First Time Head Gasket Replacement 1988 1.3l

[yogaslackers]

Hey everyone,

I have been using this Forum to keep my car running for the last 6 years the car has 316,000 mile on it now . Zeke from this forum helped me do a bunch of work including dropping in a 88' 1.3 with 6,700 original miles. I did this at 278,000 miles. So this engine needs a head gasket i hope. there is 44,700 miles on the engine now.

Symptoms:

over the course of 2 months I watched the normal operating temp climb from just past the C to 2/3 toward the H. It was winter to summer so I did not think anything of it...weird logic i know. then in a 2 week period of about 2000 miles of driving It went from overheating in 200 miles to over heating in 10 miles. The antifreeze when from mysteriously diapering to exploding out the overflow tank.

Attempts to trouble shoot:

I refiled the radiator with the car parked on a hill

watched the antifreeze flow with the cap off

When I stepped on the gas antifreeze would shoot out the radiator when the cap was off.

There is tremendous pressure in the system, enough to blow all the coolant out of the overflow

I put a new t-stat in (then tried to run with out t-stat, made it worse)

new Rad cap

Tried to buy new sensors no car parts store had the right ones all wrong sizes with wrong wire harness?

Conclusion I need a new head Gasket.

I am currently in the process of taking the parts off the car... but the haynes manual I have does
not seem to have the right instructions my engine has parts that make since from both the OHV and CVH engines which one do I have how do I tell. I thought it was an OHV but I have a different throttle cable connection and no Heat box over the exhaust?

I dont have time to wait so I am going to take things off in a logical enough I hope sequence.

CAN I LEAVE THE CARB ON? do i need to remove all the vacuum lines?

What about the Little pipe on that passes under the exhaust header on the front of the car there is a bracket connecting it to the engine on the drivers side.

I want to leave the exhaust and intake connected to the Head. will this work?

Any tips greatly appreciated.

sam

[1988redfordfestiva]

Take it apart and buy the kit i did mine but do not use the aluminum head gasket its garbage buy a felpro head gasket and you'll be good make sure u also change the valve seals on the valves this will help it out also it should come in the kit the head bolts are reusable torque to factor specs

[Nerd Racing]

I did one back in 2002 on the 88lx I owned and I just unbolted the manifolds and pushed them away enough to get the head off. I didn't remove the carb from the intake at all.

[FB71]

but do not use the aluminum head gasket its garbage

what the hell are you talking about? First, please use some punctuation, its so much easier to read. Second, what makes you think you had an aluminum head gasket? It was most likely graphite, and they are very good gaskets.

[FB71]

Haynes manuals stink. Find a factory manual on Fleabay.

You have an OHC (Over Head Camshaft) engine, not OHV or CVH.

Nerd has a great suggestion. But if you absolutely don't want to unbolt the intake and exhaust manifolds, its still not a bad job.

Leave the carb on, leave as many vacuum lines as possible connected. Just locate the few that traverse between the firewall and the manifold. Mark them with tape and disconnect. Unbolt the headpipe from the manifold, remove timing belt, unbolt coolant pipe from exhaust manifold (it will stay on the block), remove upper rad hose and heater hose from intake, diconnect various wires, and unbolt the head.

[Pu241]

what the hell are you talking about? First, please use some punctuation, its so much easier to read.

This has been asked of him numerous times!
You see the results.

To his credit, he did manage to capitalize the "T" in the first word of the string of words masquerading as a sentence, or three.

So this is progress, as painfully slow as it is!
Vermont has some issues with their educational buget, apprently has for some time!

[Levitan]

"Vermont has some issues with their educational buget, apprently has for some time!"

You crack me up John! LOL! I just gotta ask, are those typos or intentional?

[Pu241]

Just trying to show '88Red we are not the English police, but some effort with punctuation on his part will help everyone read his posts.
I just ignore his posts now, too much effort to interpret them!
Yeah, some were intentional and one was not!

[yogaslackers]

Ok I have everything disconnected... 10 bolts are out but the head wont budge. I used a 6 foot steel Ice choping chisel and wedged it under the exhaust manifold and pried up with like 80lbs of force and nothing... Is there a trick?

Thank you all for your Quick responses... I love this car. but need it to run by Wednesday

[yogaslackers]

Help please

Just put the plugs back in hooked the t belt back and cranked it over (with no spark wires attached) to try and force the head off the block but it is still fused... any help? I have googled and searched the net for 3 hours. I have watched videos, read posts and looked at pictures... Im about to feed a rope in to the cylinder through the plug hole...

[Safety Guy]

I'm planning to remove a head or two soon and getting the head off the block is one of my anxieties.

I know you have to be careful about prying around the joint area so you don't scar the mating surfaces all up.

I'd try a large hard rubber mallet to pound sideways on the head. That's what I do with TBs and a few other gasketed joints.

You could also try lifting the engine with the lift points. I think those are attached to the head. Lift up until the weight is off the front end and use the mallet.

Just some ideas. I hope someone else posts something more definitive!

Karl

[TominMO]

Mods, how about editing redfordfestiva's posts. Like this for example:

Take it apart and buy the kit. I did mine; but do not use the aluminum head gasket; it's garbage. Buy a Felpro head gasket and you'll be good. Make sure u also change the valve seals on the valves; this will help it out also. It should come in the kit. The head bolts are reusable; torque to factory specs.

Yoga, have you addressed the original cause of overheating? How recent is your radiator for example? I notice you replaced the thermostat, so that's not it. B3s are very easy to keep cool, so I suspect it's the rad.

[yogaslackers]

Well I need the head off now. If this wont fix the overheating problam then I will get a new radiator

Ideas to get the head off?

thanks for all your ingenuity

[yogaslackers]

I got the HeaD off almost as good as sex...

HEAD IS OFF... Used big leaver on the exhaust manifold then taped on it with a chunk of 2x6 and a hammer on the front near the T-Stat housing... The Gasket actually looks pretty good. what should I look 4?

[yogaslackers]

What is the spark plug gap? .4 or .44

How do I flush the radiator?

Waiting on the machine shop to get my head back

As for timing. I marked the Harmonic balancer and the oil pan when the endine was at TDC. Will it work to just use those marks or should I take the lower timing belt cover off and the harmonic balancer?

if that is the case how do I get the Harmonic Balancer off without Air tools?

Sam