The manual makes this look like not too bad of a job. It suggests I lossen all of the rocker adjustment nuts for valve lash and remove rocker assy.
I have also read that you can simply remove the rocker shaft assy even with spring pressures. I can guess a few reasons not to do this: if you are not careful you can bind/bend the shaft(seems improbable), and you may strip bolts(not if you're careful).


Would any of you advise that I remove/install the rocker assy with spring pressures so I can save myself the time of doing the vale lash?

Any other advice for doing this job? Thank you very much.

 

No one ever accused me of being a mechanic, but I did manage get the head back on the block following a recent engine rebuild. All the valve train assembly was removed. The head, just by itself, is quite heavy, and I needed some extra muscle to get it in position without disturbing the head gasket during the installation. I also needed help setting the valve lash when the job was finished. I believe some of our members also gave me some pointers for getting the little oiling tubes for the rocker arms and shaft installed properly.

Jim

 

Yes, thats another question, are the tubes easy to tell if they are installed properly? The rear one is supposed to have an O-ring of some sort, does that come out or stay in the block?

 

The oil supply line, rear line coming from the block has a "D" ring that gets lost, is brittle and or disappears. The D ring may not even be in the gasket kit. It will not be with the head gasket if that is all that is ordered. It is quite possible to R&R the rocker shaft without backing the adjustments off. Just turn each shaft hold down bolt a small amount when R&R it. I would recommend the rocker shaft be disassembled and cleaned. Take lots of pictures before disassembly. LAY THE PARTS OUT ON A FOLLOWUP SHAFT. . Know where the lubrication holes in the rocker shaft are positioned. Not a bad job at all, even for a rookie. BTW, plan on adjusting the valves. And while you are in there, make certain the valves are not leaking and the head surfaces are spotless. Do you see the possibility for mission creep? Have fun.

 

When you change the head gasket you WILL have to adjust the valves as the new head gasket will invariably be a different thickness from the one you removed.

 

Beav that is a valuable point I never even thought about!

Ray this engine is fresh with about 20k miles and runs absolutely perfect, not a drop of oil burns, performs great. I have no reason to suppose any leaking valves.
The rocker assy was replaced completely brand new at the rebuild and again I have no reason to believe it is clogged.
Ray the D-ring is the little clip at the top of the rocker shaft tower, correct?

I really need to tackle this,

 

The D ring is a small square sided or edged rubber ring. A plain old O ring will work just fine. I just remember the originals being called D rings. It fits on the end of the oil tube that carries the oil from a passage in the right rear side of the engine to the rocker shaft. The original may remain down in the block. It may be gone. If the engine was correctly rebuilt 20k miles ago and not too long ago, that D ring may be fine. And yes, as Beav and I both said, plan on adjusting the valves.
And so I must ask, Why are you replacing the head gasket if the engine runs perfect?

 

There is a coating of milky stuff on the roof of the valve cover--NOWHERE else is there evidence of water contamination. I took a roadtrip to the coast of about 300 miles and when I got back it took about a gallon of fluids to top off coolant(from previous topoff). First reported here:https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...s-clean-2.html

Coolant has always disappeared from this truck but now it's getting me worried. I haven't done a headgasket but once, and that was 10 years ago in a nice clean shop.
I will remove the hood so I can stand in the engine bay, but the other assembly/disassembly is kinda new to me. The manual has some good ideas. I really just need to bite the bullet and do it.

Oh yeah, and the truck is my current daily driver, so that's got my nerves too.

 

If you are not running a recovery tank you will always be about a gallon low when engine is cold
the milky residue may be caused from too cool of a thermostat. Engine not getting hot enough to to get the moisture out

 

I do have a recovery tank, and the thermo is a 180º. The link between a lot of missing coolant and a bunch of white milky stuff only a couple hundred miles after an oil change and cleaning of the valve cover is too strong, I really thing there is a coolant passage leaking into an oil passage.

Trust me, if there were any strong evidence that it wasn't a headgasket issue, I'd believe it. I've been noticing weird things like this over the last several years get worse and have been avoiding taking action. =/

 

Make sure if you pull the head you have it magnafluxed to check for cracks.

 

Only when two pressures are equal will there be cross contamination - oil into coolant, coolant into oil. The passage that has the highest pressure will contaminate the passage with the lower pressure. Cracks can also open and close with temperature, such as a combustion chamber. Have you performed a simple "Block check"?

 

The engine was mag'd fuller when rebuilt and given clean bill of health. Disappearing coolant since it first ran, leaky exterier headgasket since it first ran. I have never overheated it, and I don't really want to disassemble the head and take it to a shop. I will look carefully but probably not mag it; I could take it to a local schoole where I'm friends with the engine tech professor to negate the cost, but I really don't think it's an issue.

I understand the principle of pressures you speak of. I have no decrease in performance and no steam in exhaust. Plugs look clean, no white, grey, or black soot of any sort.
Again, I have no reason to believe I have a combustion chamber head gasket leak. All evidence point to an oil/coolant leak.

That tester is neat, but expensive. And it just tells me the same thing a comression check would. I will finally do a comp test before pulling the head, might was well.




I am in the process of sprucing up my other car to get it ready for duty in case the truck needs longer than a days work. Probably dive into the truck on Sunday or Monday.


P.S. Should I do a comp test with engine hot or cold? I'd think hot.

 

Ok, there are only three places coolant can go. 1) Out the exhaust. 2) Into the crankcase. 3) Onto the floor (overflow).

 

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