Blown Head Gasket (pics)

[jwilliams3]

I wish my block and head would have survived running six months with a blown head gasket. I put about 40 miles on her before I tore it down and now have to have the head decked because of a grove between 4 and 5. The block is not as bad as the head though here are a few pictures. What to you guys think, is the block run able or does it need some fixing?

If the block has a groove then its going to have to be fixed.

 

[roperteacher]

Summit, How long did it take you to replace the head gasket start to finish you reckon??? Did you have any coolant or oil cross contamination as a symptom????? Thanks!!

 

[jwilliams3]

Hey Cali-600, how deep (or tall?) is that imperfection? Could you lap it? Might take a lot of time and effort, but might be preferable to removing the block.



Ryan

Ryan,

If you remove material the gasket wont seal up correctly. Any material you remove from the head surface on the block must be replaced or done to the rest of the surface to keep it even.

 

[Summit]

Summit, How long did it take you to replace the head gasket start to finish you reckon??? Did you have any coolant or oil cross contamination as a symptom????? Thanks!!

Replace, pretty much 1 day off, 1 day back on,1 day for re-torque's and valve adj.



no coolant or oil, just the "popping" between cyl. under load and miss at idle.



i was worried about grooves but got way lucky for it being blown for so long.

 

[PHeadings]

I have no way to measure it. It's not any deeper than the lines the gasket left between the cylinders. Not sure how to lap, but that is why I posted this. Can you explain how lapping works?

 

[WUnderwood]

great write up, thanks

 

[rbattelle]

Ryan,

If you remove material the gasket wont seal up correctly. Any material you remove from the head surface on the block must be replaced or done to the rest of the surface to keep it even.

I know, but I was thinking if the imperfection were, say, 0. 0001" or less in height (or depth), maybe it could be lapped away without any negative effect on the seal? I guess it's wishful thinking.



Cali - lapping is a process whereby an abrasive fluid (usually silicon carbide or aluminum oxide particles suspended in oil) is applied to a surface in order to smooth it. Like polishing. It's possible to get extraordinarily smooth surface finishes with it.



Ryan