When I replace the studs and gaskets will the engine hold more power? I'm looking at getting a good single.
Changing head gaskets. Advise?
- Thread starter Norcaldrifter
- Start date
Well the truck is in the shop with the heads off waiting for the injector cup O-rings so I can reseat the cups and take them to the machine shop. He thought about having me check the cups first but it's a good thing he listened and didn't go that route. The truck had certainly been previously owned by a not so handy DIY owner. When I built his trans it had a billet single disc converter and the valve body mods from a Co-Pilot (but no electronics); every external electrical connector was at least partially broken; nuts, bolts, and brackets were missing here and there; ect. It had the boost gauge tapped in after the PPE boost valve in the WG's boost line so it was only seeing what the boost valve let through. It had a stock air box with an aftermarket tube just hanging in it, sucking in un-filtered air after the MAF. The valve covers were sealed with 2 different colors of RTV, neither of which were GM - so the injectors were a DIY job, hopefully at least with a good set and not Pensacola Diesel injectors. Anyway it had 2 injector cups that weren't seated and 2 injectors that weren't seated (they probably re-used coppers) - so 2 injector cups were trash. Then to top it off the rear of the passenger side head gasket was blown. It'll be going back together nice and clean with head studs and all new gaskets, seals and o-rings. The slightly less than $3900 is all parts, labor, machine shop bill, coolant, oil and filter change, ect. The dealership will take you for over $4000 when it is all said and done with the "incidentals" - and that's with stock bolts going back in.
Scott, while the head studs will keep your heads on with added power they aren't the only weak link - we have seen cracked pistons and bent and broken push rods on stock engines that were pushed too hard, all with stock head bolts without ever blowing a gasket. But if you keep the power at a sane level and add it as safely as possible (bigger injectors for more conservative tuning for example) you will be fine putting on a bigger turbo.
Scott, while the head studs will keep your heads on with added power they aren't the only weak link - we have seen cracked pistons and bent and broken push rods on stock engines that were pushed too hard, all with stock head bolts without ever blowing a gasket. But if you keep the power at a sane level and add it as safely as possible (bigger injectors for more conservative tuning for example) you will be fine putting on a bigger turbo.
or as they are torquing the studs, slip off and take a valve out...
I know a guy who had this happen but didnt notice it and fired it up and drove around. I pulled the motor out for him, disassembled it and found a destroyed motor.
heres some pics of that carnage
Now I am in the process of doing a set on an 01. Heres a pic from tonite showing how nice and easy it is to work on it with the cab off. its even easier by pulling the motor, but IMO that takes a little more time. But I think its a complete toss up between the two methods. pulling the motor leaves the lift open for an extra couple days, pulling the cab ties the lift up. Again I think its a toss up.
Guess I'll be able to buy a pretty good tq wrench if that's the ballpark it's in.
Are yours gone Chris?
I have a few symptoms. Oil analysis came back good no coolant but it keeps a hard hose a lot and I get a low coolant message sometimes but if I loosten the cap it comes back up. I'm gonna get a new cap next and see what happens.
4 grand pricing, is that just labor or with the studs and hg kit? For one bank or both gaskets? I dont see any problem just doing the side that needs it. Ofcourse I would install the studs in both heads, but replacing one gasket isn't crazy, is it?
Question is : would you want the security of knowing they're both good. In other words, how much of a chance would you be taking ?
is it dumb to replace only the bad injectors instead of all 8?
Matter of personal preference.
If you do the work yourself, then IMO only fix whats broke. But if your paying a dealership $90 per hour, have them do it all while their in there.
I totally understand that, but a quick compression check would show if I'm leaking somewhere. If it shows leakage, check the injector cups. That should be easy enough with not much labor. If thats all it is on the otherside(if anything) than I think I would feel comfortable just studding it. Just wondered if people usually go ahead and do both, or the failed one only.
Personally if you are doing all the work to do a head gasket. I would not take the chance jmo. Why would you? To save the labor of removing the head? Or the cost of one side?
What do u mean by checking the cups on a lbz?
Just wondering, why do you need to do the injector cup seals? If they aren't leaking, and don't come out with the injector, would that not mean they are still good and sealed and not worth messing with?
Or is this just a well it's out of the engine so I might as well do it thing?
Or is this just a well it's out of the engine so I might as well do it thing?