SilentBounty

I have gotten the heads off of my truck due to pissing exhaust fumes into the radiator and overheating. I want some second opinions on some of this, as my eyes lack experience in this field. I have uploaded images of the gaskets, block, and heads here

I think the reason it overheated was because all the passages for coolant were blocked up with head gasket sealer and the antifreeze burning was from the head being warped when the gaskets were changed once and not checked for flatness before put back on. You can tell the gasket didn't really sit right against the block, probably allowing coolant places it shouldn't have been.

I tried to describe everything the best I could in the album. I would love questions and opinions on everything. The heads are going off tomorrow to a head shop to be checked/surfaced so the seating shouldn't be a problem from the head side of the gasket. Surfacing the block isn't an option currently so I thought about using copper head gasket sealer, the spray-on kind. I've never used it, what is ya'lls opinion on it? Would it help the seal better, ya know, seal?

Thank you all for your help! This is my first head job so I'm heavily relying on this forum!

millball

No sealant or dope of any kind on the headgaskets!!

If there is any likelyhood that any sealant flakes or particles are still present in the blocks water jackets, use any and all measures including water and air pressure to get them out before reassembly.

Chase all the threads in the block and make sure there is no liquid in the hole bottoms.

New headbolts are a good idea.

Make the surfaces of the heads and block decks tweekishly clean and then degrease the surfaces with acetone or lacquer thinner and mount the gaskets dry.

Double and triple check that the head gaskets are oriented correctly when you lay them down.

It will help if you make up several allignment studs with old headbolts that have had their heads ground off, so that you can lay the heads down on the block without dragging the new gaskets.

Don't use cheap gaskets. Toyota OEM or Japanese made Stone gaskets are both top of the line.

Don't cut any corners anywhere. if the job is done right there is a good likelyhood that it will never have to be done again.

SilentBounty

Thank you! I have a couple questions, though.

How will I know which side of the gasket is top/bottom and passenger/driver head?
How will I sufficiently clean all of that head sealer crap out? I planned on running radiator cleaner once it was all back together and flush it all back out and put new Toyota coolant in.

millball

If you look carefully at the passages in the block and heads and the gaskets themselves, you should be able to figure it out.

You can only clean what you can, and as well as you can.

Best of all possible worlds, you would have the block hot tanked at a shop.

Anything you can flush out before you go back together is something that will not be there to foul the passages in your new headgaskets.

ZUK

iTrader: (1)

wow....I have never seen the irregular shapes of the round holes in the gasket but it seems that is something worth checking out. Somebody that rebuilds heads for a living ....and that would be this guy
http://www.engnbldr.com/

Recommend a new radiator ....not worth messing with the old.....I see another overheating prob

www.radiator.com


I'd stuff old t-shirts in those 6 holes and blast holy hell out of all those little water ports with a garden hose to get as much of that sealer out as possible.

SilentBounty

I'll ask the guy at the head shop today and I may call enGnbldr. But now that I look at pictures of the new gaskets I ordered, they look irregular too. I'll know when they arrive I guess. But I'm wondering if the head itself was warped when the previous owner put new gaskets on I know he didn't get them surfaced when he changed the gaskets. Luckily the PO is my dad, so I can ask it's history that may explain the leak and uneven sealing.

Also, can using a hose at this point hurt anything? Or would a good scrubbing with various solvents do it?

millball

Just what are you talking about cleaning??

Water will help flush junk out of the water jackets in the block, but you will need a whole arsenal of things to get the block decks clean.

Razor blades, scotchbrite pads, solvents, after you think its clean as it can get, make it three times cleaner.

If the heads themselves have been to the machine shop, all their surfaces should need is degreasing.

scope103

All this is good, but stop there. DON'T use a wire brush (even by hand, certainly in a drill). It's important that the block/head interface be as FLAT as possible, and believe it or not you can easily wire-brush a divot into a cast-iron block.

You'll want to hold the razor blade (usually in a holder; much easier on your hands) at a very low angle. Works much better that way, and a razor blade is easily hard enough to scratch the block.

I've used "non-woven buffing" pads (Scotchbrite is a 3M brand name) in a die-grinder, but even there you should use a light touch.

SilentBounty

OK so use scotch Brite pads, acetone, carb cleaner ok? I really wanna get the block cleaned and I'll degrease the heads when they come back

Shady Cadence

NO SCOTCH BRITE PADS unless you're dealing with a bare block that can be cleaned out afterward. The residue from the pads WILL find it's way down to the pistons, and its destructive if it gets there.
Either get a razor blade scraper or a rigid metal scraper you can put in a vise and sharpen with a file, put rags down in your cylinders and start scraping.

If you must use a die grinder, get a set of bristle discs (another 3m product, of course) use green on cast iron, white on aluminum.

And have a drum of elbow grease on hand...

buckz6319

I have had good luck using the liquid gasket remover, that comes with the applicator and a razor blade at 90*
good luck!

50kta

then once your done you will get a check engine code 52

buckz6319

lol...your right Darn CELs...