HEad Gasket Replacement How-To

aperry62 · 03-22-2006, 05:19 PM

Some guys suggested I put this in a how-to thread. I'm going completly from memomry and do not have any pics of the job(sorry).

When I did mine I just bought a Fel-Pro gasket set.
I've done the whole replacing the head gasket thing. I've had two gaskets go out in my truck since I got it. The first time I sent it to the shop to get it replaced. The second time I figured that my head cracked so I decided to replace it my self. My first advice is to go get a Haynes or Chilton's manual for the torque specs and what not. Now when I replaced the head I had air tools and another person helping me and I really recommend it. I don't know what year your truck is and what options it has but mine is a bare bone 95 dime so I didn't have to deal with the whole AC system. In this case I'm glad that I didn't have AC. Anyway back to the topic at hand. I would recommend having all your new parts ready to put in before you start the project. I bought a Fel-Pro head gasket. You will also need a new set of head bolts. It's also a very good time to replace spark plugs and wires.

The first thing that you'll want to do is disconnect the battery so you don't have to worry about any arcing or setting off the air bag. After that drain the radiator if you are due for a rad. flush then don't worry about a clean bucket but if it is pretty new coolant you can save a few dollars by saving the coolant and reuse it.

Next you can start taking the "crap" off the top of the motor to where you can get the valve cover off and get at the head bolts. Before you take the head bolts out you will need to disconnect the exhaust manifold or header from the downpipe. On mine this was a real PITA but I found if I took the front wheel and wheel well off then I could get to the connecting bolts much easier. (I found that it saves a lot of time and hassle to take the front left wheel and fender out.)

After you clear the top of the engine off you will need to disconnect the fuel rail from the intake manifold. You will also need to take the front accessory plate off. If you are a good problem solver you will be able to find all the right bolts to disconnect everything. This is a process where you need to take your time and remember where everything went and how it connected to each other. This includes spark plugs and wires. When you take the push rods and rocker arms off it is very important that you mark where each went(before taking them out manually rotate the engine so cyl.1 is at TDC otherwise you'll have to do it later when you're putting them back in.

When you think you have everything disconnected then you can go after the head bolts. You will probably need to have a small cheater bar and breaker bar to break the had bolts loose. When you take them loose do so in a star pattern so you can let the head go free of tension equally and will not risk cracking the aluminum head. Once you get all the bolts out you can try to lift the head off. Now it will probably be in the area of about 100 lbs (it's been a while so that might be off a bit) this is where a friend comes in handy! Try to gently lift the head off; I say gently so that if anything is still connected it won't get ruined by yanking on it. The gasket will still hold the head on pretty well so you may need to use a putty knife or thin scrapper to help break the seal, just be careful.

Once you have the head off you should take it to get it checked for warpage and magnafluxed to check for cracks. I think that's where my guy went wrong the first go around. If you know that your engine didn't overheat you shouldn't have to worry about cracking and warping but at this point it's better to be safe than sorry. Look at the old gasket carefully to determine where the gasket failed, there may be a reason for this that should be resolved. Be sure that you clean both the block and the head off very thoroughly with a razor blade and cleaner before you put it back on.

Now it's time to reverse the process and put things back together. The head gasket will have a little hole in opposite corners that will help it line up both the gasket and head. When you put the head back on the block make sure that it seats completely before you start putting head bolts back in and tightening things down. Once you get the head seated and the head bolts back in tighten them back down in a star pattern taking them to half torque first and then torturing them the rest of the way on the second go around.

Next put the rods and rockers back in. Now I can't tell you specifics about this step because I was on the bottom of the engine cranking it into position and my buddy was watching the push rods to make sure things lined up right. The rest of the process is just putting things back in their place and torturing things to the right specs.

I know this is really broad and general but it's been a few years. If you have any detailed questions I will gladly answer them to the best of my ability. Also because I am going from memory please feel frre to add some things or make corrections. If you have any advice about putting the lifters and rockers back in please add that in because I did not do much with that.

Good Luck!

Adam

NickZigaitis · 03-22-2006, 07:36 PM

Stupid question but you're probably the guy to ask at the moment. Is the Valve Cover aluminum or steel?

aperry62 · 03-23-2006, 10:22 AM

That's a tough one..I dont' remember off the top of my head but I think cast aluminum.

BigAus · 03-23-2006, 10:33 AM

How much did the shop charge you? There is a 95 around here with a blown head gasket for 1,100 and I am trying to gauge if it is worth it?

MGSDime97 · 03-23-2006, 12:55 PM

the valve cover is cast aluminum

aperry62 · 03-23-2006, 01:22 PM

The first time it was about $300. Small town mechanic, close family friend. So that may not be a very good gauge. I don't think that he decked or magnafluxed the head though.

swtlownoma · 01-06-2008, 06:27 PM

i would say, if the head or crankcase is cracked, id say it a bad deal, but if its just the head, its a ok deal, lol, not much help, but id do the repair myself instead of a shop, less money and you get some basic engine knowledge, if you get it, try it out, its not hard to change one, just time consuming.

tg900 · 01-07-2008, 12:17 PM

To make things more visual, I took pictures when I did mine. I know I'm a visual learner and like to look at pictures rather than read. I just want to help along with something that doesn't have pictures.

I did a head gasket on a 94-97, mine was a 95. here are pictures, i will describe what is going on in the picture on the bottom of each picture.

complete motor, nothing done yet. just drained the coolant.

intake taken off

acessories, fan, and intake pendulum taken off. the pendulum is the top half i believe, since its a two part on the 94-97. as for acessories, you can take off the belt, take off the alternator and put it somewhere in your bed, unbolt your power steering from the accessory bracket, and hold it somewhere on the side of your engine bay so you don't have to disconnect the lines. saves you some time there. same goes if you have a/c, just disconnect it from the engine and leave all lines be, and put it off to the side.

this bolt was a PITA for me, i didnt have the right security bit so i used a hex and stripped it. i ended up taking it off using vice grips, and i got a regular metric bolt from home depot to replace it. once you get the bolt off, the fuel plug just slides out of the head, you can use a screwdriver if it doesn't want to come out by hand, i think that's what i did. as for that huge hex cap, don't touch that, i don't think it did anything, could be a pace to hook in to check your fuel pressure.

To get your exhuast off, you might need to take off the driver's inner fender. i ended up taking a two foot long 1/4" extension to get in there.

you can see the ten holes for the head bolts. Sorry i didn't take a picture of the location of each on top of the head.

I had to put a new head on since i snapped a spark plug doing a tuneup. If you are putting a new head on for whatever reason, make sure its not warped, have it checked to be straight. also, a scouring pad works good to get carbon, dirt, and grime off.

New head, you can see the rocker arm supports/studs have rust on them...bad sign. i tried to tighten the rocker arms down, the first one snapped, so i just changed them all back to the ones off my original head. I also kept my original valves and springs since my springs were stiffer.

All done. Make sure all torque specs are as they are in the haynes manual. I got a new water outlet gasket for the front of the motor and put some rtv on it before i put it on, just for some extra bonding. I painted some of the parts with high heat caliper paint, but today, its a dark blue.

Any questions on a 94-97 job...let me know.

pfallone001 · 04-02-2008, 12:12 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by swtlownoma

i would say, if the head or crankcase is cracked, id say it a bad deal, but if its just the head, its a ok deal, lol, not much help, but id do the repair myself instead of a shop, less money and you get some basic engine knowledge, if you get it, try it out, its not hard to change one, just time consuming.

I havent done one on an s-10 in a while....i did a cavalier not long ago, and you dont even have to remove the intake or exhaust manifolds, just pull the head off with them attached...i do believe i remeber doing it on an s-10 this way..saves some time.

xtrememeasures10 · 04-02-2008, 12:41 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by pfallone001

I havent done one on an s-10 in a while....i did a cavalier not long ago, and you dont even have to remove the intake or exhaust manifolds, just pull the head off with them attached...i do believe i remeber doing it on an s-10 this way..saves some time.

yeah you could do it on a s10 w/o ac. but if it has ac you cant even remove the lower intake manifold w/o sliding the head to the side. its hard to explain but the blower box is in the way.

starkeyt22489 · 08-16-2009, 12:41 AM

yea i just pulled my head today and it wasnt that bad. i bought the truck a month ago and the guy said he just got a head gasket done on it and well the must have been drinking when they did it because have the bolts where lose on it and only 5 on the head bolts where tight. the rest where all hand tight. but ill post some pics up when its done im painting everything and having the head redone so iknow that everythings good when it goes back toghater.

03-22-2006, 05:19 PM	#1
aperry62 95 S-10 2200 Age: 27 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 509 Location: South Dakota User is: OffLine	HEad Gasket Replacement How-To Some guys suggested I put this in a how-to thread. I'm going completly from memomry and do not have any pics of the job(sorry). When I did mine I just bought a Fel-Pro gasket set. I've done the whole replacing the head gasket thing. I've had two gaskets go out in my truck since I got it. The first time I sent it to the shop to get it replaced. The second time I figured that my head cracked so I decided to replace it my self. My first advice is to go get a Haynes or Chilton's manual for the torque specs and what not. Now when I replaced the head I had air tools and another person helping me and I really recommend it. I don't know what year your truck is and what options it has but mine is a bare bone 95 dime so I didn't have to deal with the whole AC system. In this case I'm glad that I didn't have AC. Anyway back to the topic at hand. I would recommend having all your new parts ready to put in before you start the project. I bought a Fel-Pro head gasket. You will also need a new set of head bolts. It's also a very good time to replace spark plugs and wires. The first thing that you'll want to do is disconnect the battery so you don't have to worry about any arcing or setting off the air bag. After that drain the radiator if you are due for a rad. flush then don't worry about a clean bucket but if it is pretty new coolant you can save a few dollars by saving the coolant and reuse it. Next you can start taking the "crap" off the top of the motor to where you can get the valve cover off and get at the head bolts. Before you take the head bolts out you will need to disconnect the exhaust manifold or header from the downpipe. On mine this was a real PITA but I found if I took the front wheel and wheel well off then I could get to the connecting bolts much easier. (I found that it saves a lot of time and hassle to take the front left wheel and fender out.) After you clear the top of the engine off you will need to disconnect the fuel rail from the intake manifold. You will also need to take the front accessory plate off. If you are a good problem solver you will be able to find all the right bolts to disconnect everything. This is a process where you need to take your time and remember where everything went and how it connected to each other. This includes spark plugs and wires. When you take the push rods and rocker arms off it is very important that you mark where each went(before taking them out manually rotate the engine so cyl.1 is at TDC otherwise you'll have to do it later when you're putting them back in. When you think you have everything disconnected then you can go after the head bolts. You will probably need to have a small cheater bar and breaker bar to break the had bolts loose. When you take them loose do so in a star pattern so you can let the head go free of tension equally and will not risk cracking the aluminum head. Once you get all the bolts out you can try to lift the head off. Now it will probably be in the area of about 100 lbs (it's been a while so that might be off a bit) this is where a friend comes in handy! Try to gently lift the head off; I say gently so that if anything is still connected it won't get ruined by yanking on it. The gasket will still hold the head on pretty well so you may need to use a putty knife or thin scrapper to help break the seal, just be careful. Once you have the head off you should take it to get it checked for warpage and magnafluxed to check for cracks. I think that's where my guy went wrong the first go around. If you know that your engine didn't overheat you shouldn't have to worry about cracking and warping but at this point it's better to be safe than sorry. Look at the old gasket carefully to determine where the gasket failed, there may be a reason for this that should be resolved. Be sure that you clean both the block and the head off very thoroughly with a razor blade and cleaner before you put it back on. Now it's time to reverse the process and put things back together. The head gasket will have a little hole in opposite corners that will help it line up both the gasket and head. When you put the head back on the block make sure that it seats completely before you start putting head bolts back in and tightening things down. Once you get the head seated and the head bolts back in tighten them back down in a star pattern taking them to half torque first and then torturing them the rest of the way on the second go around. Next put the rods and rockers back in. Now I can't tell you specifics about this step because I was on the bottom of the engine cranking it into position and my buddy was watching the push rods to make sure things lined up right. The rest of the process is just putting things back in their place and torturing things to the right specs. I know this is really broad and general but it's been a few years. If you have any detailed questions I will gladly answer them to the best of my ability. Also because I am going from memory please feel frre to add some things or make corrections. If you have any advice about putting the lifters and rockers back in please add that in because I did not do much with that. Good Luck! Adam
	[Reply w/Quote]

03-22-2006, 07:36 PM	#2
NickZigaitis I Like Fire....HaHaHa Age: 79 Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 4,867 Location: God Damn Garage, STL User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To Stupid question but you're probably the guy to ask at the moment. Is the Valve Cover aluminum or steel?
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03-23-2006, 10:22 AM	#3
aperry62 95 S-10 2200 Age: 27 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 509 Location: South Dakota User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To That's a tough one..I dont' remember off the top of my head but I think cast aluminum.
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03-23-2006, 10:33 AM	#4
BigAus Registered User Age: 25 Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 25 Location: Tampa Florida User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To How much did the shop charge you? There is a 95 around here with a blown head gasket for 1,100 and I am trying to gauge if it is worth it? Last edited by BigAus : 03-23-2006 at 10:35 AM.
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03-23-2006, 12:55 PM	#5
MGSDime97 Registered User Age: 22 Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 1,050 Location: Graham, NC User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To the valve cover is cast aluminum
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03-23-2006, 01:22 PM	#6
aperry62 95 S-10 2200 Age: 27 Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 509 Location: South Dakota User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To The first time it was about $300. Small town mechanic, close family friend. So that may not be a very good gauge. I don't think that he decked or magnafluxed the head though.
	[Reply w/Quote]

01-06-2008, 06:27 PM	#7
swtlownoma Registered User Age: 22 Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 368 Location: ontario, CA User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To i would say, if the head or crankcase is cracked, id say it a bad deal, but if its just the head, its a ok deal, lol, not much help, but id do the repair myself instead of a shop, less money and you get some basic engine knowledge, if you get it, try it out, its not hard to change one, just time consuming.
	[Reply w/Quote]

01-07-2008, 12:17 PM	#8
tg900 Dialed! Age: 22 Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 734 Location: PA User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To To make things more visual, I took pictures when I did mine. I know I'm a visual learner and like to look at pictures rather than read. I just want to help along with something that doesn't have pictures. I did a head gasket on a 94-97, mine was a 95. here are pictures, i will describe what is going on in the picture on the bottom of each picture. complete motor, nothing done yet. just drained the coolant. intake taken off acessories, fan, and intake pendulum taken off. the pendulum is the top half i believe, since its a two part on the 94-97. as for acessories, you can take off the belt, take off the alternator and put it somewhere in your bed, unbolt your power steering from the accessory bracket, and hold it somewhere on the side of your engine bay so you don't have to disconnect the lines. saves you some time there. same goes if you have a/c, just disconnect it from the engine and leave all lines be, and put it off to the side. this bolt was a PITA for me, i didnt have the right security bit so i used a hex and stripped it. i ended up taking it off using vice grips, and i got a regular metric bolt from home depot to replace it. once you get the bolt off, the fuel plug just slides out of the head, you can use a screwdriver if it doesn't want to come out by hand, i think that's what i did. as for that huge hex cap, don't touch that, i don't think it did anything, could be a pace to hook in to check your fuel pressure. To get your exhuast off, you might need to take off the driver's inner fender. i ended up taking a two foot long 1/4" extension to get in there. you can see the ten holes for the head bolts. Sorry i didn't take a picture of the location of each on top of the head. I had to put a new head on since i snapped a spark plug doing a tuneup. If you are putting a new head on for whatever reason, make sure its not warped, have it checked to be straight. also, a scouring pad works good to get carbon, dirt, and grime off. New head, you can see the rocker arm supports/studs have rust on them...bad sign. i tried to tighten the rocker arms down, the first one snapped, so i just changed them all back to the ones off my original head. I also kept my original valves and springs since my springs were stiffer. All done. Make sure all torque specs are as they are in the haynes manual. I got a new water outlet gasket for the front of the motor and put some rtv on it before i put it on, just for some extra bonding. I painted some of the parts with high heat caliper paint, but today, its a dark blue. Any questions on a 94-97 job...let me know.
	[Reply w/Quote]

04-02-2008, 12:12 AM	#9
pfallone001 Registered User Age: 25 Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 131 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To Quote: Originally Posted by swtlownoma i would say, if the head or crankcase is cracked, id say it a bad deal, but if its just the head, its a ok deal, lol, not much help, but id do the repair myself instead of a shop, less money and you get some basic engine knowledge, if you get it, try it out, its not hard to change one, just time consuming. I havent done one on an s-10 in a while....i did a cavalier not long ago, and you dont even have to remove the intake or exhaust manifolds, just pull the head off with them attached...i do believe i remeber doing it on an s-10 this way..saves some time.
	[Reply w/Quote]

04-02-2008, 12:41 AM	#10
xtrememeasures10 Xtreme Measures Age: 23 Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,573 Location: St Louis Area User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To Quote: Originally Posted by pfallone001 I havent done one on an s-10 in a while....i did a cavalier not long ago, and you dont even have to remove the intake or exhaust manifolds, just pull the head off with them attached...i do believe i remeber doing it on an s-10 this way..saves some time. yeah you could do it on a s10 w/o ac. but if it has ac you cant even remove the lower intake manifold w/o sliding the head to the side. its hard to explain but the blower box is in the way.
	[Reply w/Quote]

08-16-2009, 12:41 AM	#11
starkeyt22489 Registered User Age: 20 Join Date: Aug 2009 Posts: 7 Location: User is: OffLine	Re: HEad Gasket Replacement How-To yea i just pulled my head today and it wasnt that bad. i bought the truck a month ago and the guy said he just got a head gasket done on it and well the must have been drinking when they did it because have the bolts where lose on it and only 5 on the head bolts where tight. the rest where all hand tight. but ill post some pics up when its done im painting everything and having the head redone so iknow that everythings good when it goes back toghater.
	[Reply w/Quote]