Head gasket replacement

[1966 dart wagon]

well my head gasket blew today on my way to work, smoke starting slowly coming out of exhaust had to move across street, shut it down, check oil looks good(no coolant in it), then restarted it and it was DUMPING out smoke, so i shall be removing the head later on tonight after work. i was wondering on where are some good links to some good walk thoughs on how to remove the head, im really good with engines but more concirned with the turbo lines n such. Should i have the head checked, or should i just use a straight edge and check for major cracks. I can get the head checked for around $40 but dont really wanna wait untill monday to turn it in, then wait how ever long that will take. Any sugestions, id like to find good indepth pictures ont he topic, along with tq specs. im new to turbo dodges so it should be intresting. I was unlucky and didnt find any real picture threads on the topic.

Sugestions ont he whole thing, the engine has a new head gasket, well it did and i have a mp one that came with the car, along with another head, suposably the head on the car has been gone though, i got it from topdolla69(ben) good guy . Sugestions?

[welby]

It's been a little while since I've done this but here goes,

Get a manual for torque specs.

Drain coolant, remove upper radiator hose.

Under the car:
Remove the bolts from the downpipe flange where the dp bolts to the swingvalve/turbo. There is a coolant return line that comes from the turbo to the block, remove it from the block. There is an oil return line from the bottom of the turbo to the block, remove the clamp on the silicone hose there. There is a turbo support bracket as well, remove this.

On top:
Depressurize the fuel system, and remove the feed and return lines from the fuel rail. If you have AC then remove the bolts that hold the AC bracket to the head. I use tie-wraps to hold the timing belt to the cam gear so as to not lose timing, them remove cam gear bolt and knock the gear off. Remove the valve cover. Loosen the head bolts in the order given in the manual to avoid warpage. Lift up. Replace with new headgasket and head bolts.

[1966 dart wagon]

It's been a little while since I've done this but here goes,

Get a manual for torque specs.

Drain coolant, remove upper radiator hose.

Under the car:
Remove the bolts from the downpipe flange where the dp bolts to the swingvalve/turbo. There is a coolant return line that comes from the turbo to the block, remove it from the block. There is an oil return line from the bottom of the turbo to the block, remove the clamp on the silicone hose there. There is a turbo support bracket as well, remove this.

On top:
Depressurize the fuel system, and remove the feed and return lines from the fuel rail. If you have AC then remove the bolts that hold the AC bracket to the head. I use tie-wraps to hold the timing belt to the cam gear so as to not lose timing, them remove cam gear bolt and knock the gear off. Remove the valve cover. Loosen the head bolts in the order given in the manual to avoid warpage. Lift up. Replace with new headgasket and head bolts.

thanks, but does anyone know the right way to take off the head bolts and i found out how to put them on just wanna make sure threw others

[tryingbe]

You take it out as the reverse of putting them on.

[supercrackerbox]

10 6 2 3 7

9 5 1 4 8

That's the tightening pattern (facing the engine, so #1 is closest to the front), remove them in reverse order. If your engine is '86 or later (11mm bolts) the sequence is 45 - 65 - 65 - 1/4 turn. I'm not sure on the older 10mm engines.

[turbovanman²]

The head should get machined flat, replace all the little hoses, oil lines etc-best to use the braided kits from TU or FWD. New DP bolts/springs, new thermostat, new head bolts, new MP gasket ending in 005. Replace cam seal and plug.

[Shelbydaytona91]

You really should get the head checked if it blew it is possible it got hot enough to warp or crack (unlike older muscle cars with iron heads, these have aluminum heads that are prone to cracking/warping under high temps).
Here are a few tips from my experiance:
1. Don't loose the cam timing! It's a major PITA to redo.
2. Put the coolant/oil lines on the turbo BEFORE you put it in the car (and make sure you hold the coolant fittings that go onto the turbo in place so they don't twist when you put on the coolant lines). Use teflon tape to seal the threads.
3. Unbolt everything that holds the upper-half of the engine on, then take the intake and exhaust manifold, throttle-body, and turbo off as one unit rather than in pieces.
4. While you're in there, look into investing some money into a new set of turbo lines from FWD Performance, Forward Motion, ect. Also replace any old radiator or heater core hoses just in case.
5. Always good to put in a new waterpump and timing belt while the head is off, so you don't have to do the same job a month down the road.
6. If you want a little performance boost, go with a 180^ thermostat (stock is 195^). Don't forget a new gasket for the thermostat housing too!

Most importantly, good luck and have fun!

[1966 dart wagon]

thanks guys for the info, i already got a new gasket from Ben(topdollar69) who i bought the car from he was able to fill in the blanks for me when i called him. on the turbo lines, they are such a b!tch to get off, a 16mm line wrench is required which i dont have. the line all looks good, when we though that was what was leaking. how long does it take to get the fwd/tu oil line, id like to have it back together by friday so i can run it at the track to get a base map? Could i make one myself out of lines and fittings (i work at a parts store) anyone know the sizes of the fittings n such? So far for today i got the dp disconnected, coolant hose to turbo, tried on the oil lines no luck. go the basic intake and coolant dumped, it was bad looks like someone might have added stop leak, it was brown and i took out hell maybe a gallon out of the whole radiator thats with disconnecting hoses for engine if the head is cracked what would be the best way to go, i have an extra which ben says is good. might get it checked just in case(hate to do it and just a lil error happen) should i fix orginal head or weld old(at machine shop)? thanks guys i appreciate it. i'll see what i can do about the cam timing and holding tension on the belt

stuff i got as of now is: headgasket, head bolts, thermostate 180 and gasket, rad cap, coolant 2 gallons un mixed, new intake/manifold gasket, valve cover gasket, ps/wp belts. already has a new timing belt. Do i have to disconnect the intake/exhaust from the head to take it to the shop? probably i can ask i hope to have it in there by monday

[turbovanman²]

Coolant lines you can reuse if need be, just replace the short piece by the head with silicone hose. You can make your own oil line by using -4 line, I do it all the time.
Don't forget to drill the 1/16" hole in the thermostat outer part to help bleed it.
Heads are getting harder to find good ones, if yours is bad, use the other one, a decent machine shop can tell you if its bad. Cracks between the valve seats are normal.
Yes, you need to remove the intake/ex manny's, cam, lifters and rockers arms before you take it to the machine shop.

[1966 dart wagon]

Coolant lines you can reuse if need be, just replace the short piece by the head with silicone hose. You can make your own oil line by using -4 line, I do it all the time.
Don't forget to drill the 1/16" hole in the thermostat outer part to help bleed it.
Heads are getting harder to find good ones, if yours is bad, use the other one, a decent machine shop can tell you if its bad. Cracks between the valve seats are normal.
Yes, you need to remove the intake/ex manny's, cam, lifters and rockers arms before you take it to the machine shop.

AWH i gotta remove the stuff to...never though of that, so thats more money (spring compressor) damit. ok thanks for the tip. i'll probably get laughed out of the place when i mention cracks between valves is normal. dad did, other co workers did....annoying.
thanks for the tip

[turbovanman²]

AWH i gotta remove the stuff to...never though of that, so thats more money (spring compressor) damit. ok thanks for the tip. i'll probably get laughed out of the place when i mention cracks between valves is normal. dad did, other co workers did....annoying.
thanks for the tip

You don't need a spring compressor to remove the camshaft, you just loosen the cam caps slowly then remove the cam, lifters and rocker arms. Leave the valves in place.

[1966 dart wagon]

You don't need a spring compressor to remove the camshaft, you just loosen the cam caps slowly then remove the cam, lifters and rocker arms. Leave the valves in place.

my bad i though u said to remove the valves, i know u dont need to a spring comp. to remove the cam shaft doh

[1966 dart wagon]

well i found out the head does have a crack in it. the head gasket looked good from what i could tell. Luckly i have another head and it appears to look fine, but i am going to take it to a machine shop and have them check it, that head doesnt even have cracks between the valves . The other head(cracked one) has the crack in the middle water jacket towards the back(manifolds) where it appears something built up there then it cracked. Besides that visually it looks good. What does it run to fix a head for something like that? O and the turbo has a bunch of shaft play its flapin away in the wind, you can see were the blades have been warn away. How much does the average shop charged to check a head and make sure its flat?

Since there is alot of shaft play in the turbo is it possible for the turbo to leak coolant into the intake/exhaust and make the engine smoke?

[turbovanman²]

Yes, its quite possible for the turbo to leak coolant or oil and smoke.

Average cost for machining and pressure test is $100.

[1966 dart wagon]

Yes, its quite possible for the turbo to leak coolant or oil and smoke.

Average cost for machining and pressure test is $100.

o ok cause i talked to the machine shop at my work they quoted me $40, but i dunno if that covered milling the head and what not. Im going to take it to a shop my dads friend knows of so it should be intresting

[1966 dart wagon]

imageshack just went down so I'll try and up load the rest later.

[GLHSKEN]

Yes, its quite possible for the turbo to leak coolant

Very SLIM chance. The turbo water Jacket is just that, a JACKET. It can leak, but it would very difficult to enter the induction system or exhaust. Oil, All the time... common occurance.

[tryingbe]

The turbo fin looks bent.

[turbovanman²]

Very SLIM chance. The turbo water Jacket is just that, a JACKET. It can leak, but it would very difficult to enter the induction system or exhaust. Oil, All the time... common occurance.

It is rare but I have seen it before, housing is cracked and leaks coolant into the exhaust.

Agreed on that turbo, it looks pooched, fins look worn down.

[1966 dart wagon]

the cracks are on the bottom 2 middle water jackets, as you can see, there is some jb weld in there. wth man i think this is gonna turn into a money pit. dad and his friends say if you get a head checked might as well replace guides cause they probably bad, and valve seats. check for bent valves, and check springs, i hear cha ching, cha ching