[arieskcar]

Is there any “break in procedure” for a head gasket. Or do i just put it all together and hope.

Sort of you should leave the radiator cap off till the fan cycles twice keep topping it off get all the air out you don't want air pocket to cause part of the head to overheat

 

[Glhs60]

Should always be re-torqued after a few heat cycles.

Thanks
Randy

 

[Harmonica]

Just finished valve lapping. All the valves seal with just gravity (no spring tension)but all 4 of my exhausts look like they have pitting only where the valve seals with the head. Why would this be?

Intake (post lapping)

Exhaust (post lapping)

 

[Harmonica]

 

[arieskcar]

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Don't use a drill do it by hand.

 

[Harmonica]

Don't use a drill do it by hand.

it was for screwing the board to the saw horses so it didn’t slide off while I was resurfacing the head.

 

[arieskcar]

I just caught up to you (Had to do hone, rings, rod bearings)

I just pulled all the valves from the head I picked up and they were absolutely filthy spent about an hour with a wire brush and some sandpaper to scrub off all the carbon chunks.

Used the wooden hand held thing to Lap the valves and mine are actually all pitted like in your picture but all of them are holding with no springs...

 

[Harmonica]

So my work was delayed because I had a crazy week/weekend and we had a snow storm roll through.

Looking up to #4

Before everything got busy I got the oil pan off (I am redoing the gasket) as well as I wanted to make sure everything looked ok down in the bottom end.

(After adjustment)

I noticed that the balance shaft chain was kinda loose around 1/2 inch of side to side slop. The guides have very little wear. There is only wear from the 2 sides not the center. I decided to tighten the tensioner up a little. Set it so that there is still some side to side play but a lot less. (Around 1/8 inch) is this an ok setting?

Other than the chain everything looked good.

When I pulled the pan an oil saturated foam(?) noodle came out of the transmission area. Is disintegrating when it tried to pick it up. What was it? Is it important?

 

[arieskcar]

So my work was delayed because I had a crazy week/weekend and we had a snowstorm roll through.

Looking up to #4 View attachment 280016

View attachment 280018
Before everything got busy I got the oil pan off (I am redoing the gasket) as well as I wanted to make sure everything looked ok down in the bottom end.

(After adjustment)
View attachment 280017

I noticed that the balance shaft chain was kinda loose around 1/2 inch of side to side slop. The guides have very little wear. There is only wear from the 2 sides not the center. I decided to tighten the tensioner up a little. Set it so that there is still some side to side play but a lot less. (Around 1/8 inch) is this an ok setting?

Other than the chain everything looked good.

When I pulled the pan an oil saturated foam(?) noodle came out of the transmission area. Is disintegrating when it tried to pick it up. What was it? Is it important?

I've seen pieces of foam jammed in there from the factory it's to hide oil leaks by soaking into the foam or it could be the foam plug that's supposed to be in the top of the transmission for the timing marks...

 

[Harmonica]

It could be the foam plug that's supposed to be in the top of the transmission for the timing marks...

I know that it is still in place. I’ve had to remove it to set my timing.

I thought it was to keep dirt out of the bell housing.

 

[arieskcar]

I know that it is still in place. I’ve had to remove it to set my timing.

I thought it was to keep dirt out of the bell housing.

The metal cover is supposed to do that. I've noticed sometimes between that metal plate and the oil Pan there's the chunk of foam...

 

[Harmonica]

The metal cover is supposed to do that. I've noticed sometimes between that metal plate and the oil Pan there's the chunk of foam...

That’s what I had before it turned into a oily mush.

 

[Harmonica]

Got the head fully back together. Valve cover is just on so no dirt gets in.

I put up a new post in electrical, the oval 6 pin connector had some corrosion and I dropped it and I don’t know what pin goes where.

As suggested earlier I am going to retorque the head after a few heat cycles. Any one have any tips on how to keep the valve cover gasket sealed. I know your supposed to put some rtv where the river and cork meet.

 

[arieskcar]

Got the head fully back together. Valve cover is just on so no dirt gets in.
View attachment 280064
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I put up a new post in electrical, the oval 6 pin connector had some corrosion and I dropped it and I don’t know what pin goes where.

As suggested earlier I am going to retorque the head after a few heat cycles. Any one have any tips on how to keep the valve cover gasket sealed. I know your supposed to put some rtv where the river and cork meet.

Damn that thing is sparkling. Mine looked like sludge and rust going on.

I'm gonna gut my airbox tomorrow. I can post pix of the connector/wires if no one has the diagram.

I've never retorqued the head bolts since they are 45 65 65 then 90 degrees and any under 90 or 95 (Turbo) are stretched to far and junk.

As far as the valve cover I reused the blue one piece felpro it came with.

If you have the cork one trash the cork use ultra grey on the rails and the rubber ends dry just have it meet the sealer.

 

[Harmonica]

I can post pix of the connector/wires if no one has the diagram.

If you have the cork one trash the cork use ultra grey on the rails and the rubber ends dry just have it meet the sealer.

intake, throttle body, brackets, pipes and exhaust manifold were all painted.

all I really need is what color wire goes where. 4 go to the iac and2 more go the the rest of the harness.

I have the cork one. It’s a TBI so no nice one pice gasket. It did have rtv before and it was leaking everywhere. When I did the cam seals I replaced the rtv with cork. The cork was only slowly seeping so it was better than before. I did put a skim coat of rtv on the cork last time

 

[arieskcar]

intake, throttle body, brackets, pipes and exhaust manifold were all painted.

all I really need is what color wire goes where. 4 go to the iac and2 more go the the rest of the harness.

I have the cork one. It’s a TBI so no nice one pice gasket. It did have rtv before and it was leaking everywhere. When I did the cam seals I replaced the rtv with cork. The cork was only slowly seeping so it was better than before. I did put a skim coat of rtv on the cork last time

RTV sucks I haven't used that stuff since the late 90's in middle school I got a 4.3 Caprice. Got the blue RTV for a water pump and it leaked of course.

Only stuff I use is

I used this stuff externally on a timing cover 2016 nissan and it actually kept the leak away and my 89 Aries blew out A freeze plug I cleaned it off covered it with the stuff and tapped it back in that was 2 years ago.

Tons of OEM's say use only this instead of a gasket. My 2006 Altima has no oil pan gasket just this.

I forgot to use any sealer on the Cam caps When I put the TBI motor together the other day so I just spread some of this on the outside and it's actually not leaking.

 

[arieskcar]

intake, throttle body, brackets, pipes and exhaust manifold were all painted.

all I really need is what color wire goes where. 4 go to the iac and2 more go the the rest of the harness.

I have the cork one. It’s a TBI so no nice one pice gasket. It did have rtv before and it was leaking everywhere. When I did the cam seals I replaced the rtv with cork. The cork was only slowly seeping so it was better than before. I did put a skim coat of rtv on the cork last time

Did you get it back together? Us and Grandpa Sleeper might be some of the last Chrysler TBI's still hitting the streets in 2022

 

[arieskcar]

intake, throttle body, brackets, pipes and exhaust manifold were all painted.

all I really need is what color wire goes where. 4 go to the iac and2 more go the the rest of the harness.

I have the cork one. It’s a TBI so no nice one pice gasket. It did have rtv before and it was leaking everywhere. When I did the cam seals I replaced the rtv with cork. The cork was only slowly seeping so it was better than before. I did put a skim coat of rtv on the cork last time

Did you get it back together? Us and Grandpa Sleeper might be some of the last Chrysler TBI's still hitting the streets in 2022

 

[Harmonica]

As things do it has snowballed in to a lot more than just a head gasket. Really it has become something more fitting of a “project log” thread.

I did get the TBI harness nicely raped up. It was completely raped in factory style fabric electrical tape from end to end then I put some split loom around it.

I got new battery terminals from Oggie Fisher because mine looked like they were attacked by someone with an air chisel.

There there is this

Full engine harness on the floor by the poll.
Disassembled starter on the Mazda MPV mat in the middle of the frame. There is a surprising amount of plastic in it. (Old rubber backed car mats are great work surfaces, they catch the grease and oil in the fibers and the rubber stops it from leaking out the bottom)
Main computer by the the roughter table.
+ and - battery harness plus trans and speed sensor sub harness in the back by the oil tank.

I plan to do the same thing to the other harnesses that I did to the TBI harness.

 

[GrandpaSleeper]

I hope you're Built like Stone Cold Steve Austin because leaning over the radiator and lifting up I barely got the head off with just the exhaust manifold on.

When I did the clamshell headgasket swap I used the catalytic converter to jack the head up off the block, worked like a charm!!!

These cars are designed for the apocalyptic future where you could survive making your own headgaskets