Head Gasket Replacement: Observations and Questions

[mrgraphics]

Finally got around to doing my head gasket.

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I just got the head off and noticed the back water pipe was rotted out. Could this have contributed to my overheating issue?

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There is a disk that is sticking out from the bottom of the head. It's like a sheath. Is that for head alignment, or should it be flush with the surface?

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All that gunk in the cooling passages - looks like someone had been dumping tons of Fix-A-Gasket in there for a while? Also, that looks like a burnt valve, right?

[Cronopoulos]

How many miles were on that head? Freshen it up and have a machine shop inspect it/surface it at a minimum before that goes back on with a new HG. That is an alignment pin you are looking at.

[AndrewBird]

1. That hose leads to the heater core, so it is unlikely it would cause the car to overheat.

2. Yes, that is supposed to stick up. As you guessed, it for aligning the head and helping hold the head gasket in place when you assemble everything.

3. That is a lot of build-up! This is more likely the cause of your overheating. If coolant can't flow as it should, you will have problems. As far as the valve goes, it's hard to say from the picture. Personally, I would strip the whole head down, have it hot tanked to get rid of all the crud and get a valve job while you are at it along with new valve seals and guides if they are needed.

[mrgraphics]

At least 220K with spotty maintenance. I've got to do a basic cleaning to determine if it's obviously cracked. Since this is an ETA, I can probably find a good head lying around for cheaper than rebuilding / finishing this one. I have no interest in a stroker. . . just want it running again.

[e30trooper]

get the head set out and cleaned up/ shaved if needed. Then re-seal the engine. DONE!

Or.... go i head swap..

[mrgraphics]

I cleaned the pistons and block today. Everything is flat and I cleaned it as best as I could, but there are still these sections that seem discolored and stained. If I drag a razor across these black sections, nothing comes up on the blade. I'm sure if i dug into the metal I'd get it out, but if it's flat, are these black areas ok?

[e30trooper]

get a brass wire brush and clean them up. I used a SOS pad to clean it all.

Heres a pic of the block on my last 30

[amcink]

You need to make sure you do a flush of the cooling system. Also putting vinager onto the water chamber and let it seat for a day (do this twice) it helps clean out all the gunk and rust you have on the water chambers.

[mrgraphics]

amcink: doing that now. Thanks for the recommendation.

e30trooper: I really scrubbed it with a brillo pad, and even used a sanding block with 100 grit to try and get it to budge. I'm using some super powerful ZEP cleaner and degreaser, and it still doesn't make those sections look good. I'm going to assume that it's as clean as it's going to get without resurfacing.

[AndrewBird]

Yes, small areas of discoloration like that are of no concern. The head gasket will seal fine.

[jeffnhiscars]

amcink: doing that now. Thanks for the recommendation.

e30trooper: I really scrubbed it with a brillo pad, and even used a sanding block with 100 grit to try and get it to budge. I'm using some super powerful ZEP cleaner and degreaser, and it still doesn't make those sections look good. I'm going to assume that it's as clean as it's going to get without resurfacing.

brillo sheds as does sand paper. I sure hope you did not get either in your engine.

[dnguyen1963]

Are you a perfectionist? That head looks good and a HG will seal it just fine.

[mrgraphics]

Yeah, I am a perfectionist. But I'm being extra inquisitive because I do not want to have to do this head again. My girlfriend will kill me and make me dump the car. So I have to make sure every i is dotted and every t is crossed.

[essi1553]

Yeah, I am a perfectionist. But I'm being extra inquisitive because I do not want to have to do this head again. My girlfriend will kill me and make me dump the car. So I have to make sure every i is dotted and every t is crossed.

Ask her if shes getting fatter, it'll buy you at least a week of no interaction with her.

Dont overdue the cleaning, its likely you could mess something up with sandpaper.

[mrgraphics]

One more paranoia check: When I had the engine apart, I did turn the lower crankcase. (the head and block were lined up at TDC before I pulled the belt and separated them. I never rotated the head when apart) As long as the lower block was re-lined up with the alignment marker when I put it all together, there should be no problems right?