My baby is acting like she's near death. I'm taking her to a shop tuesday morning to have her looked at...I suspect it's a blown head gasket, maybe more, maybe less. If it's as bad as it seems like, i'm parking her for the month, and putting 2 months worth of extra money ( $300 total to get her back on the road, $600 after full repairs, if need be. ) into her.

What I ask of you guys is this. What should I try to do. Any preventive repairs/replacements I can do that will help keep this engine going?

Here is a list of what i'm definitely doing if it's what I suspect:

Head gasket replacement
Head machining if warped
Valve Cover gasket replacement ( even though it's only like 2 months old, damnit all )
Valve, rod, spring replacement ( have a nasty valve tap I want rid of )
Ignition tune up ( wires and spark plugs definite, distributor cap check, replacement if needed )
New Battery ( suspect this one is crap anyway, the damn pos terminal and post keep turning black )
Entire Engine Seafoamed to hell and back!!! ( once I get her running again, I suspect it needs it badly )
and finally...
Oil Change after seafoaming
Trans Fluid Change


So fellow Jeepers, Anya is likely down for the count. How can I help her get her shoulders off the mat and keep them off?


I'M NOT DITCHING MY JEEP EVEN IF THE ENGINE IS TRASHED, SHE'S MY BABY, MY PASSION, I WON'T LET HER DIE!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you do pull the head just take it to the machine shop and tell them you blew a head gasket, have them check for cracks on head and then just have them go though it. Valve tap ? do you mean lifter ? If so just try to isolate the one and change that or if you can't you could probably just buy a set. Also not really a fan of sea foam and such but you said you'd change the oil after so that's good just don't run it too long. Really though if you have the head off and they go through it I really don't think you need sea foam. Remember "if it ain't broke don't "fix" it" because you might end up doing more bad than good.

 

seafoam is harmless if you do it right. i was getting godaweful mileage before this happened, and seafoam could help that.

also, all parts of the valve assembly ( rods, rockers, springs, bridges ) and the area of the head they sit in are coated in 1/4 inch thick sludge. i tried cleaning it when i did the VCG but it didnt help much, so replacing all of them would be useful.