Replacing Head Gaskets

[Hocrest]

Originally Posted by Merz

I noticed i need a wierd type of socket for the head bolts.
Anyone know what it is called, or what size it is or where i can get it?????

thanks

It's a 14mm socket, but 12 point instead of 6 (9/16" is the same size). You probably already have one in a socket set somewhere.

[Merz]

Thanks. Got the heads off today. The gaskets all looked good. On one of the cylinders, the head and piston were shiny and wet/slimy. So i assumed that was the one that was leaking. I looked at the head and there is a very tiny hole between the cylinder and coolant. Its about the size of a hair. I could feel it with my finger nail. Could this be it? doesnt seem like it would be enough to be noticable. I wish my camera was working so i could post a picture.

So what should i do now? Am i going to have to get this little hole welded and resurfaced? Would just resurfacing be good enough?

I'll try to borrow a camera and post a picture.

[SVXRide]

Originally Posted by Merz

Thanks. Got the heads off today. The gaskets all looked good. On one of the cylinders, the head and piston were shiny and wet/slimy. So i assumed that was the one that was leaking. I looked at the head and there is a very tiny hole between the cylinder and coolant. Its about the size of a hair. I could feel it with my finger nail. Could this be it? doesnt seem like it would be enough to be noticable. I wish my camera was working so i could post a picture.

So what should i do now? Am i going to have to get this little hole welded and resurfaced? Would just resurfacing be good enough?

I'll try to borrow a camera and post a picture.

yes, get the heads resurfaced the bare minimum possible to provide totally flat surfaces.
-Bill

[Merz]

The hole looks a little bigger after i cleaned it up some. Found a camera:











I will try to find some place to get it fixed tomorrow.

[davew833]

A good machine shop will be able to tell you if that needs to be welded. I'd say 'yes' since it's between the water passage and the cylinder itself. Milling the head down might get rid of it, but doing so will increase engine compression and might cause excess oil consumption. Small cracks between the intake and exhaust valve ports are common on Subarus and not usually a problem, but that's not what you've got there.

[Merz]

Got the heads back from the shop today. $52 to surface both of them. I dont think he welded it. The head is full of metal shavings now and im not sure how to get it out. I tried vaccuuming but it didnt work because its so sticky and oily. Is there anything wrong with just hosing it out with water??

Also, i was cleaning out the engine bay today and noticed that half of the motor mounts are still sitting in the car. They are both completely broken in half. Im going to have to replace these before i can put the engine back in. Anyone know where i can get some cheap. They are $300 a pair for new ones. thanks!!

[wawazat??]

Did you remove the valves and other steel pieces before the head was ground? If so, as the head is aluminum soapy (dishsoap) water would be fine. If not, it'll still work, just remember to dry the head with compressed air to avoid rust.

Lots of scrubbing and brushes. Youve got to get the chips fully removed. If not they'll end up back in the motor and could cause problems with oiling or bearings.

Todd

[TomsSVX]

Is that a Detroit 671 I see in the background?? I have had my hands on one of them before

Tom

[Merz]

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

Is that a Detroit 671 I see in the background?? I have had my hands on one of them before

Tom

You did that with your hands? jk. Yea its a 671 going in my dads fishing boat. He got it for $500 out of a shipyard crane with less than 100 hours on it. The one in the boat now is almost 60 years old. Still runs strong, but couldnt pass up a new one for $500. I guess the new one has higher compression and quite a bit more power also. Should pick up a few knots.

[Merz]

Originally Posted by wawazat??

Did you remove the valves and other steel pieces before the head was ground? If so, as the head is aluminum soapy (dishsoap) water would be fine. If not, it'll still work, just remember to dry the head with compressed air to avoid rust.

Lots of scrubbing and brushes. Youve got to get the chips fully removed. If not they'll end up back in the motor and could cause problems with oiling or bearings.

Todd

I didnt remove the valves or anything. I ended up making a little hose attatchment for the vaccuum to reach into all the little corners. then i sort of poured carb cleaner through all the holes to rinse it out, then blew it all out with the air compressor. Then repeated these steps a few times. Took me about an hour to get them to the point where i couldnt find any more shavings. I got the heads put back on and im going to do the cams and timing belt tomorrow. Im not in much of a hurry now because i need to get new motor mounts before i can put the engine back in. I also need to order some other small things that i have broken along the way

[TomsSVX]

what kind of power is that motor rated at... Ours were 550 I think but they are turbo deisels... yeah we had to completely rebuild a spare block we had after the balancer lost a vein and crank the #4 journal cracked and seized the piston.... Not fun working on motors that size... the engine stand alone takes up and entire garage

tom

[Merz]

I believe its 238 hp @ 1400 rpm and 650 ftlbs torque. I know the old one was only 175 hp, not sure about the torque. They are a ***** to work on. we changed the headgasket while the engine was in the boat. Had to tear the floor out of the kitchen. We are doing the swap this winter and have to take the entire house off to get it out. House needs to be replaced anyway though, its older than the engine.

[TomsSVX]

what kind of boat?? We were able to A-frame lift it out of the hull and actually squeeze it through the sliding door. We have a 40' Egg Harbor... ancient boat

Tom

[Merz]

The boat is 50 foot. Its an old river tug boat, converted into a fishing boat about 70 years ago. Really tough solid boat. It would be possible to break down the wall between the engine room and the fish hold, slide it back and lift it out the hatch. We decided to just go straight up with it since the roof is rotten and needs to be replaced anyway.

[Motorsport-SVX]

hey, just fyi
I sell Cometic headgaskets if you need a pair lmk