Head gaskets...

[IndianaVX]

Well, it looks like I have a bad head gasket. I am wondering if I should try and tackle this myself? I am kinda good under the hood, but not fantastic.
I am methodical, neat, and paciant when I work on the truck,
But not sure if that is enough to do the job right.
Any input from you guys? This would definatly be the deepest
I've tore into this engine.

[jdm monkey]

Its easy you can do it without taking the engine out.

[PK]

If you have a torque wrench, and know how to use it, the rest is easy.
Just be methodical and lay the parts out as you remove them.
And be ultra clean with the engine internals.

Good luck.

PK

[Ldub]

Also, go over (and over) the timing belt "how to"...if the heads come off, guess what else has to come off first...

......

Also, I've heard here & there that our head bolts are the "stretchy" kind, & new ones should be used every time the heads come off.

[IndianaVX]

Also, I've heard here & there that our head bolts are the "stretchy" kind, & new ones should be used every time the heads come off.[/QUOTE]

Now THAT'S the kind of stuff I need to know, and am afraid of doing wrong...
I only want to do this once!
Thanks Larry!
And thanks to the rest of you too!
From the manual, it sounds like the toughest part is getting to the left side innermost bolt. Seems you have to take the tire off, remove heatshield from exhaust manifold, remove engine hanger(?) not sure what it is, but I guess I may find out!

[IndianaVX]

Merlin is still the man!
Just so you know, as of today's date, a full set of head gaskets from
Isuzu are $350.00, with the discount $297.56!
Dub, you are correct, NEVER reuse the head bolts!
Instead...... List price for each head bolt, $7.91 with our discount, $6.72!
Or $107.00 for all of them.
So $405.08 total for gasket set and bolts.

Question there is a tool, J-24239-01, cylinder head bolt wrench.
Anyone know if this is nesissary to buy, or can I use something else. In the book it looks like a hex extension for a torque wrench . I forgot to ask Merlin for cost, but was looking to see if I had to?
Looks like I will begin teardown on Thursday evening. I will take plenty of pictures and try to do a write up for it also.
It looks like the actual heAd removal is less complicated than the head covers!
Got to study barts timing PDF a few more times, and decide on if I am going to try and replace the seals in the cams also.....they come with the gasket set too.
Keep anything you can cross, crossed for me!

EDIT the cost of the head bolt wrench is 58.00. it is a socket according to the saleslady. IS THERE AN ALTERNATIVE?

[IndianaVX]

is there an alternative to buying the special cylinder bolt head wrench??
as mentioned in my edit above, 58 bucks for a socket????
looking for an alternative....

thanks

[Dmitrikr]

is there an alternative to buying the special cylinder bolt head wrench??
as mentioned in my edit above, 58 bucks for a socket????
looking for an alternative....

thanks

borrow it at nearest garage/ machine shop for a day

[Buffy]

If I remember correctly I used a 10mm allen socket to remove mine. I would advise you use an excellent quality socket and make sure it is seated into the bolt all the way. The last thing you want to do is round out the insides of the bolt head. It is easy to do if you are not careful as those bolts are in there!

[IndianaVX]

Started Friday night on my tear down. This is not for faint of heart.
It really slays me how terrible the shop manual is, (although helpful)
So anyway, I had the engine torn down to having the CH covers off late
Friday night.
They were full of coolant/oil goop.....
Saturday, got started on removing the exhaust. It is now sunday night
Left tonight with manifold separated from downpope, and separated at both joints by muffler.
I am hoping that I did no damage to tranny when I followed
The manuals instructions on removing the crossmember(3rd)!
It dropped about 4" when I unbolted the four bolts. ( I unbolted the other side and left 2 of the bolts threaded in.
I think I can remove the heads now with the manifolds attached????
Also following Barts timing belt how to, I did real well till I removed the tensioner. Bart talked about the cams "snapping" to 12 o clock.
Mine snapped to 930 on the passenger side, and 330 on driver side.
Have to look into this some more.
Now, I turned all of the cams and crank with the belt on till
everything lined up( several times)
When I take the heads off, will I lose the setting on them? I shouldn't , right?
This is a frustrating project, I start making progress, then have to remove the power steering pump, but to do that, you have to take ac compressor loose, to do that, etc, etc.....
My questions are these.......
---Will a seafoam/oil treatment clean up the goop from the crank? I can clean up the heads after I get them off.
---did I hurt the tranny with the movement I caused?
---can I get the heads off with manifolds attached? Getting that heatshield off the riverside manifold is a real booger. Not the bolts,that was easy, trying to wiggle it out I the booger.
Something else frustrating, isuzu sells their head gasket set as "all the gaskets tou need to do a HG replacement."
There are other gaskets that are needed that do not come with the set. I assume that there are some in the power steering pump, which I rmove tomorrow, there is an o ring for the cooling line under the trottlebody, the exhaust gaskets on down pipes. All this stuff MUST come off to remove the heads. Sorry, rant over.
Thanks for all help and advice, this is a challenge that I feel good about,
but, man......it's a slow going!
---

[Ascinder]

I still cant believe that the headgaskets cost that much. And for the price of the torque to yield(stretchy) bolts, I would seriously have looked into some ARPs. A head gasket set for the GM motor I am installing runs $30. Are the VX's gaskets made of gold or something

[IndianaVX]

The gaskets alone I think were 75 bucks a piece, but I can't remember if that was from Merlin, or from a parts store. I got a whole set with valve cover gaskets, valve guides (?!?), thermostat gasket, exhaust gaskets(at head) and a couple others. The bolts, yeah, I know, I just really wanted to do it right in every way I could.

[IndianaVX]

Driver side head off tonight! It had been off a couple of years ago.
Cylinders were full of coolant.
I had the plan of having the passenger side out tonight, all I had to do was
take the head bolts out.....yeah right!
I think this head is still from bolted down from the factory cause those bolts are TIGHT!!! I am scared to death of breaking a bolt off in the head.
Also found out that #2 piston is at the bottom of it's stroke, which means I
should have went one more revolution on the crank. Crap!

Anyone have an opinion on turning the crank one more time, and the cams, each, two times??? Gotta think about this one....

[RickOKC]

They were full of coolant/oil goop.....
Saturday, got started on removing the exhaust. It is now sunday night
Left tonight with manifold separated from downpope, and separated at both joints by muffler.

For those trying to imagine what a Vehicross "down Pope" looks like:


Image of VX with a sunroof stolen from VCAMILO.

[IndianaVX]

that pope is one cool dude, he be down!


if i left all the autocorrections this phone wants to use, nothing would make sense! gotta figure out how to shut that item off.