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About to reinstall cylinder head. Any tips?

N

northernterritory

Member
I had the cylinder heads off a GM 4cyl iron block marine engine worked by a machine shop. I am now ready to install it. I have a Fel-Pro head gasket and have cleaned the top of the block really well. What else do I need to do to properly reinstall the head?

Should I do any cleaning of the bolt holes?

What about the head bolts, they have quite a bit of white goop stuff on them. Does that need to be cleaned off?

What type of sealer should I put on the head bolts?

Any other tips?
 
Yes, chase out the bolt holes to ensure they are clean.

The bolts should be cleaned as well....a thread chasing tap is ideal.

The factory manual will make a sealer recommendation for the head bolts - the equivalent to Permatex #3 is highly likely.

follow the torque sequence in the manual...the manual is your friend....
 
The Pro-Flex gasket has a ruberish compound on each side of the metal core. The shop manual calls for a gasket sealant for metal gaskets. Do I need this on the Pro-Flex gasket?
 
Ask Pro-Flex. I done racing engines, diesels and radial engines. I always use a sealer. Thin one on gaskets that compress and a thicker one on thin metal gaskets. I'm 70 and only had one head gasket I installed blow.
ditto on cleaning the bolts and holes. With old sealer and dirt, you won't get a proper torque reading.
 
I could not find this gasket in the Fel Pro line, but from what you are describing, it should go on dry. The caveat here is that layered metal gaskets need a micro finish on the head sealing surfaces to work. If the head surface is a normal milled surface, then something like a Permatorque gasket should be used. The sealing surfaces need to be perfectly clean. I like to use paint stripper to remove the old gasket/sealer. I have some big tool stock that spans the width of the head that works great for scraping. Be careful not to gouge the surfaces. New head bolts are so cheap that they should be replaced. Re-using them is a false economy when compared to the labor for a leaking head gasket. Many head bolts are torque to yield even on older engines. You never know. You are probably done with this project, but maybe someone else will be helped.
Cheers,
Doug
 
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