head install problems

[LETZRIDE]

decided to make a new thread as I have a barrage of problems I need addressed.

1) I accidently caught the driver side ground wire inbetween the head when I clamped it down...I didnt realized until later (just barely caught it)...I pulled the head up a little and pulled the piece out, then resealed it...what are the chances of me haveing a headgasket leak back there?

2) For some reason or another, my transmission dipstick is pulling out of the slot it is in below...I cannot get the bracket to line up with the head, without pulling it out of the slot underneath the car and spewing trans fluid everywhere...no idea how/why this happened?

3) If you manually crank the engine by hand with all the rockers torqued to spec, and the rocker is at the lowest point (tension off the spring), should you be able to rotate the pushrod with your fingers? Or does that mean it is too short? Both the rocker arm and the pushrod appear to go up at the same time, not one before the other....

4) Lastly (at the moment) What the heck do these bolts go to? They were in my LIM baggy, and I think they go right beside the LIM into the head on either side, but I am not sure, and I am not sure what they hold?

[LETZRIDE]

Re: head install problems

just thinking...is there supposed to be any more bolts by the bottom of the tranny dipstick? Seems like a poor design, that if you just unbolt the dipstick where the head is, for it to just come flying out like that??

[vr4gasm]

Re: head install problems

i lost the bolt that holds my tranny dipstick to the head when i changed my LIM and i haven't had a bolt holding it to the head for almost a year now.. never came out or given me any problems..

[vr4gasm]

Re: head install problems

oh yah and the only place i can remember a bolt like that is attached to the map sensor?

[LETZRIDE]

Re: head install problems

I have those bolts seperate for the map, but they look like those bolts...the map bolts have a rounder head that you can only use a screwdriver or hex bit to take them out...this one you can use a wrench or hex.

How easy is it for you to pull your tranny dipstick out though? mine is a little tug and fluids everywhere

[techsan23]

Re: head install problems

1) What kind of head gasket is it? A steel gasket would probably be ruined.

3) You tighten the rockers down with both valves closed which sounds like what your doing. Even though the rockers arent adjustable you still need to lash them to make sure everything is in order. Spin the pushrod with your fingers as you begin to tighten the rocker bolt until you cant reasonably spin it anymore. This is zero lash. You'll be shooting for about another 3/4 turn after this using a torque wrench so not to exceed the torque setting. Dont collapse the lifters before you start tightening everything. You might even want to pump them up with oil; thats up to you.

4) Judging by the size of the bolts in question, they look like the ones that go into the drivers front head lifting bracket. Thats where I would be trying to stick them for starters.

[ssms5411]

Re: head install problems

When me and Meatyshells swapped my springs and pushrods out to Comp 105's, ZZP modded retainers and Comp 5/16th pushrods, I just put oil on both sides of the pushrods and installed them and used reusable bolts and tightened them down to 23ft lBS I think it was , no special order just one side at a time. It worked fine aslong as they are TQ to spec. Extra bolts, one looks like it goes on one of the head ends and the other no clue, like said the Map sensor or the IAC sensor on mine looks like that, but I think they are alot smaller.

[ssms5411]

Re: head install problems

Also if there is no tension on the spring then you should be able to move the pushrod because their is no load on the spring if there was then your valve would be open all the time and theirs no way all your valves are going to be open unless their way too long. Just make sure the rocker bolts are TQ to spec.

[LETZRIDE]

Re: head install problems

1) What kind of head gasket is it? A steel gasket would probably be ruined.

3) You tighten the rockers down with both valves closed which sounds like what your doing. Even though the rockers arent adjustable you still need to lash them to make sure everything is in order. Spin the pushrod with your fingers as you begin to tighten the rocker bolt until you cant reasonably spin it anymore. This is zero lash. You'll be shooting for about another 3/4 turn after this using a torque wrench so not to exceed the torque setting. Dont collapse the lifters before you start tightening everything. You might even want to pump them up with oil; thats up to you.

4) Judging by the size of the bolts in question, they look like the ones that go into the drivers front head lifting bracket. Thats where I would be trying to stick them for starters.

It was an MLS headgasket, which are metal...but like I said, you know how the ground is like that C shaped metal, this just caught half of that C, on the very end of the head...and it was towards the middle of the of it...like its at the rear, center of the head, but on the edge closest to the firewall...Im thinking I dont think there is anything there to leak out of the block...so I am hoping its ok...

[techsan23]

Re: head install problems

Also if there is no tension on the spring then you should be able to move the pushrod because their is no load on the spring if there was then your valve would be open all the time and theirs no way all your valves are going to be open unless their way too long. Just make sure the rocker bolts are TQ to spec.

Its called lifter pre-load. If you have too much preload and you have exhausted the adjustment of the lifter, the valves will stay open and the car will not start due to lack of compression. If you have too little preload, the valve train will be noisy and you risk exploding a lifter and having a very costly repair.

[ssms5411]

Re: head install problems

He said he TQ the rocker arms nothing about swapping out lifters , if he left the lifters as they were and just did the pushrods,springs and rocker arms the lifters are already preloaded as they were before he took it apart. If he did swap lifters they would need to be preloaded to spec. But I'm pretty sure he just put on the new heads with the Mainly valves in them , so he'll be fine.

[LETZRIDE]

Re: head install problems

cars fired up...its getting too hot though...I am having trouble getting the air out of the lines???? I have the bleeder screw wide open and steam is pouring out....I have teh rad cap off and the coolant goes low, then all of a sudden it volcanoes up and bubbles, then goes low, then bubbles...any suggestions?

[ssms5411]

Re: head install problems

Do you have a drilled thermo stat? It makes it alot easier to bleed air out. But fill your coolant res. up and when your temp gets to hot put the rad. cap back on and let it air out through the bleeder screw. Once it gets too hot shut it off and let it cool. Then check the coolant again . Might have to do it a few times to get all the air out. After it sits over night check it again and you should be good after that. I have had to do mine like 5-6 times before after changing radiators.

[LETZRIDE]

Re: head install problems

think I got her...I gotta wait till tommorrow to get the damn header screws back in at the Y pipes...I cant even tune right now...I made it about 25% richer on all parts of my tables, so hopefully I'll be ok to go around and not really push her right now

[bob8703]

Re: head install problems

did the 3.8's have the same ignition coil setup as the 98 and up 3.8's? if so those look like the bolts to it.