Where's the best place to pick one up?
I'm down in Yellostone and I'm starting to leak at the back left of the block. Not to bad yet, only 1/2 litre in 1000K. I'm gonna turn the box off and nurse it back home. This things killing me, I'm slowly working my way through all the known Dodge problems.

 

Usually the best I have found is directly from cummins

 

Its not to bad of a job to replace the head gasket, with stock bolts. After you replace the head gasket, I would run at least the 425's ARP's and crank them up to at least 125 ft*lbs.

You could also tighten up the back bolts and see if the coolant decreases in flow. It didn't work for my head gasket failures.

 

I've only used cummins head gaskets/

 

Paul and i used gaskets from Albert engine and parts, mines been in for over 200,000kms now http://www.albertaengine.com/

 

but who made the gasket?

 

DRD, when you replace the head gasket, do some decent block/head prep and get off all the gasket material. If your bored you could check the block and head for straightness. Good luck buddy nursing the truck. Been there towing my RV with a bad headgasket, both oil and coolant weeping out of back engine.

 

I got cummins gaskets from alberta engine in calgary. Thats what I'd use, its not worth the nuisance of redoing a head gasket to save a hundred bucks on an aftermarket gasket

 

how much was your cummins gasket from there?

 

sorry man, bought a full engine kit in one shot, didnt get individual prices. just look em up online and give them a call.

 

Made it home without a hook.
I've changed lot's of head gaskets on Cummins gas engines so I'm not worried about doing it. I just never thought I'd have to do it to my truck that only has 180k or so KM on it.
I couldn't handle towing with just my little 275 injectors, I had to turn the box back on. Stock really does suck.

 

I use orings and ARP's 425's. Could also crank up the stock bolts to a higher torque than stock. Lots of guys here still running stock head bolts and running big boost numbers. Lots of things help to kill a head gasket.

Boost, drive pressure and egt's all have a part in weaking that darn head gasket. Towing heavy is the worst thing going. Glad you got home buddy with out doing a road side repair.

 

Head gasket (4090035) from Cummins is $125.41, top end kit (3977063) is $316.
The trucks gonna have to sit for a bit. I got volunteered to go work a T/A in Sarnia for a month.

 

My truck had 485,000kms on it back in June. I had to re-torque the headgasket, because it was seeping from the rear of the head (near the frost plug) it had likely been leaking for quite some time previous. I never added coolant but it did leak and dry enough it would leave coolant stains down the back of the tranny. To my knowledge this truck has never been apart (I'm second owner) Since june I've been to California and back, I towed my 5th wheel as well, and a couple times I was running HOT especially when going thru Navada/las Vegas at 114F!, no issues todate and I now have 512,000kms on the clock

here is a link to a thread I started over on AB Diesels

http://abdiesels.com/forum/index.php...=1&#entry27558

Based on the above posts, I must have been one of the lucky few that a re-torque actually worked, or down the road it will leak again who knows???

 

It's pretty common for them to leak at those corners.