Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) another headgasket gone, i think

[Bandit1]

well for about 3 months now i have been loosing coolant, not sure where ie no visual leaks or tell tale signs except that i see less and less coolant in the radiator. radiator shop told me today that he thinks i have a blown headgasket, after diagnosis. i am considering tackleing this job myself but i dont want to get halfway done and get stuck or overwhelmed. plus i would have to buy some new tools to do this job. since i am on a limited cash fund bc i dont have a permenant job yet (i grad college on thurs) i will be adding more power when i get a job, should i leave the original head on and just replace the gasket or should i go for a ported head. also what replacement parts are needed for this job? (gaskets, ? head bolts etc) and how long does this job normally take? or any other info on this subject is helpful. i dont understand y it blew, highest boost is 32#, highest egt is 1425 for 1 sec, dont tow anything, only have about 300 horsepower, no drugs,85k, oil changed regularly, itis simply a daily driver. considered selling it and buying an 03, but i prob wont. thanks to all.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Also could be the oil cooler behind the oil filter mounting plate.

 

[SRehberg]

Is the oil cooler on the 12V engines a failure that occurs on a frequent basis or this is just an area to check due to the fact nothing shows externally? Just trying to keep a "heads up" on areas that seem to be trouble prone. This months TDR had an article on it but didn't mention if this is a problem area or somthing to keep in mind when trouble shooting.

 

[Show Cattle Hotshot]

I just did mine last week(head Gasket)

It was a fairly big job by the time i got it all done luckly my buddy owns a cummins shop and we did it in about 8 hours then advancec the timing and did the valve lash too



You will need to buy a valve grind gasket set

I have found a local freightliner dealership to be the cheapest source of cummins parts



You will need some metric tools wrenchs , sockets , and torque wrench





Hope this helps







Jared

 

[Smokin Dodge]

oil cooler

I would definatly check the oil cooler first thing Ive changed mine twice in the past six months the first time it went I thought it was the head gasket so I chaged it and still had the problem.

 

[SRehberg]

What seems to go with the coolers? Is this a high failure item that should be replaced with some other means of oil cooling? Can you attribute your two failures to anything in particular and how many miles were on it when the first one died?



Sorry for so many questions, I just want to avert a problem if this is another weak area on the Cummins, thanks.