comp test and found that cyl#4 was running 150 while all others were 170.Took the head off and sure enough #4 has coolant in it. Looking at the pic of the gasket can anyone out there tell me where it failed?

The head has been machied at least one poss twice because the last guy did the hg himself and did have the head machined plus the engine was rebuilt not long ago so one would assume that the head was done then too?How many times can the head be machined?Also here's a look at the block,what is the best way to prep it for the new gasket?Should I use a die grinder with a buffing wheel?
The timing set looks new though it has plastic guides.thanks Tyler

kyle_22r

i see the telltale blue marks from a felpro gasket, i'd avoid them like the plague on these engines. you can see the black mark on the #4 fire ring, without seeing a bigger picture i'd say that's where it blew(i blew a head gasket on my 22R before i hybrid'd it and that's the exact same spot).

as for the block, get a good craftsman or other chisel type gasket scraper(not a razor blade type, too flimsy and it'll snag on the coolant holes), clean it up really good and maybe scrub it afterwards with a scotchbrite pad and some solvent. use a GOOD head gasket, you can't go wrong with the dealer one(it's around $35), and napa sells the same type as well, i think theirs is around $20. just make sure it's the "slipper plate" type gasket -- it'll have a metal plate on the head side of the gasket. much, much more forgiving than the generic felpro style.

also, make sure to take that head into the machinist, he can check to see if it can be milled again. if not, engnbldr sells a good NEW replacement for a good price.

hirsche23

Kyle,the head is at the machine shop as we speak,Local Toy dealer has a gasket for $45 .Machinist guy tells me that they get 6-7 times out of one head,so I'm not worried about that,should I put in some new head bolts if it doesn't cost me my first born? I want do do this right so I'm not doing this again in the near future.

^VooDoo^

Deffinatly on the new headbolts, Somewhere on this site is a another website that has re-inforced headbolts, that might be a better peace of mind.

kyle_22r

the head bolts aren't generally a wear item, they're just long grade 10.9 bolts. it isn't going to hurt anything to replace them though, i think it's a good idea if they're original or haven't been replaced in the last 15 years or so. engnbldr sells them for around $25 a set, you can pick up the whole head gasket set and bolts for $60.