Oil in the Antifreeze issues
Legend
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,843
Likes: 13
From: DFW, Texas
I'm not telling you not to do it but a Head gasket is NOT easy!
Now just from the way you're talking, I don't think you're up to it, but then again I could be wrong.
It does sound like it would be a first, and again I'm not saying don't do it but here's fair warning:
Why you didn't think they charged $1,100 just because they like taking your money, did ya?
Yeah sure, hey Bob look there comes that kid with his truck, whaddaya say we charge him $1100,
then you go make some noise in back while I go buy us the beer, tell the kid it's gonna take 3 days
and we go to my house and party, now we all know it won't take the two of us but 20 minutes to
fix that thing right in the last half hour before the dude comes get his truck back, you game?
Hell yeah Billy Boy now that sounds like fun...
.....
Sheeeaaa...
I'd rate a head gasket somewhere in the 9 range on a difficulty scale of 1-10, a 1 job being putting fuel in the tank,
a 2 maybe replacing the air filter, a 3-4 the spark plugs and most other jobs like alternator rate in the 3-4-5 range,
but a 9-10 job is something like replacing a convertible top.
I'd rather do strut shocks, and I said struts.
It's one of THESE jobs:
Hopefully you mark everything as you take it apart, otherwise you'll be stuck not knowing what came from where.
Yes, it's that many parts, hoses, lines, wires, connections, nuts, bolts, you name it.
If something goes wrong you'll be sitting around with as useless an engine as you have now.
You're looking at taking the top half of the engine apart, down to where you can see the pistons, literally.
Remember now about half this engine is stuck up under the firewall / cab.
I don't think you'd have to pull the radiator so as to get the engine half way out, but I can tell you
I HATE working towards the rear of that *%&^ 5.9L V-8!
We're talking everything down to and including the intake manifold, oh and the exhaust manifold, too.
I'm guessing some if not most of the fuel rail has to get taken out, which might require de-pressurizing the EFI system,
certainly the TB and all of those connections, vacuum hoses, and it's been a while but maybe the thermostat...
No, just the hose, but still. Oh yeah, some transmission lines or some kind of trans stuff.
Some of the accessories might be all right but a fair chance you'll have to move the half of
compressor and alternator and what else is in the way out of there, too.
Getting it back together, do you know how to use a torque wrench?
On a dodge, do the valves have to be reseated?
See I don't know, but on some cars if that's not done it won't work and I don't care how well it all went.
It ought to take all day, if you can get it right the first time...
Just warning ya, it's a BIG highly technical job.
Now just from the way you're talking, I don't think you're up to it, but then again I could be wrong.
It does sound like it would be a first, and again I'm not saying don't do it but here's fair warning:
Why you didn't think they charged $1,100 just because they like taking your money, did ya?
Yeah sure, hey Bob look there comes that kid with his truck, whaddaya say we charge him $1100,
then you go make some noise in back while I go buy us the beer, tell the kid it's gonna take 3 days
and we go to my house and party, now we all know it won't take the two of us but 20 minutes to
fix that thing right in the last half hour before the dude comes get his truck back, you game?
Hell yeah Billy Boy now that sounds like fun...
.....
Sheeeaaa...
I'd rate a head gasket somewhere in the 9 range on a difficulty scale of 1-10, a 1 job being putting fuel in the tank,
a 2 maybe replacing the air filter, a 3-4 the spark plugs and most other jobs like alternator rate in the 3-4-5 range,
but a 9-10 job is something like replacing a convertible top.
I'd rather do strut shocks, and I said struts.
It's one of THESE jobs:
Hopefully you mark everything as you take it apart, otherwise you'll be stuck not knowing what came from where.
Yes, it's that many parts, hoses, lines, wires, connections, nuts, bolts, you name it.
If something goes wrong you'll be sitting around with as useless an engine as you have now.
You're looking at taking the top half of the engine apart, down to where you can see the pistons, literally.
Remember now about half this engine is stuck up under the firewall / cab.
I don't think you'd have to pull the radiator so as to get the engine half way out, but I can tell you
I HATE working towards the rear of that *%&^ 5.9L V-8!
We're talking everything down to and including the intake manifold, oh and the exhaust manifold, too.
I'm guessing some if not most of the fuel rail has to get taken out, which might require de-pressurizing the EFI system,
certainly the TB and all of those connections, vacuum hoses, and it's been a while but maybe the thermostat...
No, just the hose, but still. Oh yeah, some transmission lines or some kind of trans stuff.
Some of the accessories might be all right but a fair chance you'll have to move the half of
compressor and alternator and what else is in the way out of there, too.
Getting it back together, do you know how to use a torque wrench?
On a dodge, do the valves have to be reseated?
See I don't know, but on some cars if that's not done it won't work and I don't care how well it all went.
It ought to take all day, if you can get it right the first time...
Just warning ya, it's a BIG highly technical job.
It's not that bad, and I'm not a mechanic, and I busted it out in a day. You don't have to mess with anything in the tranny or any tranny lines, the fuel rail comes out as part of the intake, the fuel rail depressurizes by sitting overnight. Valves don't need to be reseated. The exhaust manis can hang off the y pipe, so while you have to unbolt them from the head, you don't have to crawl under the truck and unbolt them. you can hang them off the block with a coat hanger if you're worried about too much strain on the y pipe.
Bottom line is it takes time to do. Without a shop book in front of me I'd guess its a 10 hour job and at $90 per shop hour: that's $900 of your $1100.
Like I said, put the bolts back in the parts you remove and you don't have to "remember" where they go. There's no special tools needed other than a in/lbs. and ft/lbs.torque wrench, a 5/16" fuel line disconnect and a drill with a wire wheel. No backlash settings, dial calipers, feeler gauges, etc.
saving 800~900 bucks was worth a day of my time.
Professional
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 197
Likes: 0
Oh look, an *******.
Last edited by topsites; Jul 13, 2009 at 12:48 PM.
Veteran
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 326
Likes: 0
From: Loretto, PA
Yesterday i was topping off the fruids (coolent and what not) and i noticed oil in the rad fluid .. i asked my dad and he said i probably blew a headgasket.. he didnt seem to think it was a big deal but i dont want it turning into something worse..
i had a head gasket blow in my 1984 mudbeater 1st gen Ram.....after about 4 days of running it i put the #1 connecting rod threw the oil pan and wedged #2's into the cylinder wall,
so you may want to consider what could happen but on the same note this was a beater truck that diddnt make me happy until it was stuck, smoking, or being towed home.
i had a head gasket blow in my 1984 mudbeater 1st gen Ram.....after about 4 days of running it i put the #1 connecting rod threw the oil pan and wedged #2's into the cylinder wall,
so you may want to consider what could happen but on the same note this was a beater truck that diddnt make me happy until it was stuck, smoking, or being towed home.
Thread Starter
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Registered User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 16
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
taking aim4squirrels advice.. gonna look into gettin a new manual and having at it .. i would rather save the money and spend it on other stuff for the truck 
i havent been running it so im hoping the dmg isnt too bad inside.. need to pick up a new torque wrench tho .. seems my sister swiped mine awhile ago and lost it.. i learned how to build pc's by doing it so this will be like that.. only a little more time consuming lol .. now .. wheres that beer
i havent been running it so im hoping the dmg isnt too bad inside.. need to pick up a new torque wrench tho .. seems my sister swiped mine awhile ago and lost it.. i learned how to build pc's by doing it so this will be like that.. only a little more time consuming lol .. now .. wheres that beer
Retired Moderator - RIP
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 18,729
Likes: 17
From: NH
What am I chopped liver? LOL JK Just make sure the block surface and heads are flat or atleast within exceptable tolerances. And don't have too many beers right off the bat.
Just realized, "chopped" is not a word I want to use for a couple more days ! LOL
Just realized, "chopped" is not a word I want to use for a couple more days ! LOL
Legend
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 7,843
Likes: 13
From: DFW, Texas
If you have problems, just post a thread about it and several members here are quite competent enough to help out.
Remember to keep the loose bolts for each part labeled in a baggy and tape them to the part you've removed. Where possible, reinstall them into the part as you remove it (this is especially helpful on the accessory bracket as there are 3 different lengths of bolts.)
Another tip: Remove one spark plug wire at a time and make a little flag on the plug end AND the disty end with masking tape and write the cylinder number on both flags, when you go to re run them, it'll be much easier to sort it out. The firing order that the wires go back on the disty are in raised numbers on top of the intake manifold and the disty has a raised number 1 where the no. 1 plug wire goes. Just go around clockwise reassembling.
Remember to keep the loose bolts for each part labeled in a baggy and tape them to the part you've removed. Where possible, reinstall them into the part as you remove it (this is especially helpful on the accessory bracket as there are 3 different lengths of bolts.)
Another tip: Remove one spark plug wire at a time and make a little flag on the plug end AND the disty end with masking tape and write the cylinder number on both flags, when you go to re run them, it'll be much easier to sort it out. The firing order that the wires go back on the disty are in raised numbers on top of the intake manifold and the disty has a raised number 1 where the no. 1 plug wire goes. Just go around clockwise reassembling.