Help with Head Gasket

[Dalejandrino]

Hey r3v,

I'm getting ready to replace my head gasket because it is blown, and I was wondering what I should do to prepare my engine for the breakdown. I know that I should drain all the fluids and disconnect the battery etc.

But when I get in there I know that I will hace to deal with milky sludge being everywhere and I was wondering if I could wash that out of my engine before hand, or if I have to open it up and clean it with water or whatever.

Also, since the engine will be opened up, I might as well inspect the inside of the engine and fix what ever needs to be fixed, right?

Please let me know any tips or tricks or knowledge you all have on replacing a head gasket, or rebuilding an engine.

[jlevie]

There is no need to take extreme measures to clean the emulsion out of the engine. Once reassembled, change the filter and fill with oil. Drive the car for 50-100 miles and change the oil and filter.

[SmokeE30]

Yea only thing you should really clean well is the sealing surfaces so that the new gasket will seal well. Remove all gasket material from the deck and head should be resurfaced as it is most likely warped if the gasket blew. Also make sure you blow all the crap out of the head bolt holes in the block, you don't want to hydrolock the bolt on its way if because of water and sludge trapped at the bottom of the hole.

[nomansland92]

+1 on resurfacing the head. It's pretty cheap and worth it, I made this mistake when I did my first head gasket job. Good time to replace valve seals and guides if there worn.

[redlightpete]

Make sure you don't have a cracked head. That's a more common cause of coolant in the oil with a stock m20 (in my experience). Inspect the head carefully under the cam or check for steam hissing out of the head when it's hot.

[Dalejandrino]

Make sure you don't have a cracked head. That's a more common cause of coolant in the oil with a stock m20 (in my experience). Inspect the head carefully under the cam or check for steam hissing out of the head when it's hot.

I dont think it's a cracked head because my engine has over heated, but I've never heard hissing or seen any steam leaking out from the block, just the hoses. I'll be sure to inspect the block though.

Thanks for all the advice, guys.