Head servicing suggestions

[ColtonS]

Recently i've been taking apart my truck a little bit at a time... kinda turtle speeding through all the shit i have to do... i'm on the engine, i have timing cover, oil pump, water pump, Valve cover, Chains, guides, sprokets, cam... my question is.. before i started on all this crap i got a head gasket leak (or so i thought) and i ripped it down, replaced the gasket but during install of the head, the gasket got pinched out and leaked after we finished and started it up... so i ripped it back down and i was reading a few old posts here and someone had suggested to someone that got a headgasket leak to :

1) Dye penetrate
2) Pressure test
3) Re-surface

Im 19 years old and rather fresh and raw to mechanics but im competent enough...

My questions are, why do either of the above? my heads not warped. i understand that the first 2 deal with microscopic cracks not visible to the naked eye. But has anyone here ever had this problem before?

[Provience]

1)Dye penetrate - to check for cracks, this is generally a good idea anytime that you have the block apart or the heads off. As you know, it is a PITA to put it all together just to tear it all back down, hopefully this will save you some hassle if you have a bad head.

2) pressure test - makes sure that your valves are seating/sealing properly and not worn down, as well as the head not being cracked. The valves seat several thousand times and do wear out, again, good idea while you have the heads apart.

3) re-surface - How did you measure that your head is not warped? Depending on how you release the pressure from the head bolts, that alone can cause enough warp to be an issue, even if you can't see it. re-surface helps gaurantee that you will get a good seal out of your new gasket. If you can, pull the block and have it decked as well, that way you won't have any issues.

[GMCTruxrule]

Head resurface is a good idea any time you change out head gaskets.

Its cheap insurance to prevent a blown headgasket down the road.

[ColtonS]

I followed the manual to the T on releasing the head bolt pressure, only cracking the bolts and following the pattern.. Thanks for the help guys

Another question, is there anything else that would cause coolant in oil? i ask because my dad supervised the first headgasket and the second and both times we couldnt find the problem "water run"

thanks again

[samdumbert]

Was it mixing oil and coolant or letting coolant into the cylinder?
Depending on the engine it could be the inlet manifold/gasket, a cracked or porous block, corroded heat exchanger (if its got one).
The toyota 22r engines were especially bad for breaking one of the chain guides and then the chain wears though the front cover into the water jacket.

[luckyuhaul]

The pistons affected by coolant would be "steamed clean" of carbon. They would new looking compared to the others.
Then look for cracks and inspect the old gaskets for voids between the cylinders.

[ColtonS]

it was mixing coolant into the oil... i can't recall if there was any coolant in the cylinder...

Ill run out and check the head for the "Steam clean" effect but the gasket (old and new) had no "grooves" or "runs" of water / coolant getting in...

Thanks again

[Provience]

Originally Posted by ColtonS

it was mixing coolant into the oil... i can't recall if there was any coolant in the cylinder...

Ill run out and check the head for the "Steam clean" effect but the gasket (old and new) had no "grooves" or "runs" of water / coolant getting in...

Thanks again

Sounds like you are going to be looking for a crack.

[ColtonS]

Yeah there was coolant in the cyl's, i just asked my dad, and another thing i found that i don't know but i assume it is the problem..

The carbon deposits around where the head sits on the gasket, theres a run on the head. It runs right to the nearest water jacket... could it just be a bad seat on the old gasket?

[Provience]

Pics would help a ton if you have them.