I was having a brain cloud and was pushing the tensioner pully the wrong way =O . I got it now though.

 

We call those "Brain Farts" and they're usually a sign of advancing age...it's a way of life for me!

Glad it worked out!

 

Wow, that is a lot of info. I am now considering replacing the head gasket on my 2.3l 1991 ford ranger. Hope TigerDan is still around when I get up the nerve to tackle it.

 

Still around so far.

 

Good TigerDan, I am going to need every bit of knowledge you can spare. I had mechanics class in high school but th a seems to have been in the horse and buggy era, I have been around for 77 years.

 

Tigerdan, when replacing the head gasket, does the cam have to be removed from the head before taking th had to a machine shop to be checked an when installing head bolts should I use anti-seize compound on them ?

 

I would leave the cam in the head. If they need to remove it, they can do it. If you're only having the head checked to make sure it's flat they shouldn't need to remove it.

Don't use anti-seize on the head bolts, use a very light oil such as ATF, or grease designed for head bolts/studs such as ARP's bolt grease. And use it very sparingly, too much will fill the bolt hole with your lube and keep the bolt from tightening down all the way. Make sure the bolt holes are clean and dry, and the chase the threads.

 

[QUOTE=TigerDan;14885748]I would leave the cam in the head. If they need to remove it, they can do it. If you're only having the head checked to make sure it's flat they shouldn't need to remove it.

Don't use anti-seize on the head bolts, use a very light oil such as ATF, or grease designed for head bolts/studs such as ARP's bolt grease. And use it very sparingly, too much will fill the bolt hole with your lube and keep the bolt from tightening down all the way. Make sure the bolt holes are clean and dry, and the chase the threads.[/QUOTE
TighrDan,
Just as I was about to begin the weather got bad. 10 inches of snow so I had to delay the project. But now I am getting ready to tackle it. Somebody told me that I should remove the radiator and grill. That seems like a lot of extra work. What is your opinion on that. Following all of your info I am confident that I can do the job.

 

You might want to remove the radiator just to give you a little more room to work around the front of the engine, but I don't think it's really necessary and I see no reason to remove the grille at all.

 

TigerDan, finally the weather got good enough for me to begin the head gasket replacement. Following your splendid instructions I got TDC and the cam sprocket lined up perfectly. What suggestions can you give me for removing the upper intake manifold from the lower intake manifold. I removed the four bolts , all lines and the tube will not budge. I don't want to force anything and break it. Do I need to remove the top part where the air filter attaches to the tube? The job is getting done and I am enjoying the work. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

TigerDan,
The weather got good and I began the project. Got TDC, cam sprocket lined up.on attempting to remove the upper intake manifold tube I found that it would not budge. Any suggestions as to how I should go about breaking it loose? I sure don't want to break anything .Also when I removed the exhaust manifold, the third bolt from the front had a lot of motor oil. I read somewhere that some of those bolts are "journals" would the oil be a normal thing.