Blown head gasket 3.7l -help

[Hendrous]

Thanks that's good to know.
In terms of a crate engine, I appreciate the heads up glend, but I now think I'll just try to get a 2nd hand head and then have it checked if I find I have a cracked one under the bonnet. The Jeep I bought has a relatively new long block installed with only 15k on it and the previous owner told me he had a nightmare getting the blue slip sorted as the bloc came in from the states with no number on it. He had to get someone to etch a number on it and then get it approved which took a lot of time and money.
Unfortunately it seems the mechanic who did that job in 2012 just bolted all the old gear on and I'm thinking they didn't bother to put a new water pump on..
I'm planning to replace the pump, viscous fan, thermostat and install an engine watchdog on it once I get the head/s back on.
Any suggestion on which brand of gaskets to go with? There are several on fleebay which include bolts for about $200 but I haven't a clue on which is tried and tested.
Chrs
Mark

[Hanna]

I can't remember the brand for the VRS top end set that I got, but I remember it was just a generic set off Rock Auto's website. 45,000km on and it's still going strong. I'm pretty sure I still have the invoice in a box with all the old valves etc if you want me to have a look?

As I said previously, I would seriously consider waiting until you have it pulled down before ordering any parts - something might pop up during the strip down that you need to replace. For instance, I broke my harmonic balancer and found a cracked exhaust manifold after I had ordered my parts from Rock Auto which meant I had to pay for an extra shipment and wait another 4-5 days for the parts to arrive. Frustrating when you have fully reconditioned heads ready to bolt on!

Also, if you play around with the different products so that they ship from the same warehouses the postage works out to be quite reasonable. Heavy items are never cheap to post though. I always add in 3 or 4 sets of oil, air, fuel filters and spark plugs when I order as some of the are as cheap as $3 or $4 in the states. Auto service kits are cheap too. Saves you heaps over time.

Good luck!

Cheers,
Hanna

[Hendrous]

Makes sense Hanna,
I'm thinking of ordering through the local supplier of the global warehouse as they don't charge for delivery above a certain price and their prices seem rougly comparable with US suppliers/sites and bits should turn up in a matter of days..
Reading the manual I see I've got plenty to do to strip the engine down. It is a lot more involved than my old four pot land rover tdi!
One of several potential problems I'm anticipating is removing the crankshaft/balancer bolt. Assume the balancer wheel rotates clockwise looking from the front. In terms of loosening the bolt, has anyone had success putting a long bar onto the chassis (or floor) and just turning it over using the starter (with the fuel relay removed) to crack the bolt (and not snap it!!!)? I don't have an impact wrench and I'm hoping to avoid asking my wife for help this early in the process!
Some other questions, do you need to drain the power steering fluid? I noted I have to unbolt the power steering pump and wondered if that has to be drained first.
Also in terms of draining the coolant, do you need to remove the plug from the block, or will simply draining the radiator get the coolant out of the heads.

I know these last two questions might seem obvious, but I read an old post someone put online on doing a 3.7l head and they didn't touch upon these things and I'm questioning whether they don't need to be taken care of or they just forgot to put these points in the write up. Another problem here is I think the write up is for a left hand drive and so things like moving the air con compressor out of the way might be easy on a left hand drive and impossible on a right hand drive.
Chrs
Mark

[Hanna]

A couple of answers (or suggestions) for you:

1: It is quite a job to get the heads off, but it's more time consuming than anything. If you have time and keep all the bolts in labelled zip lock bags, use a paint pen to identify where wires and vacuum hoses etc. connect and take plenty of photos along the way that you can refer back to, you should be fine.

2: Not sure about the direction of rotation for the harmonic balancer, but I would only use that method if you have to. I tried removing it with a (crappy) rattle gun with no luck, then a 500mm breaker bar with a large screwdriver lodged in the balancer with no luck. I then went to Bunnings and bought a 2m length of gal pipe and used this over the breaker bar and it cracked the bolt undone almost straight away! I would do this if you can. Re-torquing was quite simple from memory, with a bit of effort of course. If you don't have a suitable puller to get the balancer back on be careful as you're not supposed to use the bolt to pull it back into place or you could strip the crankshaft thread which would be a world of pain!!. I made a tool out of a long threaded bar, large greased-up washers and a couple of nuts. Just take it slow and release the tension every now and then and re-grease the washers. You will see how hot they get from the friction. I used this tool for most of the way and then gave it a few hits with a hammer by placing a short piece of 4x2 in there. I used the crankshaft bolt for the last little bit as the thread was in a long way.

3: I didn't need to drain the PS pump at all from memory. Is it mounted with flexible hoses? I think you can tie it up out of the way and is pretty well sealed, so give it a go. No biggie if you need to refill it though. Just don't start the engine until the reservoir is full.

4: I just drained the radiator and I can't remember much coolant coming out when the heads were removed. There was some in the cylinders, but I just mopped it up with paper towel and blew dry with the compressor. I highly recommend dropping the oil and changing your filter before you run the engine after reassembling as you will have bits of gasket, dust and traces of coolant that will enter the oil galleries during the job and it's not worth the risk of having contaminants ruining your "new" engine.

[Hendrous]

Thanks for all that info,
I spent the morning dismantling the fans and marking all pipes and wiring plugs with masking taped notes so I can hopefully remember where it all goes when I get to the reassembly stage. Also running a video camera to remind myself where pipes and wires run.
It was a bit disconcerting hitting a snag when simply trying to disconnect the fan power connector. I snapped the lug of it and spent 15 minutes getting the little bugger apart. I figure if that gave me trouble I am in for some fun and games.
And yep I will go with your approach on the crankshaft bolt. What works on a utube clip may not in my garage and I could send a wrench through the radiator if it comes flying off.
What is the socket size btw? I measured it at 22mm but I'm not 100% on that as it is hard to get in there to size it up.
Thanks in advance.
Mark

[Hendrous]

Forget that query...I used a 13/16 impact socket on a 600mm breaker bar and gave it a heave after wedging a half inch extender bar through the balancer and onto a bolt holding the water pump. I was relieved when it turned without too much effort. One small victory iand I haven't got the balancer off yet.
Thanks again for the tips Hanna.

[Hanna]

Good to hear! If it helps your confidence at all think I broke the same connector on the fan wiring when I did mine. I just used a dab of silicone on the body of the connector when I put it back together so that it wouldn't rattle apart.
You will have many ups and downs whilst doing this job, but just remember all the money you're potentially saving whilst learning more about your engine. Trust me, it helps a lot if/when you have a breakdown or do other maintenance.