LoveMy89Anya

to replace a blown head gasket myself? and can somebody point me in the direction of a play-by-play for doing it?

Spoonman

The felpro gasket set at advance auto parts online for the '89 4.0L is $61.99.I dont know how good that set is but comes with everything you'll need gasket wise.

As for a play by play ( Not being a jerk ) its best for you to have a repair manual, $25 for a haynes at advance auto also. The manual will give you step by step and all your torque values and sequences.

If you are going to pull the head it would be best to take it to a machine shop to at the very least make sure the gasket surface is true. $60 at my local Napa.

Aside from that you will need a torque wrench and a decent assortment of regular hand tools.

wjnfirearms

If one considers doing a HG themselves, not much better than a I6 to do it to, other than an I4 that is..

Basically, remove the valve cover. Remove spark plugs, but this isn't an absolute necessity though I'd do it to insure not accidentally breaking one in the process of removal or installing the head. Remove the exhaust and intake manifolds. This is where you might have issues, especially on the exhaust. Snapping manifold bolts on older engines is not exactly uncommon and a pain in the buttinsky to fix after. I'd heat them liberally and use copious amounts of a good penetrating oil here and be patient. Move any wires in the immediate vicinity to insure not having them interfere. Remove the head retaining bolts. Now, tap the head on the side with a mallet to loosen it. Remove the head. It's not light so be prepared. The head and block will need cleaned from any residue of the old gasket and make sure no crud or parts or hardware falls into the pistons without your knowledge and stays there.

I agree to have the head checked to see if there is any warpage. It's worth the cost. This is also a great time to evaluate the head itself. The 4.0 has known issues with the valve springs after high mileage. The valves should also be checked for wear and burning as well as excess crud forming. A hand operated valve spring compressor is inexpensive if you opt to do parts at this time. You will need torque specs so the manual is invaluable. I have issues with the Haynes as I've found errors in mine. Go with the Chiltons or finding a factory shop manual is even better. Do a Google search for manuals and you'll find guys that sell obsolete manuals for virtually everything on wheels.

sam24th

Its pretty easy Ive dont it ont he I4 before basiacally same thing but smaller. Its pretty straight forward. BTW you got a PM.

freegdr

good to see you guys made it thru the storm allright,whats making you think you need to change it