I've read just a ton about the 3VZE Head Gasket Problem..

Has anyone with hot-rodding experience seen what they do to V8 engines that will see super-charging or nitrous-use ? They cut the top of the block deck with an O-ring groove, then they put 8 (presumably hollow) steel rings into the grooves or maybe copper and the head-gasket used is just for sealing coolant/exhaust passages, these rings do the cylinder-sealing.

Has anyone done this to the 3VZE ? I was wondering if it would work since the known issue seems to be heat and the expansion of aluminum and not the bolts (clamping system).

If it did work, a person might actually be able to deck the block first and raise the compression to say 9.25 to 1 and get some more fuel-economy & power going....

This would include the desirable header-conversion IF there's anyone making them...

 

If you are talking about sleeves on the cylinders...nope. Never seen anyone do this on a 3vze, though it might be worth it if you could figure out how to get enough torque on the headbolts...maybe use studs instead of headbolts?

My 3vze just blew the HG yesterday and I might look into this. Unfortunately, sometimes the labor bill for fast engines costs more than a completely new car...

 

I just meant the groove they cut around each cylinder at the top of the block if that involves sleeves I wasn't aware of that.

I've read in the hot-rod mags, 'o-ringing your block' for nitrous, etc...

 

won't solve bad headgasket syndrome cause by poor exhaust manifold design on the 3vze.

This is usually specifically done to an engine that had also been sleeved for increased cyl pressure. At least the ones I have seen. The added rings "soak" up pressure that the headgasket "sees" thus leading to less headgasket blowout. I haven't had it done to any of my engines, but have seen it done alot when I was still drag racing.

 

hey xxxtreme,

would wrapping the crossover pipe help with blowing the hg on the 3vze? I am about to open up my blown 3vz and wondered if there was anything that could be done to a CA engine to reduce the heat from the ex manifold.

 

That I don't know. I am against any type of header wrap on a truck that sees water/mud etc etc as it has detrimental effect against exhaust manifolds/headers.

 

wrapping would seem like a bad idea to me since it is too much heat in that back corner anyway, than to insulate it to hold in more doesnt seem like a good idea. i just did my first set at 253,000 and those were the factory gaskets that were overheated a few times. my only advice is spend some good coin on good gaskets! with the time it takes to do them its worth it to do it right every fifteen to twenty years

 

Ya, I guess you are right. I got 285000 miles out of the first set of gaskets. Maybe I can get another 285k from a new set!

 

Only thing that will help get the heat out is a set of headers. This will elimate the crossover that holds all the heat at the rear of the engine.

OEM gaskets are a must as well...

 

Doug Thorley 505-c headers for us on the rebuild to eliminate a problem area.

 

The head gasket/heat issue is not about holding in HEAT (headers have tons more surface area & provide enough heat to COOK the interior of the engine bay~)....it's about FLOW inside the head/exhaust manifold.

 

so...my issue will be more of an all-over-sunburn, rather than a farmer's tan. also contemplating some true hood vents for that issue.

 

How do you say it's not heat per se at the rear of this (3vze) engine when 95% of the failures I've read about are on #6 cylinder ? I have a header-swap all planned to help find a permanent 'fix' to this and what you said about flow raises some questions...

 

funny when mine went at over 200k it wasnt #6 it was #2 in the front

 

Mine was the #1 (which is a mirror image of 6) but oh well. I'm not saying anything good about that crossover; just that the general block/head design is pants. Headers certainly are a good idea on the motor tho.

If anyone is considering going to all the trouble of cutting a groove & using a copper o-ring; just have the block and head milled to a mirror finish and use mls gaskets, and studs. That would do the trick right there.

 

Agreed sb5walker

 

you could probably mill more off and fly cut the pistons to make some serious cheese

 

the best gaskets for this engine are reported to be MLS (multi-layered steel) and they require a specific machine-finish to both surfaces. With my own motor being unknown that requires a complete teardown & rebuild with is a huge expense so it's not just a few extra bucks for good gaskets to do it right it's an overhaul...

 

yes manifold design sucks. the right side cyl dump all there exhaust on to the #6 port then it all have to pull and 180 to leave the left manifold. i think if you get a new manifold made like the 3.4 where the exhaust is not routed into the manifols but rather just joined in a y fashion it would solve most of the problem. And lots of cars blow head gaskets in the 100-200k mile range.