Heads

[r0cj0c]

Well I have a 97 disco with about 125000 on it. found an oil leak and some coolant on my engine. a bit more than normal more like a lava flow out of my head gasket. which was o-so wonderful to find. i guess bet now then when im stranded with a blown gasket. im gonna replace it all next week but don't know what all to replace. and any extra tha would be due.
I was thinking

Head gasket set
valve cover gasket
head bolts
water pump gasket
thermostat
new timing chain
get heads cleaned and flat and whatever else you get done at a machine shop for that (which is?)

anything else would be appreciated very much.
i looked at some other threads but none gave a very detailed list.

ryan

[Disco Mike]

You might want to consider flushing the engine with 6 qts. of ATF prior to starting the tear down. At least you will have a much cleaner engine internally to work on.
I would also pull the pan and clean it out, inspecting for bearing wear and clogged oil pick up tube.
Good luck with the project.
Mike

[Kevin88RRC]

You might consider cam, tappets, and pushrods since you are opening it up already.

[r0cj0c]

What should i look for when buying a cylinder head gasket set.
i know I need:
head gaskets
exhaust manifold gaskets
intake manifold gasket
valve stem seals
and 20 stretch bolts

[apbtpetey]

Originally Posted by r0cj0c

what should come in a head gasket kit?

Your basic head gasket kit would come with the head gaskets, valve cover gaskets, valley gasket I think thats what its called (the one under your intake), and the exhaust manifold gaskets that go between the heads and yout exhaust manifold. Atleast thats what came in the kit I got for my Disco when I did the head gaskets.

In addition you'll need the basic stuff you listed and might as well get a new thermostat and thermo gasket as well. I also got an upper engine rebuild kit from Atlantic British that included little things like various seals such as vavle seals and stuff. I would also replace the plugs and wires while in there. Becareful with the brass fitting that screws into the top of your radiator as well. Might as well replace the hoses as well and the belt and get them out of the way. Just take your time its a pretty straight forward job and give everything a good cleaning.

[r0cj0c]

Y ATF fluid thats Transmission fluid. not that you don't know what your talking about i just don't understand. cant i just use Gunk motor flush.

[pavel]

Be careful about the head bolts you buy. I had to take one set back (got them through the machine shop that did my valves) because they were substandard-they were not labelled with manufacturer or country of origin. I figured they were knock-offs from some unknown manufacturer. The machine shop guy said they were fine but he was just feeding me a line of crap. When you looked at the threads,they were rough, uneven and had some damage to them. I ended up getting head bolts from the dealer (expensive)-they looked much better with taller heads and much better threads.

[r0cj0c]

I bought the bolts AB. and cylinder head gasket set from RN.

[r0cj0c]

Originally Posted by Disco Mike

You might want to consider flushing the engine with 6 qts. of ATF prior to starting the tear down. At least you will have a much cleaner engine internally to work on.
I would also pull the pan and clean it out, inspecting for bearing wear and clogged oil pick up tube.
Good luck with the project.
Mike

Still don't understand y the ATF. i would think its bad for the engine. but im no expert. isn't Gunk motor flush good enough.

[flunkster]

when removing the heads, unbolt the exhaust manifold at the downpipe juction and lift with manifold intact. the manifold bolts are covered with tabs that can be a bitch to bend out of the way on some of the bottom ones.

personally, i wouldnt worry about flushing the engine first....@ 145k, i didnt see any reason to have done this.

if you have over 100k, getting a new camshaft may be a good idea. keep in mind though that the radiator and ac condensor both have to come out. dont forget to check the cam bearings!

dropping the oil pan is a good idea!

as for parts....check out www.aluminumv8.com ! give mark a call and tell him what you are doing and he will tell you what you need! their prices are pretty good. you can get el cheapo lifters from napa that work fine if you decide to do these and the camshaft.

if you just want to do heads you will need

intake manifold or "valley pan" gasket
manifold and y-pipe junction seals
head gaskets
hylomar sealant
valve cover gaskets

there are places that can do the heads for you for $100 if you do some searching

your looking at $500 or so

you want to do the cam shaft, lifters and pushrods...expect more like $1000

enjoy!

[Disco Mike]

Originally Posted by r0cj0c

Still don't understand y the ATF. i would think its bad for the engine. but im no expert. isn't Gunk motor flush good enough.

Dealers were doing the ATF flush 20 years or more ago cause we didn't have the engine flushing machines that came out or the last 10 years.
It works fast and completely, which is something we wanted in the shop, ATF won't hurt the engines or seals, it just cleans.
As for the Gunk or other engine flushes, they work well, but much more gradually, I use a can still in my truck on every other oil change to maintane my clean engine.
Mike

[Buddy Lee]

Originally Posted by r0cj0c

Still don't understand y the ATF. i would think its bad for the engine. but im no expert. isn't Gunk motor flush good enough.

Ok judging from your other post it's probably too late for this but here is the reason for future purposes.

ATF is safe in the engine although you would not want to drive it with the ATF in it since it's too thin. The reason people run ATF is because it has a very high level of detergents and conditioners that will loosen and clean all the gunk and sludge off in your engine. It's an old school method that works well. You can also use things like Gunk, Seafoam, etc. But ATF is safe readily available and works really well. Although running 6 quarts through the engine can be kind of expensive. Some people will just add 1 quart before an oil change depending on the person they may drive it for a few miles or just let it run before draining the oil. This helps to keep it clean on the inside. Also running a quart of ATF through your gas tank every 1,000 - 2,000 miles will help to reduce carbon build up and clean your system.

I used to even know a few mechanics in the old carburetor days that would pour ATF directly into the carb and dump the throttle open to burn carpon off the valves. It's kind of amazing stuff. Other uses include conditioner and cleaner for diesel engines Run a quart through the tank at regular intervals.

[Disco Mike]

AH Buddy, there you go showing your age now.
I got in the car business in 69, went to work for a Chevey store, that had as a logo, " The Home of The $1999 Pickup". Hard to think of buying a new 1/2 ton base truck for $1999.
Mike

[Buddy Lee]

Originally Posted by Disco Mike

AH Buddy, there you go showing your age now.
I got in the car business in 69, went to work for a Chevey store, that had as a logo, " The Home of The $1999 Pickup". Hard to think of buying a new 1/2 ton base truck for $1999.
Mike

Well I'm not THAT! old but probably older then a few people here. I'm still < 40 So you still have me beat. But most of the cars we used to play with where from the 60's and early 70's.