head gasket debrief: lessons learned

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
I recently undertook and completed a head gasket replacement on my D1. While I could have been more efficient, it was the first time I have ever undertaken a project of this magnitude and ultimately it had a successful outcome. Since I feel I owe a portion of my success to the discoweb community I'd like to return part of the favor by sharing the lessons I learned in hopes that someone else finds them helpful in the future. I'll also make a donation with some of the money I saved by doing it myself.

First off, special recognition is due to some folks from discoweb. Without their help I couldn't have done it.

  • Will Tillery, for short phone calls, good parts at a good price, and fast service.
  • Elias Christeas, for the instructional DVD and for valuable suggestions via text message along the way.
  • PT Schram, for some answers to questions, and for making generous offers to ship parts.
Also thanks to everyone who has gone through this repair before and posted tips about it in past threads.

Preparation:
I understood early on that this was going to be a complex, detail-oriented, and time consuming project. In order to make it go smoothly as possible I put a considerable effort into preparations. I wanted to avoid disruptions with trips to the parts store, hardware store, and beer store. This work up front paid off big time, and if you are going to take on this repair then I encourage you to plan ahead thoroughly.

First I did a lot of homework. I read all the head gasket threads I could find in the technical section of the board. There are a lot, and it was confusing to make sense of them all before getting into the project. One thing I ended up doing that was really helpful was copying and pasting certain comments from the various threads into a Word document, then organizing them by the order of operations. This way I could anticipate where other folks had run into problems and not repeat their mistakes/misfortunes. I printed this document and kept it in the workspace as a reference during the job.

I printed off all the sections of RAVE that seemed to have relevance to the project: head gasket, steering system, torque values, serpentine belt orientation, etc. As a rookie I printed off maybe 20-30 pages of different sections and found them valuable references during the job.

In Search of the Experience. This was $15 well spent. The instructional section of this DVD was essential to understanding the progression of the project. I watched it ahead of time and kept a laptop in the work space so I could refer to it on the fly. Plus the movie was cool.

Assistance. Having some competent help was essential to the project success. Nearly every day of the project I had a friend come over to lend a hand. Some things are really hard to do alone, plus having the company made the process more enjoyable. I budgeted beer and pizza into my project costs to keep my helpers happy and threw a party for them all when I finished.

Tools. I don't have my entire kit handy right now, but some specific pieces I found indispensable include:
  • 5/16" 12-point deep socket for the valve cover bolts
  • 12mm 12-point socket for the exhaust manifold bolts
  • Impact swivel (I broke a universal swivel on a head bolt, thankfully had this on hand as well)
  • Socket extensions and different sized drivers
  • Digital torque wrench (vibrates and beeps when you reach the torque setting, no confusion)
  • Masking tape and Sharpie for labeling connections and labeling contents of...
  • Ziploc bags for storing bolts, clips, all the small pieces you remove during disassembly
  • 12" crescent wrench for fan removal
  • Digital camera
Bottom line: take the time to figure out what you'll need ahead of time. The more you plan ahead and prepare, the smoother your repair will go.

Disassembly:
This was one area that gave me difficulty, having never taken my engine apart before. The instructional DVD speeds through this process with some circus music, so I didn't feel as confident doing this as I might have. For other first-timers, I would suggest approaching the disassembly in small chunks, thinking about your engine as a big collection of smaller systems. You approach each system and break it into its component parts and then it's much easier to conceptualize. If you think "I have to take all this apart!" then it's overwhelming, but if you break it all down into smaller tasks then it's manageable. Here are some things I did to make it easier to put back together:

  • Take photos. A digital camera is great for getting close-ups of the engine so you know how it is supposed to look at different stages of assembly.
  • Label connections. Every time I unplugged something I made tags for each end of the connection using masking tape, and with the Sharpie I labeled them. "A" matched with "A", "B" matched with "B" and so on. It added some time but was definitely worth it when it came time to put stuff back together.
  • Label parts. Each time I removed something I put it in a plastic bag and wrote on the bag what it was, like "Valve cover bolts left side" or "PS pump, long bolts for housing, short bolts for pulley". For bigger parts, like the rocker arms, I set them down on cardboard under the truck and wrote on the cardboard "left, front" to maintain proper orientation. I also labeled the orientation of the push rods "Top, front to back". Everything that came out of the engine was recorded and cataloged so I could put it back in the right place.
  • Take notes. It may not be obvious how to reverse the steps when it's time to put everything back together. If you take notes that you did X before Y, then you'll know to do Y before X during reassembly. This could be as simple as recording voice notes on your cell phone.
  • Throw stuff away that you don't need. Parts you know you are replacing, like head bolts and spark plugs, make no sense to keep once they are removed. They just clutter the work space. Chuck 'em.
In general, try to be methodical, orderly, and organized. It will make a huge difference in how efficiently (and accurately) you can put your engine back together.

Reassembly:
Get help. There are lots of steps in the process that are easier with assistance. Go slow. Think about each step before you tighten everything to torque. I got ahead of myself on a couple of occasions and had to take some things back off in order to get a sequence right. This is where the notes are a good reminder. Also, from the point at which I set the heads onto the block I covered the intake holes with masking tape. Then when I put on the intake manifold I covered those openings with masking tape. Then when I put on the lower plenum I covered the pipes with masking tape. I wanted to avoid dropping anything into an intake. Just remember to remove the tape when it's time to install the next layer of components.

Encountering problems:
I don't know if there is a "routine" head job. I put a lot of effort into avoiding certain problems that other people had run into, which I managed successfully, but I had my own share of surprises that slowed me down.

  • Bent valve: the machine shop found a bent valve. It seemed foolish to go through all this trouble to replace my head gaskets without fixing a valve that would cause me trouble later on, so I agreed to a new valve and full valve job. It added a fair bit to the cost of the job but in the long run I think it will be worth it since I plan to keep my Disco for many years.
  • Exhaust manifolds: one of the threads on a bolt hole in the cylinder head was damaged and I was unable to seat the manifold bolt. I bought a tap & die kit to re-tap/restore the thread and it worked after extensive persuasion.
  • Valve cover bolt: a buddy of mine sheared off a valve cover bolt during assembly (see note above about competent help). He brought over a bolt extractor kit, and while I was nervous drilling into the bolt stud mere millimeters from the cylinder head the tool worked and I was able to remove the buried stud.
  • Leaking fuel injector: plugging all the injectors back in was awkward, and during the process one of the O-rings came unseated. When I finally turned the key all I got was a stream of gas flowing over my engine from the fuel rail. Had to take a few things apart to reach the leaking injector but re-seating the O-ring solved that issue.
Total time: 32 hours over 8 days (heads were at the machine shop for one day)
Cost breakdowns:
  • Head gasket kit & radiator hoses from Will: $280
  • Hand tools: $90
  • Plugs/fluids/filters: $70
  • In Search of the Experience DVD: $15
  • Head resurfacing: $130
  • New valve/valve job: $280
  • Pizza & beer: $50
All told the repair cost me about $900, which is more than I was hoping to spend but still a lot less than taking it to a shop ($2,000- $2,500 quoted). I know the quality of the work and how thorough I was, and even though it took me so long I'd like to think I took care of little things that the dealership might not have spent the time on. It's hard to put a value on what I learned by doing this repair myself. I gained a much deeper understanding of how my engine works, I gained confidence in my skills for future projects, and I gained a new respect for folks who do this work for a living. It's challenging, physically and mentally, to lean over an engine for hours on end. Especially when you are tall.

I don't want to ever do this job again on this Disco. I'll happily help others with the project, or do it again in a couple years if I buy another Rover, but I need a break from wrench time for a little while. Whether the Disco will let me have it is another story. Thanks again to those whose help was so welcome, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the process. I'm still no expert, but I'm happy to share what I learned.

:patriot:

Nick
 
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RoverDII

Well-known member
Apr 30, 2008
241
0
SoCal
Glad to hear it went well for you. I'm getting ready to do this project on my D2.
Thanks for sharing
:victory:
 

Welcome to Hell A

Well-known member
Feb 7, 2006
130
0
Between the Crips and Chiques
When you're tall you get sore from leaning over the engine. When you're short you get sore from sitting on top of the engine in awkward positions on things that hurt. Either way, it's painful after a while.

I hope you sealed the valley gasket verrrry well. That was my problem, more than once.
 

rmuller

Well-known member
Apr 28, 2004
4,452
1
Northern NJ
www.njlr.org
Nice writeup, can hopefully help some people... key aspect of a successful large project like this is organization... be absolutely thorough with everything... there is NOTHING worse then realizing you lost a land rover specific bolt/clip half way through the job because you didn't label things properly.

Question -- Which digital torque wrench do you have?
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
Ryan, a friend kindly let me borrow a Snap On. It had a flex-head, red rubber grip, programmable in lb-ft and Nm, was very nice.
 

eliaschristeas

Well-known member
Jul 6, 2006
2,441
5
Beverly HIlls
its write ups like these that have tought me just about everything i know about these cars. NICE JOB!

the disassembly WAS fast in the vid - reason being it would bore classic or d2 owners to death - i wanted to focus on the INSTALL, which at the time i felt was of most concern/universal.

you're observation of "smaller systems" making up a "bigger system" is right on in logic and will no doubt help frame the job for others.

and the music? yakketty sax -aka- benny hill theme! part of my ongoing efforts to downplay intimidating projects and make a shit ton of hard work seem fun!
 
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no694terry

Well-known member
Sep 29, 2009
989
0
pittsburgh, pa
i admire people with your patience, i didn't even have the patience to read half of what you wrote. did my hg's a few months ago and i barely even pay attention to the temp gauge anymore. i used to have one eye on the road and the other on that needle
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
I should also mention that I still have my 2-page Word doc with the suggestions made in other head gasket repair threads. Send me a pm if you would like me to email you a copy.
 

EJB90

Well-known member
Feb 26, 2007
1,231
0
33
Connecticut
Congrats on doing the head job. I did mine a while back and it was actually pretty fun looking back.

Way to keep an LSE on the road!
 

Tugela

Well-known member
May 21, 2007
4,754
562
Seattle
This post includes the contents of the Word document referenced in prior posts. It is a collection of excerpts taken from many threads on Discoweb dealing with head gasket replacement. I culled those suggestions that sounded most useful. They are not in any particular order.

ALSO: when you take your heads in to be resurfaced, they run them through some sort of chem dip to remove all of the gunk and carbon and they will come back looking brand new. Take your valve covers and rocker assemblies with when you drop them off and have them clean them too. The shop I used did it for free with the heads and It saved me two hours with a tooth brush and cleaner.

you can also use a 6pt 3/8 socket on a 3/8 to 1/2 adapter for use with a 1/2" breaker bar. has worked for me every time and no banging the firewall needed.

It's a good practice to get everything done to the heads including valves, stems, pressure test, degrease, and resurface. That leaves fewer things to give you issues in the future.

Just a note when you put it back together so you don't make the same mistake I did: Make sure you get the wiring harnesses in the right places. I forget which sensor it is for but its wires sneak in between the engine block and the water pump (might be PS pump, I forget). Make sure you have it in the right place otherwise you'll have to take the pump back off which is a pain.

Okay well I've started the job, and its gone pretty well so far. The biggest PITA i've had (and still have) is removing a bolt on the LH head facing the firewall that secures a wiring harness. Any suggestions on that bolt? Here are some pictures, would you guys recommend cleaning out the area under the valley pan? If so how? What else should I clean once I get the heads off? I've also been reading about the use of sealant around the valley pan gasket, and other gaskets, is this necessary? If so where do I put the sealant and what kind should I use? When I took the valve cover gaskets off it looked like some sort of sealant had already been used, as there is grey residue left from it.

Are you talking about the crank sensor harness bracket? If so just slide the crank sensor multiplug out and leave that bracket on. I can't think of what other bracket you would be talking about other than the ground. What sort of trouble are you having with removing that bolt?
head bolt - 5/8 impact iniversal 1/2 drive and a braker bar. dont let it slip off that bolt and round it or youll end up like that other poor guy a few weeks back.

Getting the alternator out was a bitch. Some of the multiplugs were on pretty good. Getting the coil pack bolts off of the intake was the biggest pain so far- crawling into the fucking engine trying to find the outer bolts in the limited space, limited vision, and mess of wires... and it turns out you only have to do the top bolts to get the intake off.

When you put it back together, spray the ends of the new HG around the water passages with high-tack spray. Make sure you blow out the tapped holes for the headbolts before threading them in. Lightly oil the threads and put a dab of white grease under the heads of the new headbolts before torquing. Get new intake bolts and make sure to put extra sealant on the bolts that go into the water passages. Put a little glob of Right Stuff in the corners where the heads meet the block at the front and rear valley (where the rubber valley end seals fit). Be VERY careful lining up the lower intake plenum gasket. Do not final torque the retaining clamp bolts until the intake is lined up and you have all the bolts started.

I high-tack spray the valley gasket around the intake ports as well- I have seen a lot of vacuum leaks from here. Be VERY careful re-installing the heater pipe into the intake manifold. Replace the o-ring on it and grease it up really well before sliding that pipe in there. Coat boat sides of the valve cover gaskets lightly with Right Stuff. LOCTITE the valve cover bolts and torque them evenly. Replace the throttle heater plate while youre at it. Make sure the ends of the throttle heater hoses aren't damaged. High tack the new throttle heater gasket. Put lots of high-temp copper anti-seize on any bolt or stud in the exhaust system.

For future reference, there was no need to remove the alternator, you only have to remove the bracket assy and move it to the side. There is a lot you can leave intact. I can strip a Bosch V8 down to the block (heads removed) in less than 2 hours and have a complete HG job finished in 5

I always mark my heads and such when taking to a machine shop to make sure I get my own back.

Gaskets: as they say in Jamaica, red stripe up mon! dont forget to clean the block! and dont forget to blast air into A) the water jackets (i do this to ensure things are nice and dry on install) and 2)blast air (using a computer keyboard cleaner air thing if necessary) into the head bolt cavities on the block. Get that cleaning material and coolant and oil outta there!

When you first posted how much it was gonna cost you to have your heads done, I was shocked as I'm paying quite a bit more... Then, I realized that I have the heads degreased, the valves ground, the heads resurfaced, the valve seats vacuum tested and the cooling passages pressure tested. I just checked the invoice for the last set from about a month ago and the cost for just resurfacing was only $65!
 

JohnB

Well-known member
Oct 18, 2007
2,292
12
Oregon
I always mark my heads and such when taking to a machine shop to make sure I get my own back.

!


Good Idea my brother in his mini cooper days had a shop in town flat out steel his Cooper S Rods and try to pass on some nasty crap back to him.
 

bgbrox

Well-known member
Dec 25, 2016
63
8
Golden, CO
I just finished my D1 HG project. It was by far the biggest mechanic project I've ever done. This thread was one of the resources I used (also RAVE and the Atlantic British D2 HG video), so I figured I'd add my experience.

#1: use paint to mark the head bolts before doing the 90 degree sequences. The tech in the AB video just estimated 90 degrees. I found it hard to get clearance for a full 90 degrees. Also, between sloppy tools and a cheater bar, there was too much play for me to really feel good about it.

head bolt - 5/8 impact iniversal 1/2 drive and a braker bar. dont let it slip off that bolt and round it or youll end up like that other poor guy a few weeks back.
This is the biggest thing I would do differently if I did my heads again. I used a mix of sockets including a craftsman u-joint socket, a normal impact socket and some extensions. Buy, beg, borrow the right tool here. My Husky breaker had a lot of play and the craftsman u-joint didn't work well under torque.

When you put it back together, spray the ends of the new HG around the water passages with high-tack spray. Make sure you blow out the tapped holes for the headbolts before threading them in. Lightly oil the threads and put a dab of white grease under the heads of the new headbolts before torquing. Get new intake bolts and make sure to put extra sealant on the bolts that go into the water passages. Put a little glob of Right Stuff in the corners where the heads meet the block at the front and rear valley (where the rubber valley end seals fit). Be VERY careful lining up the lower intake plenum gasket. Do not final torque the retaining clamp bolts until the intake is lined up and you have all the bolts started.
I don't think "In Search of Experience" is available (at least I couldn't find it). Atlantic British has a video that follows this procedure exactly. Not Tugela's fault, but none of this made sense to me until I saw it in the video.

I high-tack spray the valley gasket around the intake ports as well- I have seen a lot of vacuum leaks from here. Be VERY careful re-installing the heater pipe into the intake manifold. Replace the o-ring on it and grease it up really well before sliding that pipe in there. Coat boat sides of the valve cover gaskets lightly with Right Stuff. LOCTITE the valve cover bolts and torque them evenly. Replace the throttle heater plate while youre at it. Make sure the ends of the throttle heater hoses aren't damaged. High tack the new throttle heater gasket. Put lots of high-temp copper anti-seize on any bolt or stud in the exhaust system.
All this makes a lot of sense now. I used hi-tack on the VCGs like the AB video. Didn't do locktite, but I wish I would have.

I can strip a Bosch V8 down to the block (heads removed) in less than 2 hours and have a complete HG job finished in 5
That blows my mind. I did it in chunks over many different days/nights. Fluids one day, accessories another, etc. Doing this under time pressure would be really hard for me.
 

proper4wd

Well-known member
Jun 11, 2015
77
21
boston
i miss the good old days where i would pull a D2 into the shop at 8am for headgaskets and drive it to lunch at noon all done. heads still warm when they come off.