head and head gasket
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head and head gasket
Hey all,
I am running out of things to check regarding my intermittant low power. I suspect a head or head gasket problem may be the root cause. I am going to check a few more things first but in my experience the least likely and very expensive is what makes the problem go away. I have done head work on Mercedes diesels with aluminum heads before but never a Cummins.
From reading on here, I should pull the head and have it milled. Which head gasket should I use? Stock size or thick? Should I replace all the valve springs? The valves themselves? Should I replace or re-use the existing head bolts? Are they stretch bolts?
Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
Thanks,
Brian
I am running out of things to check regarding my intermittant low power. I suspect a head or head gasket problem may be the root cause. I am going to check a few more things first but in my experience the least likely and very expensive is what makes the problem go away. I have done head work on Mercedes diesels with aluminum heads before but never a Cummins.
From reading on here, I should pull the head and have it milled. Which head gasket should I use? Stock size or thick? Should I replace all the valve springs? The valves themselves? Should I replace or re-use the existing head bolts? Are they stretch bolts?
Any comments or suggestions are welcome.
Thanks,
Brian
#2
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Check the head for flatness before having it milled. Most of them are flat enough for re-use. If you are keeping the truck stock or close to it use the stock gasket unless you need to have the head milled. See https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...95&postcount=6 for specs.
You can check the valve seats by laying the head upside-down and pouring a light solvent like mineral spirits or lacquer thinner in the combustion chambers and leaving it for a few hours. Leaky ones will empty the chamber. At your mileage I doubt there are any valve or spring troubles. If you plan to add an exhaust brake or really spin the engine fast this would be a good time to upgrade the springs, but otherwise leave them be.
Cummins has a bolt stretch guage made of high-tech cardboard. Cummins also says you can check the bolts by dropping them head down on a concrete floor. Bolts that ring are OK, ones that don't should be replaced.
You can check the valve seats by laying the head upside-down and pouring a light solvent like mineral spirits or lacquer thinner in the combustion chambers and leaving it for a few hours. Leaky ones will empty the chamber. At your mileage I doubt there are any valve or spring troubles. If you plan to add an exhaust brake or really spin the engine fast this would be a good time to upgrade the springs, but otherwise leave them be.
Cummins has a bolt stretch guage made of high-tech cardboard. Cummins also says you can check the bolts by dropping them head down on a concrete floor. Bolts that ring are OK, ones that don't should be replaced.
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