head gasket question

[wirtner]

hello everyone i got a motor that needs a head gasket its still in the car and it runs there is no coolant in the oil just oil in the coolant with it being like this is it managable to not have to send the heads off i know the car has not been overheated

[55trucker]

In my *humble* opinion.....any time you're faced with a blown head gasket...off come the head(s)....if you're dealing with alloy heads..Get the head checked to see if the head surface is not warped!....why cut corners? ,...usual practice with alloy heads is to give the surface a fly cut (perhaps as little as .002) to give the surface a proper finish needed to allow the head to *slide* on the new gasket as it needs to since it heats up at a different rate than the iron block will. As for your oil in the coolant galleries, your coolant system is going to need a thorough cleaning to get all the oil residue out. You can clean out the heads when they are off, the block, rad & hoses will a little more involved.

[60dgrzbelow0]

As a general rule of thumb... When you pull the heads, follow a nice, slow REVERSE head bolt torque pattern and you will eliminate one more cause of unintentional head warping...especially in aluminum heads.