Head gasket gone, urgent advice needed

[Arnold]

Hi all

My radiator expansion tank was over flowing and sprayed water all over the engine bay, and i'm told this is signs the head gasket has gone or going. I've also read on here that it could be the head bolts have stretched, either way I need to sort this out ASAP, as i've got three shows to attend in the next month.

Basically, if there's enough time, I'm now thinking this is an idea time to go forged rather than repairing it now and stripping it down again later on. I know the ARP head bolts are a must, but i'm reading mixed opinions about the Athena head gasket Vs Standard, and i'm not sure which thickness gasket I'd need to buy.

I'm also not sure which con rods i'd need. I've seen a few on eBay, ARP, Scat, PEC, JE, and others. Are there any advantages over different ones to others, which ones should I go for.

And finally, what bearings will I need as i've seen some suppliers selling larger ones (0.25). I haven't yet seen what advantages larger ones offer, but i'm still searching around.

And where's the best place to buy this all from!

Thanks

Arnold

[AdamB]

Athena is the cheapest option in terms of gaskets 1.2mm will be sufficient.

Con rods it varies as they are all different weights, some need the block notched some don't.

Bearings you can't really tell until the crankshaft and journals have been measured.

Unfortunatly if you want a lasting engine you can't just throw it all together.

[Amjad]

I remember seeing a thread where a few people said their Athena HG's were weeping oil?

[shorty]

Lager brearings are for cranks that have been reground due to scoring you dont run them as an upgrade as such, it just makes a reground crank sit as it should. As for rods etc its all personal choice, i have custom rods from an american hotrod builder, others use lesser known brands to great effect and the masses use popular tried and known brands but in essance its what you are happy to use.

Athena are shit hot! I've only read one thread on issues with them and im fairly sure its a warped block or head not the gasket. As they manufacture gaskets for ferrari and moto gp super bikes id say they know their stuff, i rate them highly.

Pistons again personal, i use ridiculosly sized pistons but commonly 74.5 is a sensible option as its only mildly bigger than stock so gives plenty of bore thikness.

All that said a blown head is a bit extreem a reason for a full forge build if you have shows to attend, id just bung oem bolts and gasket in and forge after show season imo.

[shorty]

I've had cruise and oem and athena, athena are fantastic in comparison to others imho.

[funny onion]

Arp headbolts aren't a must imo. I've bolted a head down with oem quality bolts (can't remember the make but they were from idrees). A third of the price. But if you're doing it do it right I suppose, but even when the pistons melted the head never lifted and the headgasket was fine.

[Arnold]

Lager brearings are for cranks that have been reground due to scoring you dont run them as an upgrade as such, it just makes a reground crank sit as it should. As for rods etc its all personal choice, i have custom rods from an american hotrod builder, others use lesser known brands to great effect and the masses use popular tried and known brands but in essance its what you are happy to use.

Athena are shit hot! I've only read one thread on issues with them and im fairly sure its a warped block or head not the gasket. As they manufacture gaskets for ferrari and moto gp super bikes id say they know their stuff, i rate them highly.

Pistons again personal, i use ridiculosly sized pistons but commonly 74.5 is a sensible option as its only mildly bigger than stock so gives plenty of bore thikness.

All that said a blown head is a bit extreem a reason for a full forge build if you have shows to attend, id just bung oem bolts and gasket in and forge after show season imo.

Thanks mate, not sure what I'm happy with as going down this route is all new to me, but ill speak to my tuner and see what he recommends. Your right, it is a bit extreme but I've been quoted around £500 to have the HG replaced. Not sure if that is steep or not, but it made me think if I go forged now, then it saves having the head skimmed twice, replacing the gasket twice and two lots of labour rates as well. How much should a head gasket cost to replace?

I remember seeing a thread where a few people said their Athena HG's were weeping oil?

I read that too, which is why I wondered if the oem one would do. I think I'm right in saying the gaskets can't be re-used so I don't want to have to buy two Athena ones either if I repaired now and went forged later on.

Athena is the cheapest option in terms of gaskets 1.2mm will be sufficient.

Con rods it varies as they are all different weights, some need the block notched some don't.

Bearings you can't really tell until the crankshaft and journals have been measured.

Unfortunatly if you want a lasting engine you can't just throw it all together.

Thanks for that, again ill leave all that down to my tuner to decide what's best if its not as simple as I thought.

Arp headbolts aren't a must imo. I've bolted a head down with oem quality bolts (can't remember the make but they were from idrees). A third of the price. But if you're doing it do it right I suppose, but even when the pistons melted the head never lifted and the headgasket was fine.

Do oem bolts and head gaskets need replacing every time the head comes off?

[funny onion]

I would replace any headgasket whenever the head comes off. As for bolts some people say you can reuse arp ones a few times but personally I wouldn't. Not worth risking it I reckon. Hopefully you won't be taking the head on and off a lot?

[AdamB]

You can't reuse OEM headbolts as they are stretch to yield, once torqued down they will not hold sufficient clamping force the next time round and the head will lift. ARP's can be reused but will need to be measured for stretch.

I think if you wanted to go forged, you would be far better just buying an engine package from TD or Race-Tech, then all you have to do is drop the engine in, especially if your not too sure on some things.

[Arnold]

I would replace any headgasket whenever the head comes off. As for bolts some people say you can reuse arp ones a few times but personally I wouldn't. Not worth risking it I reckon. Hopefully you won't be taking the head on and off a lot?

Well, it would only go on and off if I repaired it now, then went forged later on but I've been reading about arp bolts stretching too so I've just gone and bought an oem head gasket and oem bolts / washers for £100 delivered, so ill be getting those fitted and will replace the lot for forged bits and arp bolts, Athena gasket etc later on. I don't really have the cash right now to go forged anyway.

You can't reuse OEM headbolts as they are stretch to yield, once torqued down they will not hold sufficient clamping force the next time round and the head will lift. ARP's can be reused but will need to be measured for stretch.

I think if you wanted to go forged, you would be far better just buying an engine package from TD or Race-Tech, then all you have to do is drop the engine in, especially if your not too sure on some things.

Yeah I could but both companies are up north. TD said they would deliver a fully built engine but won't give it a warranty if they don't fit it, so I'd rather buy the stuff and get it done by my tuner (fusion Motorsport). As above, these oem bits have been ordered now so hopefully have this sorted soon! Thanks all for the replies

Edited April 21, 2013 by Arnold