Head gasket blew on my truck last week. I figured, hey, the book has this at 7.5 hours, how difficult could it be? Man oh man, the disassembly is neverending. Just keep diggin and digging and unbolting and unbolting. Here is the product of 10 hours of work. Still have to clean the parts, get the heads off to a machine shop, and reassemble.

Must take a lot of practice do it it all in one day.

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Welcome to my world :D

Betcha the rear head bolts that are closer to the firewall were a bitch - they are about a bazillion times worse on the Disco II, I still maintain that Land-Rover needs to develop a cyborg arm to tighten them.

Who cares how long it took, as long as it's done right. People stress out about book times - Trust me, Land-Rover is horrible about uselessly short allowances; all manufacturers are. The P38 range heaterbox I'm doing at the moment (blend motors, etc) pays a little over 8 hours. There's no way you can do it in double that amount of time. I've got about 14 hrs in and the dash is ready to go back in. I still have to reinstall the inner fenders, seats, console, carpet, etc etc.

Take your time, make sure the valley gasket is done right, and when you're going around torquing the head, especially the 90 deg sequences - make a little diagram and mark them off as you go. You don't want the phone to ring and you forget where you are in the tightening sequence.

Once you've done a lot of them you develop routines and things go a lot faster, but until it's second nature you have to take it real slow.

Props to you for trying it yourself...

J-L

Originally posted by darkstar
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WAY too clean!!!:eek: :flipoff2:

BTDT, and I usually double book times for estimating...
But, when I can do a job faster than the book...

Peace,
PT

Part of the reason it took me so long is probably because I try to put shit away as I go. I hate having every tool in the world out. That's why I have a tool chest :flipoff2:

Yeah I know I know neurotic neat freak. whatever :D

What was the reason for removal? Bad gasket/s or carbon? Looks like you are making good progress. Like Hndblt said do not get caught up in the amount of time spent, just concentrate on the results.

I may have a hint some of you might enjoy. I have a crazy electician friend who hangs around my shop sometimes. He sometimes gives me surplus wire from wiring commercial (sp). Not romex, individual. Leftover lengths of this wire make great shop tools. I often use and reuse them to hold wiring and other obstacles out of the way during heavy line type work in the engine bay. Part of my routine.

JP not TC

Originally posted by pendy
What was the reason for removal? Bad gasket/s or carbon? Looks like you are making good progress. Like Hndblt said do not get caught up in the amount of time spent, just concentrate on the results.

I may have a hint some of you might enjoy. I have a crazy electician friend who hangs around my shop sometimes. He sometimes gives me surplus wire from wiring commercial (sp). Not romex, individual. Leftover lengths of this wire make great shop tools. I often use and reuse them to hold wiring and other obstacles out of the way during heavy line type work in the engine bay. Part of my routine.

JP not TC

Pendy, I picked that one up from chrismas! Ever notice all those kids toys are being held in the boxes by those pvc covered wires? I now save them for just that! At least you don't have to search for a pair of dykes to cut the zip tie when your done with it!

j

The reason for removal was that I was getting 50 MPG -- of coolant! :eek:

Originally posted by pendy


I may have a hint some of you might enjoy. I have a crazy electician friend who hangs around my shop sometimes. He sometimes gives me surplus wire from wiring commercial (sp). Not romex, individual. Leftover lengths of this wire make great shop tools. I often use and reuse them to hold wiring and other obstacles out of the way during heavy line type work in the engine bay. Part of my routine.

JP not TC

While I also have a pile of short lengths of wire from past electrical projects, I find electric fence wire to be of great utility. Anything that cheap that comes on half-mile rolls is OK by me! $15/half mile.

Cheap, soft, uninsulated...

Originally posted by PTSchram
Cheap, soft, uninsulated...

Where's Merv when we need him?

:flipoff2:

I'm taking notes for my own dreadful day...

Originally posted by Serious One


Where's Merv when we need him?

:flipoff2:

I'm taking notes for my own dreadful day...

Mike! you havn't done it yet? I thought you were tearing your heads off last week or so....

Remember my problems with the disco engine still overheating after the head job? pressurizing coolant/ leaking oil etc... after tearing all off, having the heads milled, pressure checked and than putting it all back together last month?

Yesterday i talked to Pat Young? (british car mechanic in LA) and he tells me that the METAL head haskets that Brit-pac insisted were the ones for my '95 disco are the whole damn problem I have now...and that I have to tear teh frigging thing all apart again, get composit gaskets and the gortex lined valley pan gasket....apparently the metal one is muuuch thinner and gives me higher comp and a bad seal? ...I shoulda known...and need new streach head-bolts too I guess? ....all that money and time for naught!

so....now that I have finally towed the bitch to the new place, I need to do the whole thing again, but hopefully this time I will be able to actually drive it!

paul
(seven hours my ass! but at least I am getting practice and will be able to do Elisa in less time when they go)

Originally posted by androbus



Yesterday i talked to Pat Young? (british car mechanic in LA) and he tells me that the METAL head haskets that Brit-pac insisted were the ones for my '95 disco are the whole damn problem I have now...and that I have to tear teh frigging thing all apart again, get composit gaskets and the gortex lined valley pan gasket....apparently the metal one is muuuch thinner and gives me higher comp and a bad seal? ...I shoulda known...and need new streach head-bolts too I guess? ....all that money and time for naught!

(seven hours my ass! but at least I am getting practice and will be able to do Elisa in less time when they go)

I'm getting the flag out and walking towar the flag pole.

On your '95, did you remove 14 head bolts per side, or 10?

IF your truck originally had 14 bolts per head, the steel gaskets are acceptable. IF however, it only had 10, yes, you should have used the composite gaskets, however, I'm still skeptical.

As for the intake gasket, I use them interchangeably with no ill effects. I now stock the metal gaskets as demand dictated I do so.

PT

Originally posted by PTSchram


I'm getting the flag out and walking towar the flag pole.

On your '95, did you remove 14 head bolts per side, or 10?

IF your truck originally had 14 bolts per head, the steel gaskets are acceptable. IF however, it only had 10, yes, you should have used the composite gaskets, however, I'm still skeptical.

As for the intake gasket, I use them interchangeably with no ill effects. I now stock the metal gaskets as demand dictated I do so.

PT
flag?? no comprende!

yes my engine has only two rows of head bolts

........so from what I understan'.......I can't use teh metal ones....right? ...after all SOMETHING there is all phuqued up....and all is now pointing to that.....

why are you skeptical? is it because you understand the '95 has the 14 bolt heads? I was told that as well........I know that while TomW owned it before me he changed the suspension back and fourth as different progress was made at $G and others...but the engine has not been touched/replaced to my memory....

or are you skeptical that the problems I am having are just the wrong head gaskets....or.....or...or????????

any help or ideas welcome before I tear into it all again. I really am not looking forward to taking it all apart as all my good tools are deep in the 20x30 storage all my worldly possesions(cept the rovers) are in....behind all teh machine shop stuff......overzealous future father-in-law unloading the trucks....he figures I'll just use his garage/tools for the next year....

Paul

OK, now I understand.

If you removed 10 head bolts, used steel gaskets and reused those same head bolts, you probably shoould begin preparing yourself to tear it down again and this time, use composite gaskets with new head bolts and the confusing and incomprehensible torquing procedure:flipoff2: :rolleyes: .

You almost certainly have all manner of fluids and gases commingling where they don't belong as the ten head bolts do not provide sufficient clamping force for the steel gaskets. You may wish to check your oil to be sure you don't have coolant in the oil, necessitating far more effort to return your vehicle to operational status.

The change to composite gaskets supposedly took place June (or July) 15, 1995. However, my truck with a May '95 build date has 10-bolt heads and had composite gaskets when torn down.

The Flag... The BS flag! Had you told me you removed 14 bolts and used steel gaskets, I would have run that flag up the pole immediately loudly proclaiming that it wasn't the problem as you had merely replaced what had been there before.

As for Brit Pac, they are great folks and have great pricing, but I sometimes wish they'd put the bong down sooner (or share over the phone:flipoff2: ) if they were any more laid back, they'd be comatose.

Peace,
PT

Got my junk bolted back together and back on the road last weekend. I've put over 500 highway miles on it since then, and so far, so good. Man, was I nervous to turn that key for the first time.

This is not a job I would want to do on a deadline again. If I had a third car and an unlimited amount of time to complete it, that would be one thing, but doing it the way I did, it kicked my ass. I dont know how you guys do this in one day, no matter how much practice you get!

On another note, it looks like those last two days of driving it with the massive coolant leak killed the two front o2 sensors, which were already tired at 130k miles. Its throwing o2 sensor codes every other day, and my mileage is down to 180 miles/tank. Its a good thing I have a gas card from my job, or this thing would bankrupt me pretty quickly with as many miles as I drive every day.

I guess its one of those things everyone should experience once before they die. Having said that, I don't think I would want to do this marathon wrenching session ever again!!

Originally posted by darkstar
On another note, it looks like those last two days of driving it with the massive coolant leak killed the two front o2 sensors, which were already tired at 130k miles. Its throwing o2 sensor codes every other day, and my mileage is down to 180 miles/tank. Its a good thing I have a gas card from my job, or this thing would bankrupt me pretty quickly with as many miles as I drive every day.

Drive it that way for a while ;)

When you change the O2 sensors it'll make you feel good when the gas milage goes up 30% !

I had one lazy one that had brought mileage down to about 12. After a change, it went to 15+ - that was great :D

BTW, may I suggest OxygenSensors.com ? They were cheap and I had my parts damn near overnight...

Oh, they won't come out - you'll just end up rounding off the flats. Hammer on it with the air chisel for a while before you put a wrench on it. They come out nice 'n easy after that...

keith
:usa: