All: I've purchased and moved into a new home with an awesome shop! Planning a possible lift install..so hold tight for more videos to come! I've missed ALL of this - have so enjoyed doing this and helping others. Hang tight...I'll be back! r-

@imhere6868

5 жыл бұрын

Still YouTubing?

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

now...YEP!

Excellent video! I really appreciate your attention to detail and your thorough, thoughtful explanations! I feel that you and I are kindred spirits in that regard. Keep up the great work! KZread needs more people like you.

I just found my 97 Ram with a 360 has a head gasket leak and I was debating whether or not to get into it. Your video was wonderfully informative and I'll be starting soon. Thank you.

Thanks to KZread I'll be a master mechanic in no time.

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Indeed! :) r-.

I have a 97 Dodge Ram 3.9L. Your video was a great help. I came back for the BGM.

Oct. 2016, All: My HUGE thanks for all of your having discovered my videos and found them to be useful, and a HUGE thanks for those who have had continued to share tech info on Google +. I have good news: the health issues are finally over, and all is good! If you view my video on cylinder head replacement (Dodge Truck), you can see a mole on my right elbow. That turned out to be malignant melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer there is. It was actually during shooting that Dodge truck video that the mole became angry, sore and bleeding while bumping it around. It has been a surreal experience, for sure. If you've worked out in the sun, please go get a dermatology check! Directly following that, I went through a divorce, home sale, then purchasing my new home WITH a SHOP!!!! I'm very excited, and can't wait to get caught up and to continue. Thank you all for your patience, and I sorely apologize for my absence. It will take me a while to get back into the grove here, but I'll dig in more as I am able to. Keep those wrenches turning, and the questions coming! Oh!!!...I have SOOO much to catch up on! r-

@mattpayne4087

5 жыл бұрын

I've just discovered your channel, but I sincerely hope that the challenges you speak of are behind you now and that you are doing well. Keep doing your thing, and God bless.

Thank you so much for this video. You make it look possible for the average shade tree mechanic to do it. I love that you actually use hand tools since most of us don't have power tools. Thanks again!

I am no mechanic. However, I try to do most of my own auto repairs. My 94 Ram 1500 is my first v8, and I LOVE IT. It was a 1 owner, lower miles etc. This video alone has brought everything to light that I always wondered about in my engine. Great video man! Thanks a lot!!! You have a gift for teaching, seriously.

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Thanks SOOO much! This is a test reply...having difficulty posting replies for some reason....

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Hey I can't tell you how much I appreciate your comment!! It really does reflect many that I've occasionally been able to see...AND, my HUGE, huge apologies for my long absence. Reason: Divorce, home sale, temporary rental home, then new home purchase (with a SHOP - pseudo future 'tube 'studio'!!!)....I will try to make time to update my status on my videos, and hands-down, my favorite part is just this....replying and helping folks out. Thank you and everyone else for all of your great comments. I'm in the middle of setting up my new home, then on to my shop and to catch up! I have one pretty deep Honda Civic video that I shot before all of this, so I'll start editing that together when things get all ironed out. My next plan, per suggestions, are to do some basic car maintenance, "level 1" repairs. Again, thanks for this! Really makes me feel great! Happy to help you all! r-

@egw5454

7 жыл бұрын

You're absolutely welcome. I hate to hear of all of your recent issues, but in the end, our minds only get stronger and stronger. Some people say that my past doesn't define me, I beg to differ, embrace the pain and move on. Change is so uncomfortable some times, but we move on, we breathe, and we live... we have memories; bad and good. I think some basic maintenance would be a good video. lol. Do you know of a good place to buy a refurbished engine? Not necessarily a built up performance engine but instead a clean engine that I could buy and swap with my existing 318? either another or I hear I can drop 360 right in?

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Elliot - My recommendations are that, if you're gonna drop the green on a refurbed engine, I'd seek a warranty most of all - and thoroughly understand 'their' guidelines for that warranty (does it require a 'certified' tech to install it for the warranty?). Also, one that you have readily access to - for communications/tech support and product delivery. Finally, one which highly values customer service and retention - usually the more 'nation-wide' providers, comparative to a Walmart or a Target for their stuff, will vastly go above and beyond to help their customers to satisfaction; I'd recommend the same with a refurbed engine, for your protection. Otherwise, like me and my '51 Chevy truck, you'll use a local engine shop to custom-build a nice engine for you, but the risk is in the quality and reliability of the product - of course if you can find a local builder who offers a great warranty, and stands behind it, I'd go that route if it's affordable! Hope this helps. r-

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Mr. Elliot: I'm not sure you are still around, but I have to say that it was super-refreshing to re-read your comments! I've now FINALLY re-started my channel, my shop (of sorts) with projects in the making! Thank you for your supportive comments! r-.

Amazing video. Helped me a ton and showed me everything I needed to know before I started the job. I also rewound the video and followed step by step in the disassembly for my 98 dodge Durango. I'm working on the truck after work so I haven't finished it yet but I'm sure ill.be done in no time. Thank you for taking the time to make this video.

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Sweet! Sorry it's only been TWO YEARS later now, but I am so glad my video helped you out! Would love to hear back how it's turned out! That truck I did is STILL running strong, and I sold it back to the previous owner, who has now taken it to new levels! Was a little too much of a "beast" for me to take out of town. Nice truck! Let us know how it turned out, fingers crossed! r-.

Oh man beautiful work. I have a 2011 ram 1500 5.7 hemi with bad lifters and cam. Gonna do it myself. I know it's not the same vehicle but was great watching this video and getting a feel for this job. Thank you very much.

Nicely done. It's wise of you to refer to other instructional videos when you start down a rabbit trail so novices don't get confused. I like to use my shop vac before and after disassembly. It's a lot less messy than carb or brake cleaner.

thank you for this. it really helped me keep a truck I grew up with on the road. thank you

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Awesome! :) r-.

No worries on the Video length. I've tried a few head jobs through the years with most failing or not completing the job. Being in the service for 23 years, now retired looks like I am about to partake in the event one more time. I liked your video and that you showed your solevant tank and your sand blaster. I remember my father using these items; and having us use them together before I entered the Army way back when. Now I have been retired for a few years and having my dad pass a few years ago. I am about to do this again. Seeing your video i am inspired to get the additional tools ie solevant tank, sand blaster, and a few dies for re threading the head bolts. Take my time and pay more attention to detail. Thanks for the inspiration. vr J

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Jason- My condolences to you regarding your Father. Well, it sounds like you had a great Dad. Some of us weren't so fortunate, sadly. However, you are very lucky that you were exposed to such great fun things, and yes, for a few hundred bucks you can also dive deep into this. Be warned, though, that the solvent actually cost me more than the tank setup. I used mineral oil from Home Depot, like 10 gallons! Your story kind of reminds me of my wanting to sew my first quilt. Yes...I've discovered sewing, of all things! It's a gas! My mom is a life-long seamstress, and I HATED going to those fabric stores as a kid! Now....I want to make my first quilt, cause I love quilts. But, I have no idea where to even start. To me, that sounds like you and your project. You are doing the right thing by taking your time, doing research and developing a plan. Get the tools you need...for sure. An air compressor would be my biggest suggestion. Me?...I found a local sewing store which sells entry-level stuff, all the way up to the ooper-expensive crazy stuff. They even have classes! Sewing aside, would love to hear back on how your project goes. r-

Phenomenal video, thank you. You're a great teacher. I look forward to more!

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! More in-production now! r-.

Awesome video!

this was a good video to get insight into what i will have to be going thru soon. the problem i have seen is on a car or truck this old is when you clean off the piston head you run the risk of breaking lose what might be filling in a crack on the piston head and causing more damage when all the work is done.

I have to rebuild the heads on my rig and this video is amazing for getting good information on fixing your vehicle

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I'd like to hear back on your rig! r-.

I like your videos, my favorite part is when yo drive of with the truck running at the end..

thanks so much was such a great tutorial i could not have done this without your help

@reluctorvalve

8 жыл бұрын

+Gerardo Roque Awesome! THIS is the reason I do this - for folks like you who perhaps have some skills but just need information to fill in the gaps. Thx for posting! r-

GREAT videos man. Love these dodge trucks

Going to start this project on a 98 5.9L, I hope to have the tear done finished tomorrow and be able to see the condition of the heads! I got the truck for $500 with 133k miles, only a front wheel drive but we will see if I can flip it! Thank you for this video @reluctorvalve !

@LuisFlores-uy8ns

4 жыл бұрын

Master Eraqus did it work ?

I wish you can do a video on a 4.7.im trying to time it an i love the way you explain everything.simpy I like that.

Great video!!!!

That truck is a thing of beauty

Thanks for sharing! YT has already indexed this vid well, as I searched for 'Ram 1500 Cylinder head' and this came up in the first few hits. :) Got water in my crankcase and a miss on #3, so plan on replacing the passenger side head, water pump and thermostat. 2002 Ram 1500 4.7L. Finally, the vids length was an asset, imho, since I knew you had to have gone into important details to spend so much time recording. I'm glad you did, and THANKS!

@reluctorvalve

9 жыл бұрын

Al: Hey, a BIG THANKS to you for this post! I have now 'officially' met my goal in doing all this by helping out at least one person! :) When I did this for a living I always took my clients into the office and even out to the shop with their cars on the lift to EXPLAIN the 'how it should work' and the 'why it isn't.' I tended to be long-winded (still do, as you can see), spent lots of time laying out a pathway to get their vehicles into tip top shape, but also for customer relations, and hopefully, return business and referrals. That was years ago, now, and I still have my last little notebook of my last clientele work I did tucked into a drawer of my toolbox! Good memories, was a hard living, but super valuable life lessons for me. I saw folks heading across country literally on a wing and a prayer. This, by far, was the most fulfilling type of work I've done. I have an entirely different career now, but did teach some auto classes locally of late. So thanks for your post. Couple of things for you: on my 5.2L, the #1, 3, 5 cylinders are on the DRIVERS side head. Do make sure your #3 is on the PASSENGER side before doing all this tear down. One way to verify is to look at each head, and see which one is 'pushed' more forward on the engine block - that one is the head with #1 cylinder, always. Finally, I'd recommend that you perform a 'block test' (see my other videos) to verify possible compression leak into #3. In this case, it's more work to look for the cause of compression leak (usually caused by overheating) - bad fan, stuck thermostat, etc) - I hope this may help to lead you in the right direction for your repair. Good luck and I'd love to hear back! Thanks again! r-

Excellent video 👍

Awesome video 👍

This is super helpful! :D

Great video, helps a lot to understand the inner workings even if the motor is pretty different. I think I've got a bad exhaust valve on my coyote, I just might take the plunge after this.

great video really learned a lot

Awesome video

Just bought an 01 Ram with a misfire. Ended up being an exhaust valve like yours. I didn't get the greatest deal on it. I'll have under 2 grand in it, so not bad. I had to get reman heads because of cracks. I ended up pulling bumper, condenser, and upper core support. Made things much easier and took less than an hour.

Very good, many thanks

This is a great video, I have a 1996 Dodge with the 318 and it appears it has a blown head gasket. White smoke like crazy. But I don.t think I will tackle this job. Thanks for the awesome video.

Thanks I appreciate the help.

Dear Sir, I would like to start by saying Thank You Very Much for making this video.You are the first person on youtube that has the knowledge and experience needed to do a job like this.I have a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 with the 5.9l engine. it has 91200 miles on it. I bought it back in 2010. I am the third owner, this is my first p/u truck that i've owned. I usually drive cars. Since i've owned this truck i've been doing a lot of Restoration work on it. i.e. front and rear axles,driveshafts,transmission,steering system,cooling system. since owning this truck i've come to watch a lot of youtube to find out how to fix issues on this truck that's how i came across your video and i can't thank you enough for making it because i wanted to remove the cylinder heads myself but was a little leary about doing it.'till i saw your video you have made me confident about taking on this challenge. What was it that made you decide to go with heads only to send your cylinder heads to to be worked on, and how did you prepare the heads for shipment and are you really satisfied with their work. I ask you of this because I live in l.v., nevada and since the economy went bad 8 to 10 years ago, the few machine shops that were here closed down.Thats why i am so interested in heads only.com. I would like very much if you would responed to this post I would greatly appreciate it. I THANK YOU so much for your help... Gerald Ratchick, p.s. would you please send me your e mail address so that if I need to fix something on the truck I can ask you how to fix it. if thats ok with you.

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Hi Gerald - thanks for your detailed post! Sounds to me like you are very capable of doing pretty much anything to restore your truck, and that the tech level of my video made sense to you. You know, I do the same thing sometimes in looking online for procedural information. Although I am ASE-certified, I still am learning, constantly, but I LOVE this stuff! You can message me on here through KZread and I'll be happy to help. However, I've been absent for quite some time due to a lot of previous health issues and then life issues. All is great now, and getting all set up again to continue doing this. I have a brand new shop to set up for this stuff!!! And...more projects than I'll have time for :) It will take me some time to catch up, but I wanted to respond to your post. Thank you again for the great comments! Happy to help! r-

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Gerald: so very sorry I've been absent! To your point: I did NOT send the cylinder heads into that place for them to rebuild them for me. They have an exchange program, with a warranty on their rebuilt heads, and you send your old heads back to them. They are awesome! They send you the head(s), along with return shipping labels (you have to pay shipping ONCE as I recall, which includes the return shipping). What you receive are nicely refurb'd heads. I was quoted locally at a machine shop an ENORMOUS amount for them to locally rebuild them, but HeadsOnly offered far less than half that price. I highly recommend them. Hope this helps, 2 years later- sorry! r-.

Thanks for the video. Going to do this on my 2005 4.7L V8 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 80,000 original miles next week. I am not a trained mechanic. Re manufactured heads from Rockauto Crankshaft Supply arrive on Wednesday. My bet is that I have a bent exhaust valve in Cylinder 8 based on my leak down test. Time will tell. My symptoms included a P0308 DTC on one 22 degrees F morning start, misfires tracked with scanner, and of course, the leak down test.

Dont worry about the video length everything has explained great! I have a 1999 1500 5.9 and was wanting to replace all the engine gaskets, but going to have to pay somebody for that.

Those 5.2 are good motors . I have a dodge ram 1500 98 with a 5 speed . its loaded down with a welder and a tool box . runs and starts like a clock .

Me and my son smiled when we heard it start. I started laughing! Í said, “ im sure a alot of guys smiled, hearing that engine purr, especially if you have been here!“ Right'on! Cool video!

Question I had about the gaskets were in the realm of Which-side-up and Which-way-round. Due to the locating pins, it's actually impossible to install these gaskets front-to-back, but it is possible to installed them wrong-side-up. Fortunately my own gaskets can go either side up. I got scared when I looked into my cooler-hole in the head and saw that the front is closed up (gulp!). But a pause and close-up of your video showed your cooler hole is closed in the front and open in the back just like mine. So I did not make a mistake after all. So thanks for getting that on film!! Best wishes.

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Paul - now THIS is really nice to hear! I've ran across this kind of thing a few times myself. I've made a habit of marking the old gaskets' orientations when I take them off, and have had to reference them for this very reason! I'm glad my video helped you clear up a question you had. THAT is the reason I love to do this stuff! Best wishes back to ya - r-

Great vid, did the same to my 96 318 about 3 years ago now. Not sure if you did or not, but I replaced the timing chain on mine as well. The play in it was huge and wasn't what I was expecting to see. Added a double roller set and tensioner which brought back a little hop to the old motor. Not a bad deal, for some time and elbow grease, getting an older pickup a little more life on the road.

@reluctorvalve

9 жыл бұрын

elecshoc I considered doing that and probably should have, but because I lost my main (only) ride to work in the middle of this I really needed to get this up and on the road. I didn't see any real evidence that the timing set needed to be changed, however if I did this all over again, I'd change the set. No better time to do it than when torn down this far. And, additional parts costs would have been minimal in comparison to the depth of the entire job. It does run strong, thankfully. Great comment! Thx! r-

good video man thank you !

Hola maestro Muchas felicidades por el video muy bien explicado me sirvió de mucha ayuda grasias

Excellent video, very thorough and attention to details, I wish I had a resource like you close to me, although I could never work for someone like yourself, the by the book way would drive me crazy haha

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

James Stulz: Question for you, Sir: If you're gonna pay someone $1200 or more to do a very deep job like cylinder head/gasket replacement (assuming one understands how deep that is and the skillset it takes to accomplish this), would you not want someone who is "by the book," ooper-detailed, perfectionistic, in order to provide the *best product for the client? I would! Thank you for your nice compliment! r-

@jamesstultz7920

4 жыл бұрын

@@reluctorvalve absolutely! thats why i wish i had someone like you close to me, to perform the jobs outside my skill set. Very hard to find anyone worth anything here in the florida panhandle

man even with the work you got a steal of a truck

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Josh - Yes, I did! Those are factual cost figures! Originally I was gonna sell it after repair, but it was just so cool, I had to keep it. I'll be doing some neat suspension work on it in the future and will be sure to shoot that and post as well. Thx for the post! r-

I know that guy at work. Great work.

@reluctorvalve

9 жыл бұрын

Hey Jerry! Thx for watching and posting! I'm glad that you are my very first 'commenter' for this video. It will take about a year or so before this video will start to see some traffic, as has been my experience. However the detailed length may make a lot of viewers pass on it, because it's long. In the end, I really am not concerned about how much traffic that I get on my videos, but only that I may help a few folks out with some of what I do. It was fun to shoot, organize and edit, and I really do hope the detail will help some folks. I love driving the beast - super great for when I'm in that mood, if you know what I mean! And, it's a utility truck for me, too. Again, thx for this opportunity! See ya at work!! r-

I'm Back! Yay!

I've done my intake 3 times now.... i got the plenum machined and that stopped sucking oil inside the plenum. gonna take the actual intake and have that machined. any tips for doing the intake? great video

Awesome video man great job you kept it clean right to the point and did a great job 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 now idk if you’ll get to this question or not but is that the same engine that goes into a 94 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.2L V8? I’m guessing it is or super similar

you make good videos...

@reluctorvalve

8 жыл бұрын

+pei bossman Thank you! I have an upcoming timing belt job I'm doing as a favor for a student co-worker (for free - I was a student once) on his late 90's Honda Civic over the upcoming winter break (I work at a college). I'm thinking about shooting this and putting up other videos for those processes. Timing belt, water pump, thermostat, hoses, external belts, flush, tune up, etc- this will be a great example specimen to shoot for a few how-to's. Perhaps? r-

All: My apologies...I've been absent for a few months due to some health and personal things, but I'm slowly catching up, here. What I love is that even with my absence, these videos are still helping folks. I'll get back into the saddle, here, and keep up a little better. In fact, I have a nice little project job coming up soon on a late 90's Honda Civic timing belt replacement - a great opportunity to shoot and post up a video on the basics of mechanical timing as well as a few other processes. So look for that in the upcoming few months (takes a while- I"m a one-man band). This is not only useful for you, but a lot of fun for me! Thx for looking at my vids! r-

Great vid, i did this on my 5.9 that was having overcooling issues oddly enough after a massive overheat? Wierd huh? Dodge in their infinite wisdom used "galvanized mild steel" for freeze plugs... WHO DOES THAT! guess what, rusted through from the outside in, long trip started steaming poof overheat. Coolant leaked out of the drivers side freeze plug under the motor mount. Popped the heads off, overheat did not distort or damage anyhthing but figured i had better look. I got some interesting replacement Head gaskets, highly recommended and the only type i will ever use from then on. Sealed Power makes an all aluminum silicone gasket fitted re-usable head gasket. basically its stamped perfectly with the water jackets, has a nice coating on the aluminum to prevent oxidation or corrosion from coolant and has imbedded gasket material at all the vital positions. i will see if i can find the link. www.summitracing.com/parts/slp-260-1033/overview/make/chrysler made doing the job a breeze, and if you get the whole kit you are done buying gaskets for the entire engine, talk about a good find.

@reluctorvalve

9 жыл бұрын

GranadaBashlav Hey that Sealed Power kit at Summit does look like a great deal, and from a reputable seller. One would think that 'galvanized' freeze plugs would have held up a bit better for you, but of course there could be a lot of other variables there too. Sounds like you are the type to take care of your vehicles, so that would most likely rule out many possibilities. O well, I've had to repair stuff that broke for no obvious reasons, many times. Thx for the tip on the neat gasket set! r-

23:11 23:24 I've been searching for this for hours. I bought the same gasket set and when I went to install the head gaskets, the passenger side went 'blue side up' but the driver side could only go 'blue side down'. But it's just like you did it. I guess that's okay? There were no instructions in the box and Fel-pro's video says to put blue side up. But it won't go that way. I thought maybe I got two passenger side gaskets in the box. But I guess they are interchangeable.

Great vid..until you started it with the music playing when you started it up..couldn't really hear the engine bay or the exhaust and yes I had my volume turned up.lol But I learned something new ...and that was running out the threads to clean so you get a good torque. 🙂

22:32 My wife always gets mad at me when I do that, haha.

Hi there! I'll be replacing the heads on my 95 Dodge Ram 2500 soon, and stumbled upon your extremely helpful video. I finished a job a few weeks ago where I replaced the valve stem seals and now have even more oil consumption that I had before! Arghh! I'm curious how particular you were about crankshaft position when putting the pushrods and rocker arms back on? I'm nervous that because I put my rocker arms back on while the piston was at TDC for each cylinder (turned it to TDC for each cylinder I was working on ) that I may have caused the problem. I see the following in the Dodge service manual, and was curious if you followed this guidance and just kept the crank in this position throughout the whole process: "Rotate the crankshaft until the V8 mark lines up with the TDC mark on the timing chain case cover. This mark is located 147° ATDC from the No.l firing position." Can you elaborate on the process you used? Thanks!

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Christopher: sorry I've been absent! Did you get this figured out? Let me know! r-.

Hey I know this is an older video and this is the 4th or 5th time I've watched it but was wondering what were the cylinder heads you bought as replacements? Also how did the cylinder heads hold up? I'm getting ready to mine this spring. It's a 97 1500. Thanks in advance for any reply.

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Bare Bones Garage: The truck is still running strong! I sold it back to the previous owner and he is doing an awesome job of tweaking it into a great rig! Heads came from HeadsOnly.com- I'd used them before a couple times, and on one occasion I had an issue with valve clearance on one of their 4-cylinder heads. They did a great job of working with me on correcting the issue. Been a few years now...ha! I see that truck everyday at work, now- still going strong! r-.

is the 318 a tuff motor

Your video was very well done! Thank you. How many miles did your truck have? and how is it doing now after the work was done? My story...I have a '97 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.2L, 318 V8. Slightly different in that the oil cap is on the passenger side. It looks like the head gaskets are gone as I found traces of oil in the radiator. I am about to embark in repairing it, but would like to solicit your opinion. The motor has 197K miles. Here are my concerns: 1) Assuming the heads are not cracked, I would like to get them shaved, but do the valves need to be redone? 2) Assuming I get the valves redone, in my experience with another vehicle, the new valves caused an issue with the worn piston rings...do you think I should not get the valves redone just get the heads shaved? 3) I have a space constraint in the engine compartment where the A/C tubes are. Not sure what I can do there. Thank you in advance

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Ivan (and ALL others): THANK YOU for your question...as you may be able to tell, after a LOT of changes (all for the better), I am just now beginning to get back into the saddle again, here. I LOVE to help with all questions. I've just not been able to recently but am now getting my NEW SHOP all set up, perhaps a 2-post lift install, doing 3D rendering to see how it fits, outfitting for video production with lighting and camera placements, etc etc. Anyway, on to your questions.... My truck had just over 100K, so for its age it was VERY low miles! I know this because I contemplated selling it for profit, and when I looked at similar trucks at its age, most were at or approaching twice that mileage. That comes into play with my response to your questions about your Jeep (BIG fan of Cherokees). My truck is running awesome, used the crap out of it when I moved into my new place, but it mostly sits now. Is very reliable. NO oil burning at all. First issue you ask: using the existing heads - and having "issues" before with new valves effecting the rings... Understand that the MECHANICAL "job" of the cylinder is to seal from leakage and to withstand compression pressures, right? So imagine you have just one cylinder, as an example, with a piston with "mostly" sealing rings (they are allowed to have oil flow for lubing the walls). On its top end with the valves, that top end's MECHANICAL job is to obviously open and close at the right times, but during the compression stroke, its job is to SEAL, period. As the compression stroke is taking place, piston coming up, the valves up at the top end do NOT open or move at all, because the air/fuel mixture is being compressed, mechanically-speaking. I point this out because it doesn't matter whether you have old valves or new valves - their job is the same during compression stroke - to stay closed and to SEAL off. Therefore, if you had issues before with new valves effecting the rings or lower end, I suspect at that point you had weak rings - I wouldn't necessarily have blamed the new valves. They probably sealed as expected, but then your "new" weak point was in the rings. So you replaced the "top end" on top of a very used "bottom end"... Hope that makes sense. Next - at almost 200K miles, my opinion, hands down, would be to source a pair of rebuilt heads from a reputable facility, with a warranty. You could go on the cheap and have yours milled, but then add valving repairs and now you are approaching the same cost of just replacing them anyway. And, consider the age of your existing heads in miles. Typically, complete rebuilt heads are all gone through and COMPLETELY done, valves, guides, seats, etc. I wouldn't be scared of new heads "effecting" the rings - if that's the concern, know that if you have your existing valves all re-done to seal properly, you SHOULD have the same concerns, because the valves' jobs are the same during compression - to seal. I'd definitely go for a replacement pair, with a warranty. If that causes issues with the bottom end, then you have further issues with the bottom end. There is a procedure to test your top and bottom end for oil burning (weakness) - using compression testing and oil. If you'd like to know that, email me. I took my existing heads to a local machine shop and because of the cracking, was quoted around $350 PER HEAD to replace. I found a much more affordable PAIR online at headsonly.com. If memory serves (sorry, been a while), they were around $400 for the pair, 12 month warranty, compared to $700 with probably a very restrictive warranty locally. I can attest that headsonly has worked with me in the past on problematic parts I've received from them - they were great. Very fair. I highly recommend them. Sorry for the length, but I hope some of this makes sense. I'm a bit out of "online" practice but will get back into it! Let me know if you need further clarification. Direct email at reluctorvalve@yahoo.com is the best. r-

@ivanb4613

7 жыл бұрын

reluctorvalve, sorry for the delayed response. busy week at work. Thank you for the detail, very, very helpful!

Let's say that your heads were repairable and they machined them. Do you get a thicker gasket to compensate for the new size?

@reluctorvalve

9 жыл бұрын

JoeCnNd In my experience the technician doesn't need to be concerned about that - that's where the acceptable tolerances are at the machine shop. I was taught than any warpage of a cylinder head that measures more than .007" deems the head not repairable. Technology may have increased this tolerance by now...given that, the replacement head gasket sets (always buy a GOOD quality set) are engineered to fit within those acceptable tolerances. So typically, as long as your machine shop is good and does the warp measurement properly, and you definitely know your acceptable tolerances for repair, you shouldn't have to mathematically figure out a 'thicker' replacement gasket set - again, in my experience. r-

Wow. Great video. I want to do an engine rebuild and overhaul on my 97' ram 5.2 but don't know where to start. I've had the plenum gasket replaced before by a mechanic 900$ later. But since I've bought the truck I've gotten less and less power. Now I know the 318's are notorious for lack of power but it use to get up and go. And plus it's a 5 speed manual. It's just gotten really doggy. I've replaced spark plugs. And wires. It's been burning a lot of oil but I don't see it in the exhaust and it doesn't leak. It doesn't have coolant in the oil like a head gasket leak. And I'm getting 9mpg. So I've got no idea what is it any help would be appreciated.

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Hey Triston - well, your comment will be the first one that I'm replying to after a VERY LONG absence. Let's cut to the chase, here. Understanding that it's merely my speculation, and that I can't positively diagnose your problem exactly, I can recognize some symptoms you describe and offer some suggestions - - - Noticeable loss of power coupled with a good amount of burning oil just screams to me ring/piston/compression issues. Don't see it in the exhaust? Remember that today's cat converters are designed to consume all leftover combustibles, so that's not too surprising to me. Now, there are other ways to investigate this theory. I'd absolutely start off with a compression check. Look up your specified range - as an example a typical expected compression would be around 125psi. A compression check may not reveal that your cylinders are all the way up to 125 because of its age, but in this case you'd want to see above 100, as an example. Now, of the 8 cylinders, they won't all come back exactly the same. What you'd want to see is a general compression of each cylinder roughly 100psi or more. General accepted rule of thumb by tech's is that the LOWEST- reading cylinder should be at least 80% of the HIGHEST-reading cylinder.; if one or more is drastically lower, then you'll have some weak cylinders. I'd start off with a full compression test, and also a good inspection of the spark plugs after some usage for evidence of burning oil - remember, the plugs are "prior" to the cat converter insofar as the combustion/exhaust processes. Just sounds like worn rings to me, but I could be wrong, of course. I'm sorry I'm not offering better and less expensive advice. If no oil was being consumed, I'd be focused on that intake with perhaps a vacuum leak. But the oil consumption + low power points me downward. If, by chance, your compression is great, I'd again focus on that intake and its seals. No mixing of the oil/coolant nor overheating leads me away from head gasket seal. A little techie and deep, but if it's confusing, you can message me on here and I'll try to get back to you. BTW, $900 for an intake gasket replacement - uh....I think that's pretty high, myself. BUT, I'm out of the loop as far as today's labor rates are concerned. I work on my own stuff, so I don't know what shops charge these days. Sorry so long...Hope this helps. r-

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

Triston: My apologies - 3 years ago! wow! Burning oil (while running around, varying speeds, and not just sitting at a red light) screams to me: rings - lower end. Compression in an engine is the *jewel to power, and if your rings are really worn, that would attest to low compression, low power output and oil consumption. My diagnostic suggestion is to run a "dry" compression test and then another "wet" compression test; I.E. dry, self explanatory- just run a compression test as-is. "Wet" - when checking compression on a cylinder, pull the plug, then squirt a little engine oil in there, then re-run a compression test and compare the dry readings. If the reading goes WAY up in pressure, you have a "bottom end" issue, most likely rings, because the oil you just squirted in there is filling up the gap (temporarily until it would normally burn off with ignition) between the cylinder wall and the rings. If it stays the same, (no wall gap to fill) then you have a "top end' oil leak into the cylinder - valve seals-because with ignition, that oil leak "level" wouldn't change at all- the squirting of oil wouldn't change anything in the pressure reading. Valve seal leaks don't usually cause poor overall power (fouled plugs excluded) - but lower end (ring) issues very much do. Common symptoms of valve seal oil leaks include puffing of smoke when starting up, puffing of smoke after idling warm like at a red light when taking off, etc. Symptoms of ring wear include blowing smoke when accelerating (not necessarily having idled). Leaking valve seals don't usually effect compression readings all that much usually, but lower end worn rings very much do, typically. Finally (should have actually started with this), check your worn plugs for signs of oil burning, visually. Try the wet/dry test and (years-long waiting on my part now) let us know! Hope this helps some! r-.

Quick Question If my engine is at about 208 temp when I park, if I turn off my car and leave it for about 5 minutes, when I come back and start it, it will usually be about 218 or so. Basically, noticeably hotter after turning it off and back on. Is this normal? 2005 Dodge Durango 3.7 with 135,000 miles . Water Pump and thermostat are new. 208 is the temp at idle with ac off , 212 with ac on at idle , 218 if i shut off the engine and restart back on within the 5 min. Once I keep moving the temp go down.

@reluctorvalve

9 жыл бұрын

Michael: Yep, this is normal. As usual, I'm trying to think of a good analogy to compare to....but can't think of a good one. Remember, when you drive into that parking space, your engine is running....and multiple combustions are happening inside the engine.....which are actually multiple explosions resulting in HIGH heat. When you then shut off the engine, you also immediately cut off the MECHANICAL flow of coolant to those explosion areas, which is taking that heat out of your engine. So the high temperature is momentarily still there, but the flow of coolant isn't. On a temporary basis, your engine will then heat up a bit because that coolant flow is now immediately gone. Then, you come out and start it up 5 minute later and that MECHANICALLY starts the coolant flow to cool the engine back down. Further, letting it sit for hours overnight will then allow the entire engine to dissipate its heat naturally into the atmosphere, and cool it down. After several hours, our engines in our cars overnight entirely cool off 'naturally' with no help from the cooling system. Nutshell: yes, this is normal. And, BTW, I was taught that 260 degrees (F) is really the limit to 'normal' op temps, generally-speaking. Hope this helps! r-

@mrhighway

9 жыл бұрын

reluctorvalve thank you so much for the information .. you say is normal will this not cause damage to the head gasket because it can get really hot?.

@reluctorvalve

9 жыл бұрын

***** Modern cooling systems are designed to operate at much higher temperatures than their thermostat ratings. Most cooling systems are 'closed' systems, which build up pressure by design. For every pound of pressure your system can hold (check out your radiator cap, which is THE system pressure regulator), typically you will gain 3 degrees (F) on top of the normal boiling point of water. So a 10lb. radiator cap will additionally add 30 degrees (F) on top of the normal 212 degree (F) boiling point of un-pressurized water - making it now 242 degrees (F)! My opinion is that at 218 degrees (F) you aren't in any danger of damage. A rise of 5-10 degrees (F) when turned off is about what I've witnessed in my past. I would highly recommend you contact your dealer to verify what is actually considered THE point of 'overheating' in temperature (F). I was taught that anything up to 260 degrees (F) was usually acceptable operating temperature; anything at 260 degrees (F) or more is considered 'overheating.' Give them a call and see what they say. My opinion, though, is that 220 degrees (F) is a very typical running temperature in warm environments. Call a dealer in Phoenix, AZ and see what they say! It's hot as an oven down there in the summer - I would think that 220 degrees (F) is no big deal there! Would love to hear back. r-

I'm about to put new heads on mine, how long did all this take you?

@reluctorvalve

8 жыл бұрын

+taylor temple Taylor, producing the video DRASTICALLY increases the 'job' time - with setting up the camera views for different shots, different segments, lighting setups, re-shoots for segments that didn't turn out, bad sound, etc. Also to consider is my level of experience. When I first started doing this kind of work, it always took me longer because I was always very suspecting and not knowing what to expect. After years of doing it, I know what to expect. Beyond my normal M-F 8-5 'day' job, this took me about a month to do, start to finish, with weeknights and weekends working on it, and a few more full days because I was off work for my winter break. Now, had I not been shooting the video, my estimation of time, and having a normal full-time job, working on it in the evenings, in my shop, I probably could have had this done in about two weeks' time - one week or so for teardown, and another for install. You can save yourself some time and just go ahead and order up replacement heads from headsonly.com, get them coming as well as all your other related parts - headset, water pump, etc - to the level of your liking. I replaced everything I could. Bear in mind, though, that I've done a lot of head gasket replacements, so I know the typical challenged areas of work, depending on engine design. Someone with less or more experience should adjust. And - I have a compressor with an air buffer - HUGE time saver when it comes to cleaning, which is THE biggest part of this job. Hope this helps some, and if you have any further questions, let me know. Would love to hear back about how hour repair turned out. r-

@reluctorvalve

8 жыл бұрын

+reluctorvalve However, I tend to be pretty OCD - as they make fun of me at work. I take my time to do it right. And, I didn't work on it every single night, but most nights. Probably about a two-week job for an experienced person with a normal other job, I'd say. Could do quicker if all prepped up with all new parts awaiting. r-

@comegetclipped5250

7 жыл бұрын

how Much Did this Repair Cost? i Have A Blown Head Gasket On My 5.2 318

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

Taylor- sorry for the belated post. Get yours on yet? Took me about a month working on weekends and weeknights, with a few off-times. It was more of a 'project' at first. r-

beautiful video my friend... you should be selling copies and charging to teach this stuff

@reluctorvalve

8 жыл бұрын

+mark yisser Hey Thanks! I have fun with the video side of this, too- all-around, enjoy helping folks if I can. Your comment came just after I received the most awful, hateful, arrogant and disgusting "hate comment" I have ever received. I can count on one hand the number of those I've gotten, and obviously I don't post them. So in 99.99% of the time, I'm glad I"m helping folks who are less-learned than I am, and at the same time can talk-shop with those who are at the same or higher level than I am. I appreciate them all, except for the trolls. I actually did teach at my local community college for a couple of semesters, but I stopped because over half of the students had watched far too much reality TV and thought they had to be bad-asses to work on cars. I've been doing this for almost 40 years - rebuilt my first carburetor on the tailgate of my first truck - a '58 GMC when I was 14 yrs old, and by no means a 'bad ass.'. This is the best way for me to 'teach,' I've found. BTW, I have a timing belt job on a Honda Civic coming up that I think I'll shoot and edit, and 'teach' the basics of mechanical timing stuff. Thx for your comment, much appreciated. r-

How much the new heads cost

what did u torque the rockers at?

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

I use Haynes brand manuals, entirely. I find them to be the most affordable and best references for my shop work. I used the specs from the Haynes manual on this truck and engine. Hope this helps. r-

What yr is your truck

Very good job on this. I have the same engine, #6 only 90 lbs of compression, the rest 170. Cracked heads?

@reluctorvalve

7 жыл бұрын

None None: Hmmmmm .... very interesting that it's the SAME cylinder, eh? Well, the "norm" accepted compression "balance" is that the lowest should be at least at about 80% (or so) of the highest. Your lowest acceptable reading would be around 136psi, mathematically. Now, I don't exactly know the spec, but in the documentation for this engine there is an "acceptable range" for "dry" compression. I'd suggest you check that range. No doubt, you have an imbalance, BUT, 90 psi isn't anything to sneeze at! ... 170psi is really a super reading, so this is very odd to me. I typically see around 125 psi being the normal range, based on just experience. At this point, I'd suggest doing a an oil compression test on the #6 cylinder to see how it reacts. You have a "dry" compression of 90 psi on #6 and 170 psi on all others. Using an oil can, squirt two or three squirts of oil directly into suspected #6 cylinder with the plug out, then do another compression test on #6. See if the reading changes or not to a fairly measurable reading. Thinking about it, the valves should be fully sealed, right? So adding oil would do what?..... If your compression measurably increases with the oil, then you have bottom end issues (oil rings). If your oil test compression results stay the same, then your bottom end (rings) are fine. I'd start from there. Divide your issue between the bottom end (block, rings) and the top end (heads). Hope this helps some. r-

Are you John Locke from Lost?

Intake manifold bolts are tty you can't reuse them safely

@reluctorvalve

4 жыл бұрын

I've not had issues with this in the past, and I've done a lot of intake stuff- however, I agree. If you can, use new fasteners. Be sure, though, to research the grade-value of the OEM bolts so that you at least match those capabilities with the new bolts. Not worn-looking? I use them. :) r-.