Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them

strange starting problem

I don't know the figures off my head (no pun intended) but a decent machine shop should actually be able to tell you how much they can take off.

I've got to say though Beau, from your photos that looks proper warped, not just a teeny weeny bit warped and if the photos do justice I'm afraid I'd scrap that head and go for an AMC replacement without wasting the cash on trying to get the original skimmed.

Just checked the figures, it's 0.015mm they allow. So I'm way off. But tomorrow I'll clean it up and measure it properly and check. I agree, I don't want to waste time, gasket, head bolts ect just for it to fail down the line or not work out at all. I kinda just like to experiment sometimes haha

With going with the AMC head, they seem to supply it with a 5 hole gasket. My understanding is more holes, thicker the gasket, is this true? The toyota one I just removed has two holes. With the AMC head, surely I won't need a thicker gasket as I won't be resurfacing anything. On this note, what Gasket should I get? Genuine, or is there anything better than Genuine?
 
Roughtrax sell a complete AMC replacement kit and i've yet to hear a complaint about any part they sell so that would be my choice with no second guessing about whether or not i could improve upon it .
 
Last edited:
I know a lot of people like to use genuine toyota head gasket over any other kind. Not sure if this is the case with AMC head's. Do they make there own Gaskets or outsource them?
 
As I recall, the AMC head didn't come with a gasket - I had to buy the gasket kit separately (along with Head Bolts & Timing Belt).

I got a pattern gasket from Milners and it leaked, the head had to come off again and this time I used a Toyota one with some jointing compound. Its been fine since.

I think its safe to say that if you are putting a new head on an old block some jointing compound is a wise precaution. Of course, if you've had the block skimmed you shouldn't need it.

The Milners gasket would probably have been OK if I'd used jointing compound on it as well.

Bob.
 
As I recall, the AMC head didn't come with a gasket - I had to buy the gasket kit separately (along with Head Bolts & Timing Belt).

I got a pattern gasket from Milners and it leaked, the head had to come off again and this time I used a Toyota one with some jointing compound. Its been fine since.

I think its safe to say that if you are putting a new head on an old block some jointing compound is a wise precaution. Of course, if you've had the block skimmed you shouldn't need it.

The Milners gasket would probably have been OK if I'd used jointing compound on it as well.

Bob.

Thanks for your input, I had a browse at one your threads so was planning on using the joining compound, as I won't be having the block skimmed.

The supplier who is quoting me a price for the kit has just listed a gasket under the AMC head kit, but I will have to found out directly if it's a AMC gasket or some other gasket. Just wondering how much is the Genuine gasket from Toyota?
 
Just wondering how much is the Genuine gasket from Toyota?

toyoDIY shows it at 'Euro 80.88', which is a lot more than I paid. I think I got a genuine Toyota one from Roughtrax for about half that (a few years ago now - where does time go ??).

Bob.
 
Don't like the adverts?  Click here to remove them
Spoke to Simon who's quoted me just over 100 pounds uncluding VAT. Unfortunately he can't deliver to USA to that kinda complicates things a little more. I've had a look at roughtrax but can't see any genuine one. They only sell a 5 hole gasket.
 
Ok, so I spoke to the sales people at SMS diesels who's told me the AMC kit comes with a 5 hole Nippon head gasket, which is apparently O.E quality. Anyone heard or used Nippon?
 
Spoke to Simon who's quoted me just over 100 pounds uncluding VAT. Unfortunately he can't deliver to USA to that kinda complicates things a little more. I've had a look at roughtrax but can't see any genuine one. They only sell a 5 hole gasket.

Beau If its works out cheap enough, you can always get the gasket sent to me and i can repost, i checked online and it said about £25 to send to USA.
 
Beau If its works out cheap enough, you can always get the gasket sent to me and i can repost, i checked online and it said about £25 to send to USA.

Appreciate the offer mate. From that site above, they seem to have the genuine gasket for under 50USD + postage coming from UAE. I just want to double check the part number before purchasing it.
 
How are you getting on with this Beau ?

At the moment the trucks on hold, as I've been busy with a couple other car projects. The heads off though and after doing some research, I'm considering straightening out the warped head as a bit of a experiment, slap on a new gasket and bolts, and see how she does. I already have a gasket so it will only cost me a set of head bolts and a bit of time!
 
Skimmed you mean ? i would have no problem with doing that if it were my truck and there was no cracks , i have no idea how the pressures involved compare but i used to get 2-strokes re-bored and skimmed all the time with no problems .
 
Skimmed you mean ? i would have no problem with doing that if it were my truck and there was no cracks , i have no idea how the pressures involved compare but i used to get 2-strokes re-bored and skimmed all the time with no problems .

If it was a petrol engine, then it would have been easier removing material off the head however these diesel engines run pretty high compression and there isn't much piston valve clearance. The heads warped about 0.40 at worst. If it was under 0.15 I could safely get it skimmed and use a thicker gasket to compensate. The good this is, the camshaft is pretty straight and flat, and spins smoothly so there is little to no warpage on the top end.

Nope, I mean straightened :lol: Here me out before you call me crazy... The plan is to strip the head down so it's bare. Then bolt the head down to a thick flat piece of steel (ideally 1 inch+). Being that the heads warped in the middle, I will put some shims on the edge of the head so when bolting the head down in the middle, more forces are applied in the middle. Then the head goes into an oven (my oven if it's big enough) at a temp around 400-500 Fahrenheit. I still haven't decided for how long but somewhere between 2-5 hours. I then gradually lower the temperature and let it cool for a good 24 hours before removing it from the oven. At this point, I un-bolt it from the steel and re-check the surface for flatness. Hopefully it's straightened itself out. It may also require more than one oven baking period to get it within specs. Once I have it within about 0.1mm I can have it re-skimmed at this point. It's a experiment for me and with the research I've done I don't see much of a problem. The process is done commercially here and is very popular on Aluminum heads.

This is all based on the head being in good condition and not cracked, which I need to check first. Visually there are no cracks other than some tiny ones on the combustion chambers which is normal. However, sometimes cracks are hidden within the chambers. Speaking of, does anyone know how to remove them? I see a little prying point? Also do them stem seals just pull out? I have new ones to put back in.

Anyway, what do you think? :icon-rolleyes:
 
Do you know anyone who can NDT it for cracks beau?
 
:lol: I love it that's a proper old school approach :thumbup: I would torque it down put it in the oven for an hour then torque it again without letting it cool , maybe a few times . It will work or it won't what have you got to lose .
 
I've heard of this being done before as a last resort when a skim was not possible but with less warpage than there appears to be on this head. I'd be inclined to just nip up the bolts prior to putting in the oven then torque fully when it's been up to max temp for an hour or so. I'd be worried of the head cracking if fully tightened when cold with that amount of warp. Definitely worth a shot though. JMO
 
Back
Top