Well while driving to the house to pick something up for work the check gauges sounder went off so i looked at the oil pressure gauge as that has been a bit intermitent lately but it was good so I glance over to the temp gauge and it PEGGED. *** so i pulled over and popped the hood do see if its boiling over and its wasn't quite there. I wait a bit for it to cool down and get back to driving and it starts to fluxuate b/t 190 and 205ish so i think hmm thermostat might be sticking so i limp my truck less than a mile to the parts store to get the new thermostat. I get to the house and let the truck cool down so i can work on it, finally pulled the three bolts out and there the thermostat sits wide open. well it was cool enough to touch so i grab it, take a look at it and watch the thing close so now i know thats not the culprit. check the coolant level and its way low . Frustrated at the this point I take my *** inside and get on here to see why i'm loosing antifreeze and don't you know it, they all refer to blown head gaskets..... so as i'm walking outside to look at the dipstick, i'm trying to convince myself that, no, it can't be that, my trucks only 114K on, it's practically new well i skip the dipstick and go straight to the filler cap. Well needless to say i went to pulling off the valve cover and found this....

[IMG][/IMG]


So now ladies and Gentlemen how do I get this crap out of my motor without yanking the motor??

 

that stinks...my guess would be to flush the motor somehow and once you replace the HG, run some fresh oil till it gets to operating temp and drain and refill? im sure some with more experience will chime in and give you some great advice

brett

 

clean what is apart, put it back together, change your oil and do a 50/50 or heavier mix of tranny fluid and oil and run the engine for 10-15 mins, drain and repeat a couple/few times....

 

thats what i was think with the flushing, just run motor oil threw it and drain it. I guess i need to find a manual and dig in.

 

hmm tranny fluid, never thought of that. where's a good place to get a cummins HG? haha please don't say cummins. and someone explain the marine 12v HG to me. I really can't justify spending 1000 bucks right now on studs, orings and everything because of the holidays or i would do it all. just bad timing and the wife aready hates the truck. vp44, needs a tranny blahblah, just addin this to the list.

 

this would also be a great time to install that super B and your stack(s)

 

Well Cummins is gonna be one of your best bets unless there is a good auto parts store near by that may carry one, there are usually a good number of different manufacturers of gaskets but its just like everything sometimes you get what you pay for....

 

hahah just the downtime that i was looking for....

 

yeah i just don't what to have to do it over b/c of a cheap gasket

 

i dont know what kind of price Cummins would give you on a new gasket but i just looked at a price on a new HG from Fel-pro and its only $160

 

Mine hates the truck too, in spite of the fact I have worked the daylights out of it hauling 1) her butt 2) heavy loads & 3) loaded 20 ft.flatbed trailer through sand, mud , snow, 6000 ft. mountain passes, blistering heat, freezing cold, 80 + mph interstate (had it up to 115 mph so far, w/o trailer) at 18 to 21 mpg with plenty of power, in the comfort of a well heated or cooled cab with a factory stereo that cranks.
As with any piece of heavy duty equipment that gets used, it's going to need maintenance & occasionally a component will fail & need replacement. She ought to know that, her dad was a 5th. generation logger !
My Dodge is way more than a mere pick-up. The kind of duty I've subjected it to would have worn out any other rig. Best darn truck I've ever had.
It's funny how she'll hop right in, all smiles, when it's running good.

 

I had a ton of water in my boat engine one time. It came in threw the front
crankshaft seal. Someone moved the boat and did not elevate it enough to drain the water.

I used it, got as far as the inlet. Thought I had picked up something in the prop. Checked it nothing.

Anyway, I finally pulled the dip stick and it was moose just like yours. It took 5 oil changes and filters to get it all out and back to normal. The good thing was it used a little oil before that happened. It never used anymore oil after that?

Dave