I recently undertook and completed a head gasket replacement on my D1. While I could have been more efficient, it was the first time I have ever undertaken a project of this magnitude and ultimately it had a successful outcome. Since I feel I owe a portion of my success to the discoweb community I'd like to return part of the favor by sharing the lessons I learned in hopes that someone else finds them helpful in the future. I'll also make a donation with some of the money I saved by doing it myself.
First off, special recognition is due to some folks from discoweb. Without their help I couldn't have done it.
Preparation:
I understood early on that this was going to be a complex, detail-oriented, and time consuming project. In order to make it go smoothly as possible I put a considerable effort into preparations. I wanted to avoid disruptions with trips to the parts store, hardware store, and beer store. This work up front paid off big time, and if you are going to take on this repair then I encourage you to plan ahead thoroughly.
First I did a lot of homework. I read all the head gasket threads I could find in the technical section of the board. There are a lot, and it was confusing to make sense of them all before getting into the project. One thing I ended up doing that was really helpful was copying and pasting certain comments from the various threads into a Word document, then organizing them by the order of operations. This way I could anticipate where other folks had run into problems and not repeat their mistakes/misfortunes. I printed this document and kept it in the workspace as a reference during the job.
I printed off all the sections of RAVE that seemed to have relevance to the project: head gasket, steering system, torque values, serpentine belt orientation, etc. As a rookie I printed off maybe 20-30 pages of different sections and found them valuable references during the job.
In Search of the Experience. This was $15 well spent. The instructional section of this DVD was essential to understanding the progression of the project. I watched it ahead of time and kept a laptop in the work space so I could refer to it on the fly. Plus the movie was cool.
Assistance. Having some competent help was essential to the project success. Nearly every day of the project I had a friend come over to lend a hand. Some things are really hard to do alone, plus having the company made the process more enjoyable. I budgeted beer and pizza into my project costs to keep my helpers happy and threw a party for them all when I finished.
Tools. I don't have my entire kit handy right now, but some specific pieces I found indispensable include:
Disassembly:
This was one area that gave me difficulty, having never taken my engine apart before. The instructional DVD speeds through this process with some circus music, so I didn't feel as confident doing this as I might have. For other first-timers, I would suggest approaching the disassembly in small chunks, thinking about your engine as a big collection of smaller systems. You approach each system and break it into its component parts and then it's much easier to conceptualize. If you think "I have to take all this apart!" then it's overwhelming, but if you break it all down into smaller tasks then it's manageable. Here are some things I did to make it easier to put back together:
Reassembly:
Get help. There are lots of steps in the process that are easier with assistance. Go slow. Think about each step before you tighten everything to torque. I got ahead of myself on a couple of occasions and had to take some things back off in order to get a sequence right. This is where the notes are a good reminder. Also, from the point at which I set the heads onto the block I covered the intake holes with masking tape. Then when I put on the intake manifold I covered those openings with masking tape. Then when I put on the lower plenum I covered the pipes with masking tape. I wanted to avoid dropping anything into an intake. Just remember to remove the tape when it's time to install the next layer of components.
Encountering problems:
I don't know if there is a "routine" head job. I put a lot of effort into avoiding certain problems that other people had run into, which I managed successfully, but I had my own share of surprises that slowed me down.
Cost breakdowns:
I don't want to ever do this job again on this Disco. I'll happily help others with the project, or do it again in a couple years if I buy another Rover, but I need a break from wrench time for a little while. Whether the Disco will let me have it is another story. Thanks again to those whose help was so welcome, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the process. I'm still no expert, but I'm happy to share what I learned.
atriot:
Nick
First off, special recognition is due to some folks from discoweb. Without their help I couldn't have done it.
- Will Tillery, for short phone calls, good parts at a good price, and fast service.
- Elias Christeas, for the instructional DVD and for valuable suggestions via text message along the way.
- PT Schram, for some answers to questions, and for making generous offers to ship parts.
Preparation:
I understood early on that this was going to be a complex, detail-oriented, and time consuming project. In order to make it go smoothly as possible I put a considerable effort into preparations. I wanted to avoid disruptions with trips to the parts store, hardware store, and beer store. This work up front paid off big time, and if you are going to take on this repair then I encourage you to plan ahead thoroughly.
First I did a lot of homework. I read all the head gasket threads I could find in the technical section of the board. There are a lot, and it was confusing to make sense of them all before getting into the project. One thing I ended up doing that was really helpful was copying and pasting certain comments from the various threads into a Word document, then organizing them by the order of operations. This way I could anticipate where other folks had run into problems and not repeat their mistakes/misfortunes. I printed this document and kept it in the workspace as a reference during the job.
I printed off all the sections of RAVE that seemed to have relevance to the project: head gasket, steering system, torque values, serpentine belt orientation, etc. As a rookie I printed off maybe 20-30 pages of different sections and found them valuable references during the job.
In Search of the Experience. This was $15 well spent. The instructional section of this DVD was essential to understanding the progression of the project. I watched it ahead of time and kept a laptop in the work space so I could refer to it on the fly. Plus the movie was cool.
Assistance. Having some competent help was essential to the project success. Nearly every day of the project I had a friend come over to lend a hand. Some things are really hard to do alone, plus having the company made the process more enjoyable. I budgeted beer and pizza into my project costs to keep my helpers happy and threw a party for them all when I finished.
Tools. I don't have my entire kit handy right now, but some specific pieces I found indispensable include:
- 5/16" 12-point deep socket for the valve cover bolts
- 12mm 12-point socket for the exhaust manifold bolts
- Impact swivel (I broke a universal swivel on a head bolt, thankfully had this on hand as well)
- Socket extensions and different sized drivers
- Digital torque wrench (vibrates and beeps when you reach the torque setting, no confusion)
- Masking tape and Sharpie for labeling connections and labeling contents of...
- Ziploc bags for storing bolts, clips, all the small pieces you remove during disassembly
- 12" crescent wrench for fan removal
- Digital camera
Disassembly:
This was one area that gave me difficulty, having never taken my engine apart before. The instructional DVD speeds through this process with some circus music, so I didn't feel as confident doing this as I might have. For other first-timers, I would suggest approaching the disassembly in small chunks, thinking about your engine as a big collection of smaller systems. You approach each system and break it into its component parts and then it's much easier to conceptualize. If you think "I have to take all this apart!" then it's overwhelming, but if you break it all down into smaller tasks then it's manageable. Here are some things I did to make it easier to put back together:
- Take photos. A digital camera is great for getting close-ups of the engine so you know how it is supposed to look at different stages of assembly.
- Label connections. Every time I unplugged something I made tags for each end of the connection using masking tape, and with the Sharpie I labeled them. "A" matched with "A", "B" matched with "B" and so on. It added some time but was definitely worth it when it came time to put stuff back together.
- Label parts. Each time I removed something I put it in a plastic bag and wrote on the bag what it was, like "Valve cover bolts left side" or "PS pump, long bolts for housing, short bolts for pulley". For bigger parts, like the rocker arms, I set them down on cardboard under the truck and wrote on the cardboard "left, front" to maintain proper orientation. I also labeled the orientation of the push rods "Top, front to back". Everything that came out of the engine was recorded and cataloged so I could put it back in the right place.
- Take notes. It may not be obvious how to reverse the steps when it's time to put everything back together. If you take notes that you did X before Y, then you'll know to do Y before X during reassembly. This could be as simple as recording voice notes on your cell phone.
- Throw stuff away that you don't need. Parts you know you are replacing, like head bolts and spark plugs, make no sense to keep once they are removed. They just clutter the work space. Chuck 'em.
Reassembly:
Get help. There are lots of steps in the process that are easier with assistance. Go slow. Think about each step before you tighten everything to torque. I got ahead of myself on a couple of occasions and had to take some things back off in order to get a sequence right. This is where the notes are a good reminder. Also, from the point at which I set the heads onto the block I covered the intake holes with masking tape. Then when I put on the intake manifold I covered those openings with masking tape. Then when I put on the lower plenum I covered the pipes with masking tape. I wanted to avoid dropping anything into an intake. Just remember to remove the tape when it's time to install the next layer of components.
Encountering problems:
I don't know if there is a "routine" head job. I put a lot of effort into avoiding certain problems that other people had run into, which I managed successfully, but I had my own share of surprises that slowed me down.
- Bent valve: the machine shop found a bent valve. It seemed foolish to go through all this trouble to replace my head gaskets without fixing a valve that would cause me trouble later on, so I agreed to a new valve and full valve job. It added a fair bit to the cost of the job but in the long run I think it will be worth it since I plan to keep my Disco for many years.
- Exhaust manifolds: one of the threads on a bolt hole in the cylinder head was damaged and I was unable to seat the manifold bolt. I bought a tap & die kit to re-tap/restore the thread and it worked after extensive persuasion.
- Valve cover bolt: a buddy of mine sheared off a valve cover bolt during assembly (see note above about competent help). He brought over a bolt extractor kit, and while I was nervous drilling into the bolt stud mere millimeters from the cylinder head the tool worked and I was able to remove the buried stud.
- Leaking fuel injector: plugging all the injectors back in was awkward, and during the process one of the O-rings came unseated. When I finally turned the key all I got was a stream of gas flowing over my engine from the fuel rail. Had to take a few things apart to reach the leaking injector but re-seating the O-ring solved that issue.
Cost breakdowns:
- Head gasket kit & radiator hoses from Will: $280
- Hand tools: $90
- Plugs/fluids/filters: $70
- In Search of the Experience DVD: $15
- Head resurfacing: $130
- New valve/valve job: $280
- Pizza & beer: $50
I don't want to ever do this job again on this Disco. I'll happily help others with the project, or do it again in a couple years if I buy another Rover, but I need a break from wrench time for a little while. Whether the Disco will let me have it is another story. Thanks again to those whose help was so welcome, and feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the process. I'm still no expert, but I'm happy to share what I learned.
atriot:
Nick