head gasket replacement
 

well i just hit 180 thousand miles im going to replace the head gasket and i dont know if i should do it my self or take to to a garage.. so i was wondering on a scale of 1 to 10 10 being the hardest and 1 being the easiest how hard it is? if i decide to do it myself where is a good place to get the gasket? and maybe a link to some instructions on it... i have a haynes manual so that will help i think i havent checked it to even look and see how hard it is i just found out that i should change it tonight so any help would be great thanks

Is it blown, or are you replacing it for the hell of it? Head gaskets can last the life of the engine if it is never overheated.

no its no blown but it has starts overheating going up hills so when i turn on the heat it cools the motor down so thats how i know its blown.. so i need to replace it before i blow up the motor...

it could be something else i think its the head gasket but the oil isnt milky and its not sweet like anti freeze is getting into the oil but im not sure

Doesn't sound like a headgasket. It gets hot going over hills? Other than that its fine? And when u turn the heater on its ok on hills..

I'd check stuff like t-stat, radiator, coolent level, a bubble in the system, water pump. Have you flushed your coolent system?

yeah X2 on what Dlink said check your coolant system and do a flush with a fresh 180* superstat, should help things out, DEF dont wanna tear into something to find out later it could have been easier, lol if it aint broke dont fix it, you might end up with more probs than you had.....ask me how i kno;)

Lol I can't help it, how yoterr? Lol

lmao...started the day with a 1-2 hour project of taking the T-cover off and jumping the chain a couple teeth to make the bright links line up, and ended up having to go the headgasket twice and had to take my head to the machine shop to have a new valve and valve guide installed took about 2 months:nopity: needless to say it sucked :mad2:

To echo other posters: leave the head gasket unless you have evidence (fluid mixing, low compression) that it's blown.

Tearing down the top half of your engine, you're bound to run into other problems, especially if the engine is old and hasn't been wrenched on in a long time. You might break an old bolt or otherwise mess something up and end up learning in the long run, but hating yourself in the short term.

I've been there a couple times myself and learned the hard way.

Aaron, take some time to read about Evans Waterless Antifreeze. I have used it for eight years. Yesterday I drove a mechanic helper home in my Mercedes 300 SDL. I've had the same Evans in it for eight years. When we got to his house, I raised the hood and removed the radiator cap with my bare hand and didn't even get a pssst, nothing, no pressure. This stuff boils at 375 degrees F, last a life time and keeps the coolant system clean. It doesn't make the engine run cooler, but its not likely you'll ever get it hotter than 375 degrees and have a boil over
I use it in everything I have.
I'm not a dealer, distributor or any such thing, I just love the stuff.

http://www.evanscooling.com/catalog/C_npg1.htm

Thanks
Harry

i flushed the coolant system with that super clean radiator stuff and did it just like the bottle said then i changed the thermostat and the old one was stuck shut and i put the new one in there and checked it tonight and that ones stuck to so ive got another one but im not going to put it in cause it will just stick to.. it ussually does it going up hills but it sometimes does it driving on flat services.. it does it mostly on hills sometimes while im in traffic just sitting there or if i idle for a long time.

Get the radiator rodded out or replaced. This made all the difference on my Suzuki Sidekick. Before it would heat up when I was gunning it in 4wd, going up hills,and idling with the A/C on. After, it ran cooler and more consistent. I was also running a 180 degree thermostat.

im running 180 degree thermostat right now to and it still runs hot up hills

But have you had the radiator rodded out, or replaced it? The prestone radiator flush **** wont remove full on rust chunks and calcium that might be blocking half the passages in the radiator. Mine had silicone chunks (from a shoddy water pump replacement job by a shop the PO hired), and what looked like bits of sand blocking them when I took it apart.

no i havent how do you do it?

do you know the proper way to test your thermostat? you gotta boil it in water hotter than the open point for the thermostat. Check your radiator for cold spots. And maybe replace the fan clutch.

i almost forgot about this one day i opened the hood and my hose from the top of my rad to my engine was completly sucked together... i waited for it to cool down and released the pressure and the hose opened back up i dont know if it does this everytime casue i done check

to the top

I run a 195 thermostat..and i never get too hot up hills unless im using my 1st gear excessivly.. Someone else mentioned this problem to me once but he fixed it with a new thermostat. I agree, its probably not your head gasket. Mine blew and im knee deep in a rebuild because i thought id "just change my HG". Anyway, if you've tried to flush ur system, checked to make sure u have a full coolant level..and that its working correctly with your thermo...try new fan clutch or radiatior...pref a bigger size of one or the other. I would assume the tilt on the engine that a hill creates causes the fluid in the Rad and block to move differently, affecting different spots.

Turning on ur heater generally hints at something other than a Head gasket... Check your compression if you can, if its fine and you have no milky oil or coolant, your HG is fine... so dont even go there haha...

Just my advice...could be wrong or not even close at all haha..take it for what its worth, ive never had this problem :)

Edit: OH and..before my HG blew... When i would first start my truck...before it would come up to operating temperature..my engine temp would go up to...close to redline...then burst down to normal temp. Thermostats are a pain in the ass, and i recommend trying a different heat range..maybe try 185 or 190, and maybe it will regulate better once it gets to that hotter temperature...
Your HG will go soon if it keeps getting hot..im sure u know that :)...as do i..haaa

yeah from what ive learned on this thread i dont think its the hg so im taking it to get a compression test at a garage tomorrow to see what is wrong id like to do it myself but i cant really narrow it down cause theres no milky subsatance, the coolants levels fine, and i just replaced the thermo so i have no idea lol