Replacing the cylinder gasket isnt hard, its a easy job but it take some time. Buy a good torque wrench and do it yourself.

 

the work in swapping them out should be easy your right, but thefact il havta bring the new one to a machinest is where the $$ will come into play.

 

New one to a machinest? you dont have to do that with a gasket. If the head is warped you need to take it to a machinest, but if its only a broken gasket you just replace it. Use a glass plate to see if the head is ok ;-)

 

You may have a cracked head, not into the cylinders, but into the water jacket. It's rare, but it happens. This still doesn't solve your guage issue. Try the resistor and see what it shows. Sounds like you've got multiple problems, not that this is unusual!

BTW, check for water in the oil. You may have to take a sample from the drain plug.

 

well i thought for a head gasket to blow it means the head is warped? how would using a glass playe tell me if its warped? or are you just being sarcastic with the smiley face? lol i cannot tell

 

i think he means place the head on a completely flat surface to try and determine if its warped perhaps by shineing a light thru it or using a very thin piece of paper to see if you can shove it in anywhere around the sealing surface
maybe this will help, i didnt read it

http://www.google.com/search?q=how+t...hrome&ie=UTF-8

 

Take the head out, clean it. Turn it upside down, spray a litle wd40 or something in each corner and some other places. Take a glass plate and put that on top, hard to see on this video, but you will see what i mean when you do it. https://dl.dropbox.com/u/87802055/VIDEO0146.mp4

 

ill be checking out the head sunday guys, just been so busy with school and work then had to go down to ny this past weekend to see the gf. so finally will have time for it this coming weekend.

 

If you have a framing square set it across the head at different angles and that will locate the issue if there is one. Also your repair manual will tell you what the allowed warpage is.

 

Great info! Thanks ill check the repair manual. And do I need a legit framing square or will a math square or even 2 rulers work?

 

Anything that is 100% percent straight and long enough to hit all the angles should be fine.

 

To use a glass plate to check flatness, clean the gasket surface well. Put a light coating of engine oil on the entire surface and set a plate of glass lightly on it. The oil will show wherever the head surface doesn't touch. Don't press on the glass because it will flex. You can do the same thing with the block deck surface also but you will have to remove the locator pins first. I had a V8 that blew a head gasket twice in the same place. I found a low spot between two cylinders on the block deck.

 

I like the oil idea! I'm gonna keep that in mind.

 

I used my wife's 3/8 thick glass coffee table and never heard the end if it!