Head Gasket Help

[Ford Fester]

Hey guys...I need to do my head gasket and am looking for a nice write up. Also want to know what else I should do while I am down for maintenance. Like wp or crank seal. I have a 91 with 150k. New cap, rotor, plugs, wires, thermostat already done. Any help would be much appreciated. I need to do this before fm5. Can call if ya want. 605-366-5043 Max.

[TominMO]

By all means do everything you can while it's down for the head gasket. Camshaft seal, timing belt & tensioner, water pump, front crankshaft seal. It'a all easy to do. Get a Haynes manual if you don't have one.

Check out how the combustion chamber looks too. When I did my HG on the B6, I didn't have the head machined flat, just torqued down on the bolts to 65 ft lbs, after using Copper Coat on the HG.

[FestYboy]

^ yes, copper spray is your friend, use it on EVERYTHING (vcg, hg, wpg, img, etc.)
best bet is to have your head machined flat and cleaned profesionaly (with the valves removed) then when you get it back, have the shelf on the exhaust port hogged out by someone good with a die grinder. once that's all done, lap the valves, and reinstall.

[Ford Fester]

Got the head off this morning and disassembled. I planned on doing the water pump crank and cam seal, belt and tensionor. Is it worth buying the fms cam off ebay for 125? I am going to have the head machined, possibly valves ground. I've ported the manifolds before but on aspires. Which is better aspire of festy exhaust manifold, I have both.

[FestYboy]

use the festy manifold, and yeah, get the cam, it's worth it IMO. and as far as porting, i'm talking about the head itself (exhaust ports/runners in the head).

[DrMaxwellEdison]

i've swapped the festy exhaust mans in favor of the Aspire headers on all three of mine and my mom's

[iceracerdude]

when you go to put the head bolts back in, chase all of the threads out first with a tap, then clean them out with q tips. Wire wheel the bolts too. Then oil the threads with motor oil. After you got it all back together, heat cycle the engine for about 150 miles, that's short hops to the store etc. The pull the vc back off and recheck the torqued values. Don't be surprised to find a couple have loosened up.

[Ford Fester]

Got the head bolt holes tapped and all parts are cleaned. I removed the front seal, water pump, oil pump and oil pan all to reseal. Cleaned the head up and checked it with a straight edge and feeler gauges. Since I didn't blow a head gasket it didn't warp. I will lube my head bolts and washers with moly paste, that's what we use at work. I ordered the fms cam, new water pump timing belt, cam and crank seals and I am putting in an aspire radiator and intake tube. Cylinders could prolly use a hone and new rings on the pistons but that can wait.

[crusher773]

Man I need to do a head gasket on mine too but not looking forward to it.

[Ford Fester]

Got the head gasket, timing belt, water pump, pan gasket, crank and cam seals, and new fms cam done. She runs good, I guess I expected more from the cam but I have no other mods other than the aspire intake tube

[FestYboy]

now all you need is miata cam gears and your set!