Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Head/Motor Overhaul advice needed

[JHastings]

Howdy,
Been a while since I have been on, but need some advice. Currently 225K on signature below. Motor is eating oil and I now have oil in coolant and you can see coolant in the oil that is sticking to the bottom of the pan etc. In addition, my 13" clutch is really hurting as well. Can sometimes barely get it in gear and no ability to slip it. It is pretty much either engaged or disengaged. Tough to backup without hopping it.

My goal is to repair it right, without spending tons of $$ on a 225K mile pickup.

I believe the motor has plenty of blow by and now the copper head gasket has decided to allow oil and coolant to mix.

Should I take off the head in the pickup and have a look with the expectation of doing an overhaul or just take the motor out of the pickup all together and work on it out of the pickup?

If I get the head rebuilt will they have to cut new grooves for o-rings or can they resurface and snap o-rings back in?

Anybody know a good shop in Portland, OR area?

Sorry for the nebulous questions,but let me know what you did in your scenario.

Thanks,
Jamie

 

[GAmes]

I thought everyone in the NW knew about Rip Rook, his fame has spread to the southwest. http://sourceautomotive.biz/about-us.aspx What kind of air filter are you using? 225k isn't hardly broke in normally.

 

[JMcCoy]

Why was the gasket already changed?
What did you do to blow the gasket? Especially since you have studs and an HX35. I would just pull the head with the engine in the truck. As far as O-rings go, I have no personal experience. I have heard mixed reviews on fire-rings depending on the installer/builder. There is a post somewhere that Joe Donnelly advised the head to be decked to the stock smooth, and not a coarse finish. I cannot remember the grit though.

 

[JHastings]

Truck at one time had a B1/B2 twins pushing 90psi and I had a 35/3B twin pushing around 60, so it has had a tough life. The PO who had the first setup put in a copper head gasket with yamabond on it. I have a bhaf on it now. Used to have an AFE when I had the 3B twins. Not sure in it's previous life. I have had it for the last 150k. I will look up RIP

 

[JMalik]

Water leaking into your oil is likely a seal problem somewhere. At about 180 K miles I read a comment about valve engine seat erosion and decided to have high temperature seats installed in my 1996 Dodge RAM diesel. I was motivated because I run almost constantly at 1250 degrees F on my Pyrometer when pulling my trailer. The end result was interesting. Before rework of the head my oil consumption would drop down to 1 quart low after a servicing the engine. After the rework there was no oil consumption. Inspection of the valves showed no wear during rework. The valve surfaces were as clean as the day they were installed. So the engine components are pretty durable, however the seals are not. You may find that the solution to your water in the oil is as simple as pulling the head, check engine and head for flatness, replace all the seals including valve stem seals will fix your problem.

 

[JHastings]

JMalik,
Thanks. I will hope I'm as lucky as you!

 

[GrantP]

Have you considered a leaking oil cooler? It may be as simple as that.

 

[JMcCoy]

Have you considered a leaking oil cooler? It may be as simple as that.

Boy that would be sweet.

 

[JHastings]

That's definitely possibility. I can take it out and have it pressure tested at a radiator shop?

 

[DonFitzwater]

That's definitely possibility. I can take it out and have it pressure tested at a radiator shop?

You can pressure test it in your own shop or sink. Just rig up some way to pressurize it and look for leaks with water or soapy solution.

 

[JHastings]

Well, since I'm TDY, source took off the head, it's cracked and beyond repair. I guess I didn't know b/c I never paid close enough attention, but it has 14mm studs in it. So....I need a new head ideally with o-rings. What should I do? Find an old head and rebuild it with my 60# springs and cut orings? Also do I need bigger hols in head for 14 mm studs? Also they won't warranty the repair without Decker ng the block...makes sense, but they were a bit unclear as to if it was out of true. I'm thinking with 225k, just slap a head back on there and call it good?

Thanks

 

[GAmes]

....... but they were a bit unclear as to if it was out of true. I'm thinking with 225k, just slap a head back on there and call it good?

I think that depends on getting a clear answer about if the deck is out of spec.

 

[JHastings]

So Source came back and said block needed to be decked. Not sure exactly what their out of spec limit is. My book says 0.003. In addition there are o-rings in the block as well as head. There is concern as to whether there is enough material to deck the block with the o-ringed grooves already cut. Source was looking in the $15,000-$20,000 range for a full motor replacement. Obviously not spending that kind of money on an old pickup, so i towed it home today.

Wondering if the deck limit is close as to whether I could slap a new head on it and keep the o-rings in the block without o-ringing the head? Still see cross hatching on cylinders and nothing catches my finger nail. Other problem is the block has 14mm studs so I'd also have to have head machined to accept larger studs.

My other option is to pull the motor and install a $5500 long block that is o-ringed, cam, etc. that I found on Craigslist. Looks like a good build, just have to put my accessories on etc.

Either way, I need to replace the clutch disc and machine the flywheel. So maybe pulling motor is the way to go?

What would you do or not enough info?

Goal is to obviously have a good reliable pickup and not spend a gazillion dollars on a pickup that is work $15000 at best with a new motor.

Jamie

 

[JHastings]

I guess an additional question would be does an o-ringed block buy you some sealing effectiveness with a block that might be out of true a bit?

 

[JHastings]

Is there a way to tell how much a block has been decked in past rebuilds? A way to tell if there is enough material?

 

[JHastings]

https://goo.gl/photos/Smi8xe5BhZVMEviq8

 

[JHastings]

Deck seems flat. Can't get .003" feeler below straight edge anywhere. Cylinders loom decent. O-rings in block measere 4.54" at center. O-rings protrude 0.014" above deck.

Will this work with stock head gasket fire ring? Anyone make a head gasket with 14mm studs? If not use another copper? How can I tell how thick gasket I need? Lastly how do I remove the studs on passenger side of engine? They seem to be in there pretty good.

 

[GAmes]

All I can respond to is the studs question. The rest of it is for the hot rodders out there. Double nut the studs, tighten them together, then put a wrench on the bottom one and it should break free.

 

[DieselRyan]

To tell what head gasket to use, measure piston protrusion. The spec for a non-machined block is 0.024 in - 0.028 in. If the block was machined already, it should be stamped. Usually stamped on the back top right of the block. Usually with one X or two X's.

 

[JHastings]

Well studs are actually 12mm ARP. Not sure why source said they were 14mm. I just didn't measure. As for piston protrusion, about 0.020" above the deck. Orings are about 0.015 above the deck. With the oring size in diameter I don't think it will crush the center of the fire ring on a stock hg so I'm hosed I think. Copper head gaskets from here on out?