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Tips
Tips

The head that wouldn't come off

tomgt6

Jedi Warrior
Offline
This weekend I decided it was time to replace the head gasket on my GT6. It was leaking oil and needed to get fixed.

Well, Sat morning came along and got the car into the garage and started to pull the manifolds off. Go the valve cover and everything off in about an hour. I can tell you that getting the manifold off you better have long thin arms and fingers.
Things were looking pretting good. I got all this done and started to remove the head nuts.

Now the fun starts, I can't get the studs out because there isn't enough thread left to double nut them so I try prying the head up with some lift bars. This thing will not move. Try moving the car forward in gear to pop the head, the head is loose and leaking air so this doesn't help. Then hook the air compressor to the cyclinders and again the head is leaking air so I still can get the head up. After 4 hours of working on this I want to give up but my helper is more determined then I.

So we make a custom tool to hook onto the head and use the cherry picker to lift the head. Well the car is now 1 foot off the ground hanging by the head and motor mounts. This head isn't going to come off.

Well needless to say after another 6 hours of work we get the head off. About 5 of the studds are rusted to the head when we do get it off. Good thing I changed the gasket.

Now it is Sunday and things are looking up so we clean the head and the studs, clean the cyclinders and block and go about putting everything back together. 6 hours later it is back together and now we can't get it started. I go to pull a plug and crack it so I guess tonight I will have to try some more. I will let you guys know how it goes. I may need help with getting it started. It seems like a timing issue now.

Tom
 
Sorry to hear of your head removal problems. Next time feed about 6 feet or so of nylon rope into BDC cylinders 1 & 6 and bump the starter. That's what worked for me.

Rick O.
72 TR6
 
For details on the "rope trick" (which I have used with great success several times). go to the "Tech Tips" (under the Links menu above) and search on "Any or All Marques" as the marque category and tip category "Head".

Basil
 
Gee, Tom, it sure seems like a lot of work just to fix a pesky little oil leak, doesn't it!
The "rope trick" works great, but won't help if the problem is that the studs are rusted to the head.
Did you by any chance smear any grease, or anti sieze on the studs when you re-assembled it? That may make life easier in the future.
Jeff
 
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