replacing head gasket in cold weather?

can I replace my head gasket in cold weather. its 13 degrees outside today and 1 reason it doesnt have much power and is suging is because head gasket was bad. besides the #1 cylinder being dead. Can I use hightemp rtv silicone gasket maker or do I need to have some type of material between the head and block? No wonder when the guy dropped it off he said that the radiator is empty. But Im still not complaining the non engine jeep is gunna be a good resto job plus he gave me a ****load of parts adapters starters fuelpump head lota belts some pistons flywheels etc. :stout: :stout: cheers to all you cold weather mechanics.

 

Ditto. You have to use a head gasket or it will never work.

 

Get some mechanic's gloves - can't work in cold weather without them.

I don't think there's anything that would prevent you from replacing the head gasket in those temps. If you want to use CopperCoat or such on the head gasket, you might have to leave the can indoors before you spray. IIRC the teflon-coated Felpro head gaskets are supposed to be installed dry. Take the head off, remove old gasket, clean surfaces, place new gasket, install head. You might also use a straightedge and feeler gauge to test the block and head... no point in putting it together if the head or block is warped.

 

Ok thanks.Looks like I wont be throwing it back together today anyway, thought I could get away with replacing head gasket to stop the coolant from getting in block but once I removed head I saw the troubles.

The number 1 cylinder has a burnt valve(never seen one before, it looks like someone nibbled all the way round it and made it smaller) the intake valve on that cylinder i can just pull out so somethings wrong there,
thats not holding the valve in place dont know what thats called anyone?
Also the piston has little pieces broken off around the top edges of it.

Number 2 piston is similiar but not as bad I can see the top ring on one of these pistons where the little pieces are broken off its a little bigger piece chipped off there but goes right down to the top ring. Pistons have indentations on the top of the #1 and #2 from whatever broke off.

#3 and #4 are ok. Luckily the cylinders look fine. I dont know if the guy put these pistons in like that for a cheap fix since he only used it for his driveway or not...seems the cylinders would be scratched to hell but they are fine and I dont see any pieces of the piston anywhere seems they caused some damage.

This was supposed to be my plow jeep. And I didnt want to have to rebuild till spring. (due to weather and no garage).

What do you guys sugest I do? Replace the piston and rings on the 2 bad cylinders and whatever caused the intake valve to pop loose, or should I do all 4 of them. Or just replace the rings and fix valve and rebuild in spring. (I dont mind pulling head and oilpan off again in spring to do the other 2).

My moneys tight very tight. I have to heat house with kerosene and its $2.19 cents a gallon. A cold month can cost me $800.00.

I did not take off the valve cover yet but will probably do that after I get warm again. Just want to know what I should look for when I pull valve cover off. Its a L 134 nogo devil engine. I plowed the driveway with all that damage running on 2 cylinders, not much power but it did the job. guy said he ran it like that for 6 years to plow with.

I guess what I'm asking is can I still use the same pistons and just put in new rings and fix whatever's wrong with the intake valve and throw her back together and run it like that till spring. Thats when I plan to do a thorough rebuild. Don't have the funds for it now but I need to plow my driveway. I know it wont run perfect but I'm hoping that it would be ok. It would be a bandaid where stiches are needed but All I need it to do is plow the driveway not a daily driver.

 

Putting in used pistons is ok for a bandaid fix if you can find pistons of the right size (ie std, 30 over, 60 over, etc). This is an L head? #1 will never fire till you fix both valves. It's old-school, but you could maybe grind the leaky valve with the engine in the car. To grind the seat, you'll need a stone and the right pilot. Probably best to buy a new exhaust valve. The loose intake valve could be a broken spring, broken tappet or something similar.

Seems pretty grim to try and patch up. Maybe look for a runner? (used engine that runs)

 

Yes its a L head. I remember the guy saying something about haveing it apart and doing something to the #1 piston (its stamped .30 over) but the other 3 are not) I think he said he ground a lifter and put a used intake valve in. he thinks its a spring that broke, said he could tell by the ticking sound it made and no compression in that cylinder plus I guess he knew what he did to it so I'm hoping its just a spring. I dont think he used a new gasket thats why the head gasket blew in my opinion. So I'll put new rings in and pick up a new exaust valve. I have a valve grinding tool to seat it what will it cost me in parts? (just a rough estimate) 4 sets of rings a valve spring and and a new exaust valve? Does the fhead and the Lhead use the same valve springs? I have a head to a fhead all intact. thanks for the info I'm sure to have many questions
come spring as far as the restoration of 1 of my cj5's goes.I bought 2 super hurricane motors 1949 that came out of a old jeep wagon the guy said they can be used in the cj5 what do you think of those engines? Are they a weak 6 cylinder? Its a flathead. will it fit? how much longer is it than the 4 cylinder engines. that fan guard is pretty long behind the radiator. Or did I waste my money and get taken by a guy who just wanted to dump them off?

 

I have found in my experience, it is best to do it right the first time if you can. Pulling the head off should give you a good idea of what will be needed to make the old girl run right. A simple check with a micrometer will tell you if you are within tolerances for re ring, or bore it out, and oversize the pistons. Not having all cylinders the same is not the greatest idea, but wont really cause any problems.A visual check would give you a great idea of what is wrong with the valve as well

 

If the tops of the #1 and #2 pistons are damaged, I'd replace them. New pistons are about $25 each from Turner's, or maybe you can find a good used piston. You're going to need to hone the cylinders to replace the rings, so it's not too much extra work. A new exhaust valve is $8, don't know if you're going to be able to find rings for one 30-over piston and 3 stds. Didn't find a listing for a valve spring.

If you're going to do the absolute minimum, I'd say just fix the valves and leave the pistons alone (till spring). Not certain that this will be enough to get it to fire on all 4, but from your description it should. Takes a long time to erode the exhaust valve that much, and it ran before...

 

The Super Hurricane (Continental 6) are a very reliable engine, but no powerhouse. That engine was put in lots of different vehicles (including Checker cabs) and was still produced for industrial use into the '70s. It's a very old design, dating back to the late 20s.

All the inline 6 conversions I've seen have required the firewall to be cut for clearance. Use your tape measure - if in doubt, measure!

Don't know if the L4 and L6 bellhousings are the same - look at your F4 and see if the bolt pattern is the same. If not, you'll have to use the L6 bellhousing, and the input shaft stickout on the CJ T90 will probably be wrong.

 

The indentations and "chips" in the pistons may have been caused by excessive detonation (spark knock). Bad detonation can knock a hole in the top of the piston.

Hmmm, sounds like the two pistons at .030 over was a farm style fix. I would anticipate that ring tension, piston-to-bore clearance, and bore finish was improperly done too. (2nd & 3rd bore finish passes didn't happen) Boring two cylinders is bad ---well not bad, maybe just silly. Egg shaped cylinders are also a concern (possible, not probable).

When I was 19, I was in a pinch and "farm fixed" an engine by doing a quick ridge ream, hone, over sized pistons and bolted it back up. The car ran poorly at best. The ring tension was way off and so was the piston-to-bore clearance. I got the results I deserved by shorcutting. Waste of money since it was essentially still broken. I couldn't sell the car in the condition it was in and installed a junkyard motor 6 months later.

If it were me, I would get the bores fixed properly, new pistons (if there is enough wall in the two for .030's to fit). Don't waste the money and time to "get you through". Do it right the first time and drive it for many years!

 

IMO, if the cylinders aren't scored and the pistons aren't bashed up, hone them and throw new rings in it. Personally I wouldn't use anything other than moly coated rings. They really do make a difference. Somone on this board recently did a ring job with the block still in the Jeep. Not the preferred way but it can be done. With a new valve/valves, I bet it'll be just fine. The way I see it, there is nothing wrong with a back woods, red neck or whatever name you have for a fix. You are after all working on a plow Jeep, not a space shuttle.

 

In the end you might come out ahead both in both time and cost, by finding a used L-head or F-head and replacing your current motor. Adding your location to your profile might help other members help find you parts or provide hands-on help as well.

Good places to look for either motor would be:
here in our wanted to buy section
www.willystech.com
www.g503.com
the cj3b bulletin board etc.

 

thanks for all the input. Especially about the molly rings. I will buy that type. From what I understand all I need to do is drop the oil pan and remove the head. Heads already off inorder to replace the rings. I believe I have a broken spring in the number 1 cylinder as the intake valve does not move so Ill have to take the manifols off to fix I believe, I havent really looked at how the engine is set up but I have the Chiltons
repair and tune up guide for the jeeps from 1947-87 not as well put together as I would have though. Any books out there that have lots of pics on rebuilding etc. Looking for a book that will cover everything that I'll need. I'm a picture by reference
freak. They seem to help me tremendously so looking for book full of pics. Especially since 1 of my jeeps will be a frame up restoration. thanks guys.

 

Get a Factory Service Manual. That'll be a big help.