Well the engine replacement for the 01 4.7 is finally finished, it started right up and drove OK (needed brakes). Now after less than 1 hour of total run time, we find out the thing had a head gasket leak. Now, why didn't I tear the thing down and replace those while I had the engine on a stand? Rookie mistake. I did the oil pan and valve covers but didn't know I should have tested those head gaskets.

So we'll be doing an in-place head gasket replacement. We tore down the old engine completely and have the factory manual and Haynes book so we know what we're looking at, AND I've done the search on here and gotten good info about Permatex copper spray on the gasket and black RTV around the water ports.

Question: Can I zip-tie or wire the timing chains to the cam sprockets and pull the sprockets off the cams so the chains stay in position around them and I can just pull the sprocket-less heads off without having to remove the timing chain cover? Any tips for dealing with the timing chain? Only thing I'm a big leery of touching.

Also, not knowing why it's leaking I suppose I should take the heads to a machine shop to make sure they are flat? Leak doesn't seem to be severe judging by the intermittent bubbles in the coolant (it's not a constant fizzing) but it has turned the oil into chocolate milk in a short time. Seems like I should replace rather than using some stop leak like Blue Devil. Opinions?

Anyway, thanks for any tips or suggestions you can offer me and the 16 y.o. who's going to be driving this (if he passes Literature).

RL in Atlanta - land of the burning freeway

 

You live and learn. I don't know the 4.7 well, but I don't think there's any easy way of pulling the heads.

IMO I would try to isolate where it's coming from using a Leakdown tester. Hit all 8 holes and you should see one with 10-15% leakage more than the others, if not higher. The trick is getting each piston at TDC and holding it there. We use a 3 ft breaker bar and socket hooked onto the crank bolt, and just turn each hole to TDC, one person holds it while the other applies the leakdown tester. Test at 100PSI to almost (not really) replicate a morsel of combustion pressure. If you do it with the radiator cap off, you might be able to get bubbles at the opening, but I doubt it.

 

This should help... also, I used K&W to fix my HG leak over a year ago. Wasn't as bad as yours though. I wouldn't use anything that you pour into the coolant, as I'd be worried about clogging the heater core.

 

Found this approach using paint pens to mark the chains and sprockets and some rope to keep the chains from falling down. Kind of the idea I had since I had seen the marking suggestion in the manual.

http://www.customdakotas.com/forums/...et-change.html