89cherokeeL

i got a fel pro gasket set from napa, tuesday im buying a chilton for torque specs, and will be tearing down the head for gasket instalation , and ideas or advice to make it go smoothly would be greatly appreicated, its an 89 cherokee laredo with the i6 4.0 all stock motor just a coolant system swap to the open system,

another ? i have is, i did the coolant swap and it feels like the coolant isnt flowing through the radiator hoses when i squeeze them, any ideas? the water pump is good, i just did a new t stat and t stat housing, flushed the radiator with the hose while it was out and cleaned out the overflow bottle.

any help is appreciated, thanks

89cherokeeL

bump!!! throw me some ideas guys

89cherokeeL

no one on here has done a head gasket????

Abovetimberline

Yes plenty have,it just xmas weekend. you already made the right step by getting a manual. Not sure how far along you are but make sure you have all you need on hand,like oil,antifreeze,etc.
As far as the head goes the biggest thing is to have it checked for cracks and flatness,also make sure you clean it real good,I use a little round scrubber that attaches to a arbor and power drill,it saves alot of time.
Do you have any specific questions?

89cherokeeL

i was told im going to need a special socket is that true?? and how much is it to have the head checked usually? how long should this take me? im pretty mechanically inclined ive just never dealt with jeeps

Abovetimberline

The socket is a 12 point and I am pretty sure it is 14mm.
The head should cost about $50-75 to magnaflux and check,if they do not find anything wrong with it.
A good machine shop can check it in a day.

89cherokeeL

any shop can check it? does it matter

Abovetimberline

Machine shop,they do heads and engines. automotive shops most of the time send them out.
I have just cleaned them up and used a maginfying glass to check for cracks and a ruler for flatness,but I could not afford it at the time.

89cherokeeL

i might be doing that , im strapped for cash, thats why im doing the job myself, where should i be checking for cracks ? where it meets the block?

Abovetimberline

Most of the heat and stress happens around the combustion chamber,look between the valves,but it could crack anywhere. Did it blow because of overheating?

89cherokeeL

it hasnt quite blown yet, its starting to look just a little tinted in the oil, barely noticable, ive never let it reach the total point of over heating it got to the top of the temp and i turned it off, i changed the cooling system and i want to do the gasket before it gets bad.

Abovetimberline

You should be fine then with checking it yourself,just make sure it is very clean before you inspect it.

89cherokeeL

im going to sand down and clean my valve cover and my exhaust manifold and probable paint them too while its out, high heat paint should work right?

Abovetimberline

I have not seen any paint last very long on the exhaust,but give it a shot.

89cherokeeL

yea true, we did it on my camaro and it lasted like 3 seconds hahaha ill probably just clean it up nice and pretty haha and paint the valve cover