Thanks for the quick reply! You guys are great. Yes, I installed the repaired radiator. Prior to repair and install I flushed the old one about 6 times (maybe 7). Took forever to get the water clear. The new one (old repaired one) is running on straight water. Are you suggesting I should run this around town and see if the combustion gas readings change? the van is running soo rich and stinky after this mishap. I'm wondering if the CAT failed — it is fairly new however. But just want to somehow rule out low end failure before investing in top end repair without yanking the entire engine. You would think there would be obvious low compression on at least 1 cylinder. Maybe the way this gasket blew, it still has moderate pressure. Maybe running a test HOT vs moderately warm would show a different reading.

 

Picked up some new plug wires and new plugs. Ran the engine for a short period of time.
Got it warm just before the thermostat opened. It was blowing bubbles and expanding the water in the radiator to come flooding out a little bit. Bubbles were burping.

Here the engine. You can see the white smoke or vapor.

:-(


Took another compression check

1 - 165
3 - 155
5 - 160
7 - 155

2 - 160
4 - 155
6 - 155
8 - 152

 

Time to rip the heads off.

 

Yup. I'll try to document.

 

What needs to come off other than dropping the exhaust to get to the manifold and heads? The AC pump is right over the front of the manifold. Can that be moved out of the way without disconnecting lines? Gads. What else would make the disassembly easier? Do I need to take all the belts off? Radiator out? These manuals assume you are pulling the whole enchilada out the front :-/

 

I did the heads when I had a 3.9 in my van. I have a 360 now and it looks like it would be the same job.
In short, here is what I remember..
Remove - sep. belt, remove alternator, remove AC compressor and move out of the way (no need to take off ac lines), then you need to remove the ac/pulley bracket (big aluminum piece on the front of the motor - this was really a PITA. Then dog house, air cleaner. Throttle body and that can just be moved out of the way. To drop the exhaust I had to use two 1 ft extensions to get to the nuts from the underside. From there I was able to remove the manifold and they will come out...you just need to wiggle them in all different directions. Oh remove the valve covers and the intake before the manifolds - I think that is what I did lol..also the vacuum lines need to take off and moved...from there you will need a 16-18 inch ratchet or bar to get the head bolts off...they are really on there. While you are in there, replace the lifters if you have more than 125k+ mileage - they just drop in the block - easy to do.
Installation is reverse. It wasn't too bad of a job - just time consuming. I really didn't run into any roadblocks or issues The job is easy on your back too since you are mostly sitting down while doing the head work.
Let me know if you have more ???s good luck!

 

Oh gee...I just realized you have an 84--not a Magnum motor...LOL...
What I type will help ya but my eyes thought it said 94

 

Hey ElkCon, I had a really long reply typed up and a "HULU" ad popped up and erased everything I wrote. :-/
Dang.
Its worth it just to hear you say that the AC was a PITA. I thought I was doing something wrong. Took ALL DAY to get that AC unit moved off the bracket.
Just for the record, for anyone trying this on a carbureted motor, the AC has an L bracket mounted on the back with 3 bolts. The top 2 bolts are threaded (why, I dunno) and thread through to the other side of the rear alternator bracket. Need to crack the nuts on the radiator side first, but you have to dismantle all the stuff in front of those nuts first and get a socket on those nuts the best you can. I couldn't quite get enough leverage with a wobble socket extension. ANYWAYS, Yes I see what you mean about the long extension on the exhaust. I will need to drop the hanger mount from Tranny bolt and get some wiggle room to lower the down tubs. Trick is the catalytic tube on drivers side may only allow about 1/2" of wiggle room. Trying not to to dismantle everything, heh. To that end, there does not seem to be very much room on drivers side to get the exhaust manifold off of the pins (crazy design!). Do I need to jack this motor up, off of the motor mounts? This is a ship in a bottle!

This motor is so oily, there is obviously a seeping oil leak somewhere. I replaced the valve cover gaskets a few years ago but there is still some issue. Can't tell if it is from the top of the motor or near the bottom. And I replaced the Tranny oil lines to radiator. Q: Should I replace the water pump while I'm in there and are there any other seals etc that should be addressed. It's like a 2 for 1 sale with swear words today anyway :-)

 

The pins screw out by using a small 6mm (or something like that) socket. You may have to spray them liberally with PB Blaster
If there is more than 60k miles + on the pump, you might as well do it if you have the room and time.


and - yea - that bracket ack!!!!

 

All good. Made some bloody knuckles today. ooooof those Dodge brackets..... I tagged everything really well and found someone had stuck a BB inside the hose that leads to the EGR valve. Hmm what does that mean?
Got the exhaust off and valve covers off. Is there anything I should look for at this point? Can I simply unbolt the rocker rails? I assume I should keep these pushrods organized by cyl, or does it matter? Should I inspect for loose play? #2 seems kinda sloppy. Maybe that is just valve position.
RE: the intake. This just prys off easily I assume
Had to vacuum the oil soaked tree-rat poop off the mani. JOY!
I'll confirm ideas about gaskets, sealants etc when I get to that point.
Taking these heads to machine shop tomorrow.
Curious if there are any tips re head gaskets in relation to head resurfacing. Dos and Donts.

While waiting for heads, I'll inspect block to see if there are other issues. We want to keep driving our van. She's our lil camper.

:-)