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L16 (521) head gasket?


d.p

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Article didnt come up... if everthing comes apart yes you want to start back at #1 at tdc..

What mike is saying is if just doing the head gasket... as long as the cam, chain, and crank are in the same position coming apart as going back together the theory is you'll be where you need to be...

Starting with #1 Tdc just gives you reference marks and things to be sure your right...

 

Up to you about leaving the cam in..

a good shop will be able to remove and reinstall with what ever they need to do...

Don't unbolt your cam towers.... that's a whole can of worms you don't wanna deal with....

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Alright. My plan was to leave the head as-is and take it to the machine shop. Mike got me worried that if they moved the cam I would be fucked when I reinstalled he head.

 

But I can just mark the chain and the sprocket and take the head off? I don't even need to be at TDC#1??

 

That article just said to set it to TDC.

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Just keep track of where the cam position is then make sure it is still there or move it there before bolting it back on. If you feem more confident being at TDC compression stroke on #1 cylinder, then by all means do so. If the head goes out for work take the rockers off and keep track of where they go so they go back on the same cam lobe. Pop the cam out. When you get the head back just put everything together. The #1 cam lobes will be at 10 o'clock (intake) and two o'clock (exhaust) as viewed from the front.

 

Set the head lightly in place on the two dowels and slip the cam sprocket on to the cam dowel pin. Hold the timing chain up and confirm that your two marks, one on the chain and one on the sprocket, closely line up and you can bolt the head down.

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I got a level garage so I am ok there.   Do I need to measure anything before taking the rocker arms off or just label them and make sure they go back in the same spot they came out of?  I guess I need to adjust the lash when I reinstall the head if I remove the rocker/cam? 

 

And anyone know why thread chasers are so damn expensive?  ARP ones are like $40 for a single 10 x 1.5

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You can put the rockers and the lash pads in order in plastic baggies.

 

Nothing is changed by removing them, just put back in the same order.

 

Take a head bolt in and get any bolt with the same thread. With a grinder, cut a slice down the length. Rub some bearing grease in the groove. Thread into the block and the crap will stick to the grease. Tell the truth there won't be much if anything in there because how would it get in there with the head bolt in place? This would make way more sense if the block had been laying around for a few months outside.

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Ill figure it out when I get there.  

 

Doing this now and have question about removing the carb. How do I get to the front left bolt (looking at it from the front one the engine side)?  

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And on a side note once all the rockers are out the cam should slide out nice and smooth....

On mine I wasn't so luck.... one cam tower was a little twisted so i couldn't remove the cam without pulling the towers. And as I said you don't wanna be dealing with realigning those.. It actually wore a burr into the cam and tower. I wont even get into how bad the rest of my head was....

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I can get a wrench on it but no room to turn it and I got nothing else to reach it.  It was loose to begin with and I can see why.  

 

Can I take the head off with the carb on it?  

 

34495757616_c6bc03b8fa.jpg

 

This offending nut right here...fuck. 

 

34151623000_3820d51352.jpg

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The head, the carb and a hard line going to the distributor which I should remove??...Seem like everything converges right there.  That picture is with my phone crammed down in-between the head and the carb.

 

Have not tried to take the intake off....mike said to take off the head with the exhaust and intake still attached.  I have read that the lower intake bolts are a bitch to get off as well.  

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Carb is off, was able to get it off with a stubby 12mm.    Fuel pump is off, valve cover off... 

 

Now should I take the intake and exhaust manifold off or just take the head off with them on? 

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personally, i'd removed them. good time to check intake/exhaust gasket, throw some exhaust paint on the manifold. and replace the exhaust collector gasket,

 

also makes the head a bit lighter in case you are doing this solo

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Thermostat came off but one of the bolts broke off in the head.  Not bad to have one bolt break but c'est la vie.   It broke high enough that the thermostat came off and I was able to use pliers to back out the broken shorter of the two bolts.  

 

Got the intake off, exhaust manifold is still hanging on cause I haven't been able to break the down pipe nuts loose.  They rusted a million times over.  But I can move it out of the way...so can I get the head off without having to pull the exhaust manifold completely out?  

 

Now I am ready to remove the head but I have questions:

 

Do I need to drain the oil before I remove the head?  

Should I remove the cam before I pull the head or do it after?

Truck is at TDC #1...so to break the cam sprocket loose does the truck need to be in gear?  

Breaking it loose, put a crescent wrench on the cam against a piece of wood and then break the sprocket loose?  Put the chain holder in after breaking that sprocket loose? 

 

Funny thing to, can anyone find the bottle opener in the picture below?  lol  Lord knows how long its been there. 

 

34499050376_8263453d2f.jpg

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the photo above.

What I do is pull the exhaust manifold away from the head and bolts

 

your close to putting the wedge on and pulling the head

 

 

make sure to get the 2 small bolt in front of head that go into the front cover

 

I would get rid of that emission injected airpump set up myself. My 521 didn't have that , but you need to plug it

 

 

remember loosen that cam bolt now, its tough and make sure TDC

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