Head gasket failure....

[jedivman]

More to the point it was clamping force failure mostly on Cylinder #1.

Started out for work Friday and car wouldn't start, started to turn over then just quit. No more cranking just a loud Clunk from the starter. Take to truck to work and I will mess with the car when I get home. I have figured the gaskets were leaking do to drinking coolant so I ordered the head bolts from Northstar Performance a week earlier, just hoped it would last until Monday for tear down. I got to work that morning and the head bolts get dropped off by USPS!!!

Go home Friday night and pull all 4 front plugs, they all look like new for having 102K on them. Get rear backfire valve off and remove the 4 rear plugs, #1 is Soaked!! Crank the engine over a few times and proceed to blow the coolant out of the cylinder and all over the firewall, the cylinder was full and hydrolocked. Reinstall plugs and it fires up instantly, shut engine off and let sit until Monday for the ride in.

Pull the car in at 8:00AM and start unhooking everything under the hood, she looked like this by 10:30AM...



About an hour later it looked like this....



Not long after it was this...



Next morning start drilling and tapping the holes, the most time consuming part of the job...



Studs going in.....



Studs in gaskets on.



The next day around noon ready to go back in....



Starts right up and runs like a dream. It sucks to spend $1500.00 to have your V8 runs just like it did when new, but I shouldn't have to mess with it again any time soon....

[CMNTMXR57]

Nice write up with pics. Sorry to hear, but like you say, at least their re-stud kit will be better than OEM...

And people on here ask if it can be taken out from the top... LOL!

[crash93ssei]

This is awesome to see! I wish more people would do this instead of fearing the Northstar for the head gasket issues. Let's get some more pics of the car all cleaned up now

[bobgto65]

Did you do the work yourself?

[MikeKerr]

"Starts right up and runs like a dream. It sucks to spend $1500.00 to have your V8 runs just like it did when new, but I shouldn't have to mess with it again any time soon...."

Is the $1500 part and labor, and if so where did you have the work done?

[CMNTMXR57]

He did it himself.

[jedivman]

I did the job myself at work with a few of the other mechanics all pitching it.

The Stud kit was $550.00 shipped and I also replaced the water pump, thermostat, oil pressure sending unit and al gaskets.

I would never in a million years dream of yanking the engine from the top, that's just WAY to much work. It comes out the bottom, as intended, way to easy to deviate from it.

The car actually runs way better than it did when I bought it at 82K miles. I assume the Autolight plugs in there where not helping the situation.

This is a repair I would charge the average person $3000.00 to do with warranty.

FWIW, do not ever buy new timing chains, the factory chains or indestructible. Mine had Zero lateral movement what so ever. The guide shoes were perfect and the tensioners were perfect. I installed a new water pump just because, probably didn't need it but it was way to easy to do it with the engine out.

[jedivman]

Are the pics showing uop for you guys? All I see at work is a bunch of Red X's!!!

[jedivman]

The engine will come out from the top, but it is twice as much work in all honesty. Not to mention it is a lot easier to drill and tap the block when it is bolted to a 4T80 on a craddle then on any engine stand......

[jedivman]

This is awesome to see! I wish more people would do this instead of fearing the Northstar for the head gasket issues. Let's get some more pics of the car all cleaned up now

I would, but I live around Frankenmuth Michigan, with all the salt on the roads here it is a Far cry from being cleaned up! It will be come spring once I take off the snow tires and wheels......

If you have taken apart any engine before the northstar isnt too much different. The hardest part is slowly drilling out and tapping the block. Requires a lot of patience and a big powerful slow 1/2" drill. We started with a 3/8 drill, after we bent 2 bits we pulled out the bigger slower drill and it worked flawlessly......

[crash93ssei]

Frankenmuth huh? Not to far from me, I am just outside of Midland.

I have rebuilt engines and transmissions before and have no fear of the Northstar at all, bought an 04 GXP a while back and changed the engine, out the bottom in my dirt driveway without a lift was a massive pain that way but it ran amazing afterwards, sadly had to sell it though since there was no interest in my 03 SSEi. Recently picked up a 05 GXP with a smoked engine, I was hoping I could fix it easily but turns out the chain tensioner wore through and broke causing the front cams to jump time and the valves to smack the pistons which broke off all the cam followers on the intake cam, so unfortunately it is getting parted out. Eventually I will run across another GXP and stud the block and do some other goodies as well.

You should bring that out for the Michigan meet that I host, probably will be posting a thread in the meets section very soon

[CMNTMXR57]

Pics work for me.

I only mentioned the topic of taking it out through the top because I think two posts in this section recently asked if it's feasible to do from above. I answered yes, but that it is extremely difficult and added labor in the long run. I am in complete concurrence that it was meant to be dropped from below, sub-frame and all, and just lift the body off.

[jedivman]

I see you're n Sanford, I ran our location in Midland for a few months last year......

[crash93ssei]

What shop do you work for?

[jackr]

I was wondering if you or your shop can do a head job on my car I'm in Detroit and having a hard time finding a shop that would or could do the work.

[crash93ssei]

I was wondering if you or your shop can do a head job on my car I'm in Detroit and having a hard time finding a shop that would or could do the work.

He has not been on here since February, doubtful he will ever see this. I believe he worked for Belle Tire in Frankenmuth though so maybe you might have some luck contacting that shop?