Finally got head back on today. There are alot of issues I am seeing with the sensors screwed into the coolant block at the rear of the engine. The knock sensor also seems to need a new wire so I will see what kind of costs I am looking at. As far as the gasket goes I purchased a gasket kit from Parts Dinosaur for 99 clams as well as head bolts for 40. The gaskets have the slipper plate facing the block and I didn't replace the bolts under the camshaft and was unable to tighten the second 90 degree increment but we will see how things pan out.

Any advice on the priority I should place on the sensors located on the rear coolant block is much appreciated.

 

Your Thermal Vacuum Valve (far left) is toast (both hose nipples gone), but I'm guessing your already knew that. The part is about $65. Do you know where the vacuum lines go now? (Evap cannister to one, throttle body to the other).

For the other four (CSI time switch, Temp gauge, ECT; I don't know what the fourth is, but I think MudHippy knows), I would just run the FSM test. If they pass, I'd keep them.

 

If your going through all this trouble to rip everything apart, why not replace everything you can get to? I would

 

i would not skip the second 90 degree torque increment.

 

Do not skip the 2nd 90* turn. U will be doing the headgaskets again

 

X3

Why was you not able to do the second 90 initially?

 

I left the old head bolts on that were under the camshaft so I wouldn't have to take the camshaft off the head. Everything worked out good until I tightened the bolts. they will not tighten the second 90 degrees without slipping in the socket since there is a very slight offset where socket meets bolt. They do seem VERY tight though. The spec says 33 ft pounds and I put about 35 pounds on each bolt. Then I did a quarter turn with 3/4 drive breaker bar.

 

How did you replace the HG without removing all of the head bolts??

 

Nm I know what you did now.

Question - how well did you blowout and clean up the head bolt holes? If there is any water at all in them, that's likely why you can't torque them down. I blew all of mine out repeatedly with 100+ psi and chased the threads probably 6 times each.

Then during the torqueing process, I made a pass at 20ftlbs, then another to 35. Backed all of them off then repeated the procedure. I was also using engine builders grade 10.9 bolts.

 

If you haven't already figured it out, you can't install the head with the cam in place. You can get as far as you did, but you can't torque the head bolts far enough to keep the gasket from leaking. (And you're not doing the heads of the headbolts any good by trying to twist them at an angle.)

Incidentally, there is an FSM procedure for removing the cam gracefully. If you just start spinning out the bolts on one end, the valve springs are strong enough to bend the cam.

 

. Take the cam off. It's not a big deal. Do it right or do it twice.....