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VY HOW to Change Head Gasket

andrews

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I am planning to change the headgasket on my 2004 V6 3.8L VY.

A few scanned pages of the related pages in a good manual would be much appreciated.
 

Clutchy

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Try a search I'm sure there is a how to on here already if not just go buy a manual you wont regret having one.
 

chargedvx6

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Contact byeperformance.com.au. They are Perth based and it will be cheaper to get it done right first time imo. Not a job to tackle if you're following a manual. Too many inherent risks
 

GoodTimes

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You have to machine the old head gasket off perfectly flat on the blok and glue the gasket back on and talk the bolts on correct order to specified newton meters. Maybe a job for proffesnsionals if you don't know what to do. Although a manual will help a fair big with little things. They are great things.
 

andrews

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I have a pretty good idea of what to take apart and how to do it.
I am just worried about taking things out in the right order.
I have bought my self a manual but it doesnt specify what should be taken out first when it comes to the vacuum hoses, throttle line, electrical connectors etc..
Does the order not matter?

I was planning to get the head inspected and machined if necessary however when i called the head supplier in perth they advised me that with my car its more often than not a cracked head so I am looking at probably changing out the heads
your thoughts?
 

Cheap6

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It's not a particularly difficult job. The order in which you remove trivial items doesn't matter.

Understanding is more important than strictly following a written process step-by-step.

I haven't looked at a manual to do something like that for a long time so I'm not sure what detail is covered. Things that may not be:

You'll almost inevitably end up with some coolant in the oil sump, so change the engine oil and filter.

Don't ever use emery paper to clean up the block surface. Use a safety razor blade (or two) scraped across the surface to remove the old gasket traces. Keep the scrapings out of the oil galleries and open valley in particular. Take care not to scratch the block surface. Give the gasket sealing block and head surfaces a final clean up with a clean rag soaked in thinners before fitting the new parts.

You'll need to apply some Silicone sealant to the corners of the head and valley end gaskets.

If there is corrosion around the coolant passages in the head on the inlet manifold faces, that should be cleaned and filled with a wipe of Silicone scraped level to the head surface with a razor blade.

Some of the bolts are in through holes and have to be sealed with head stud sealer.

You will need a torque wrench and to follow the tightening sequence for the head bolts. (Those bolts should be loosened gradually in reverse order during disassembly.)

Keep the valve train parts in order so that they can be returned to their original locations in the engine.
 

andrews

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thanks for the tips, thats very handy! its exactly things like that that I was after :)

With sealants, have been told by the head supplier that the bolts and gasket do not require any sealant to be put on them, what are your thoughts?

with changing the oil and filter how much coolant gets in there? I am just asking cause I might not be able to do that in the spot I will be working, might drive it down the road a bit just cause the penalty of spilling oil where I am is quite hefty
 

andrews

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yeah Ill be getting new ones

Also, what is the best way/chemical to use to clean the block surface with?
 

Cheap6

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I've now had a look at a factory VT manual for Ecotec - useful sometimes ;).

The recommended sealant for the head bolts and upper and lower inlet manifold bolts is Loctite 242. Holden Head Stud Sealer does work though, as I have used that successfully many times (and will do so again). Bear in mind that the bolt tension for a given applied torque is affected by the sealant (acting as a lubricant). You have to work reasonably quickly with 242 as, once installed, it starts to set within a few minutes. The Head Stud Sealer stays sort of gummy.

The head bolts aren't single use but the rocker pedestal bolts are. That may be because they have microencapsulated thread locking compound on them rather than them being torque to yield though.

There's no need to apply sealant to the gasket surfaces but the corners of the valley gaskets definitely do. It may help to use the old sealant as a guide as to where it should be applied. Basically it's a bead at the intersection of the head and block, then fit the valley cover end gaskets (I'm sure there's a proper term but my meaning should be clear) then apply another bead before fitting the inlet manifold gaskets and inlet manifold.

The recommended sealant is Silastic 732 but my favorite is Permatex Ultra Blue.

The head gaskets are "handed" i.e. there are left and right gaskets. It should be in the VRS kit instructions but the arrow shaped cut outs in the gasket point forwards and the LHS has an "L" shaped cutout while the RHS has a simple circular hole just in front of each of them.

You can minimise the amount of coolant that ends up in the sump by working carefully and fully draining the cooling system before removing anything else but it's hard not to get some in there. I wouldn't even start the car without changing the oil but I've seen worse things done than driving a car with some coolant in the oil a few hundred metres (or whatever it is). (Like no oil for a few blocks, cars driven around with leaking head gaskets for extended periods of time.)

You might like to spend a dollar or two in a DIY car wash bay to get the worst of the dirt off the outside of the engine a day or two before you do the job. It's not essential but it's easier to avoid knocking oily dirt into the engine if the dirt is not on the engine in the first place.

Thinners or acetone with clean rags (old T-shirts are perfect) are the best solvents. They dissolve any oil to be wiped away but evaporate without leaving a residue. Prepsol is OK but does tend to leave a residue if not wiped dry.
 
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