Anyone done their own head gasket?

[vesparover]

Hey everybody, I blew my headgasket a while ago and it's time to fix it. I'm gonna do the composite gasket, but need to know what else I should do while I'm in there. If anyone has any tips or tricks that I should be aware of, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, I'm gonna upgrade to a 4.6 down the road, should I use these heads or buy a longblock 4.6?
thanks
Brian Bertolini

[Abrooks]

Send the heads out and get them inspected, cleaned, and a valve job done. Might also want to get the fuel rail and intake hot tanked while they're off. Obviously inspect everything internal while you're in there. It's not a hard job, just a lot to pull off, but no more than an afternoon's work.

[Craigd]

An afternoons work and the dealer charges $2,000 to do it

[jaherring]

I've just come to find out that my head gaskets are leaking also, although they've just begun to leak (not a massive leak yet). The question I have: how long can I go before doing the work? I've had so many other expenses on this truck lately that I'm a little tight on expendable cash at the moment.

West Coast Rover charges $1250 which includes the valve job, BTW. I thought that was a fair price. When I get mine done I'd like to get the valve covers and intake plenum powdercoated while they are off. The corroded aluminum look doesn't work for me.

[mlw911]

Jason:

A good wire brush will bring back the intake plenum and valve covers to almost new condition with a little bit of elbow grease.

[jaherring]

Yeah, I have a wire wheel and an air compressor and not afraid to use it! But I thought it would look great powdercoated (roughly) the same color as the body. You'd be surprised how inexpensive powdercoating can be if you find a shop sending off an order anyway (I piggyback on a local shop's orders) and it's extremely durable.

[loykd]

Damn, Jason. That truck has turned into quite a project for you! :(

[Hans]

Going to be doing mine next summer, along with the timing chain. Just a preventative sorta thing, fix it before it goes.

I was thinking using some Gliptone on the inside of things, supposedly that stuff works great to keep the oil moving around. Anybody try that yet?

-Hans

[BarryO]

I've just come to find out that my head gaskets are leaking also, although they've just begun to leak (not a massive leak yet). The question I have: how long can I go before doing the work? I've had so many other expenses on this truck lately that I'm a little tight on expendable cash at the moment.

I think that depends on exactly what's leaking, and where. External oil leaks maybe you can let go, but it's not going to get better by itself. If it's coolant leaking into the oil passeges, it may already be too late.

[evilfij]

12-15 years for an oil leak.

5-10 years for the small coolant leak at the back they all have

Coolant leak, other than the small one at the back not too long it needs to be addressed now.

Let me tell you a secret. 80% of rover V8 head gaskets are leaking right now. My D90 is amazingly in the 20% as was one of my discos (just had them done), but the other disco was a chronic leaker and the lwb is a seeper.

Ron

[mlw911]

Rob:

Can you clarify on the coolant leak. Mine is leaking on the back of the block and just recently I noticed when I leave the car idling it starts moving towards the red zone. Is it time? Also my engine only has 60k on the clock and runs great. Do the heads really need to be done at this point? For the sake of the saving $$$ I would rather just replace the gasket myself and have the heads done like in another 50k.

[evilfij]

humm, is the coolant topped off? the little leak at the back does not make it overheat.

[Hans]

Well, considering my emissions problems and how little external emissions parts there are, I am thinking that I am probably needing to do my head gaskets sooner than expected. Getting a slight popping in the exhaust and a touch of the overheat. Since I have to do a major teardown anyways, should I just go for the gusto and do the cam and lifters too? I'd hate to have to pull the intake manifold AGAIN later on.

Grrr, I was hoping this could all wait until I had the truck paid off and I'd just drop a 4.6 in it.

-Hans

[evilfij]

Hans,

have the 02s checked.

[Hans]

Hans,

have the 02s checked.


I'll grab the multimeter tomorrow and test them, but they look almost brand new. Hmmmm

-Hans

[evilfij]

When they go bad they switch slowly.

BTW what is the HC limit where you live?

Is it a 95 or a 97? If it is a 97 there are a fewer things to fix. 95 a tune might work if it is close.

Ron

[Hans]

I have an early '94. Limits I think are around 250ppm and mine was spouting over 400

-Hans