Head Gasket job without Resurfacing the head?

[kid325e]

Get it checked out, no sense in doing all that work to take a risk that the head isn't in the best shape!

Get the bicycle out and ride that shit for a few days if it means doing it once, doing it right.

[Butler]

Thats why we have back up E30s man ^ :P

[Dj Buttchug]

no more than .006 warpage :up:

[TobyB]

The only reason to surface a head is if the surface is distorted.
It can be warped or corroded. If it's not, don't cut it. They're not really supposed to be cut at all...

However, without checking it, there's no way to know if it needs surfacing.
Often, they don't, if they're just leaking oil. The thing is clamped to a nice,
flat block- if it's kept reasonably cool, it can go a million miles or more, and never warp.

The valve guides, however, poop out at 150k or so, give or take 50k miles.
So it's worth having them checked, and probably redone, and the valves reground
at that point.
The machinist will check the surface, and give it a skim IF it needs it.

Which it very well may not.

You only know if you have a machinist's straightedge (or better) or a surface plate.

Jeepers.

t

[blueapplesoda]

I've lapped the head before with a large sanding block to clean off old gasket and mated with a goetze hg and new bolts (I use metric blues on the "economy" builds) and they've held well with no issues. Just gotta make sure they are flat and your strokes are even in an alternating diagonal pattern. I've done three like this, they all run fine, even under boost.

You may want to lap the block surface too. Just make sure everything is super clean (i use acetone) before reassembly. If you use vr gaskets, it won't hurt to spray an even coat of copper gasket spray too.

[!kid]

Your mechanic is a fucking idiot. Find a new mechanic.

Even if the car never overheated or blew the headgasket there WILL be some warping to the head.

Have it resurfaced, do it right, or don't do it at all.

I will agree that a cylinder head will have some deflection. In my opinion, if the deflection is with in the specified range , having the head resurfaced is unnecessary.

OP- you may need to get a thicker head gasket after you have the head surfaced.

the next size up on the gasket is .3 mm that's .011 inches ask how much they skim off the deck of the head and that will dictate if you need the thicker HG.

[AndrewBird]

What I think most people don't realize is that the head isn't warped when it is still bolted to the block, but when you unbolt it, the aluminum "relaxes" and warps. Removing the head bolts in the correct order helps with this, but you will almost always have a small amount of unevenness. A .002" cut should clean up most heads, unless the engine was overheated or something else happened.

[-bimmerboy-]

could a head that hasnt be sesurfaced that has recently been rebuilt cause coolant leaking and overheating?

[dnguyen1963]

could a head that hasnt be sesurfaced that has recently been rebuilt cause coolant leaking and overheating?

If the head did not get a decking when it was put back into the engine then, yes, it could cause coolant leakage and subsequent overheating.

[Butler]

I got the head out today and after my inspection it looks "good". What ever that means, I don't have a metal straight edge that I'd call legit. I'll get one tomorrow and take a real measurement.

[Cabriolet]

dont forget to do your valve seals while it's out