Cylinder head gasket

[Cedric]

Is it hard to replace a cylinder-head gasket on an old-fashioned 4-cylinder pushrod engine if you have never done it before?
What are the main points to pay attention to?

[lambo GT]

the main point is, let an expert do it, because if you get it wrong, you mite hav to write your car off

[KnifeEdge_2K1]

4 cylinder pushrod wtf ...wow that thing must be wide

[TheOne]

their almost normal, cept those got pushrods to 1 of the sides.

it is hard, tho if the engine is carbed then it mite be a bit easier as you don't have to disconnect so many cables.
its hard cause removin the head.....is a lot.
tho its easier on those than on DOHC engines since settin the timing easier.

if you got all the tools and a book to read step by step, you can do it yourself.
if you have totally no experience at all.....let an expert do it.
oh and be very organized with the bolts and nuts and everything else.

[johnnynumfiv]

Originally Posted by KnifeEdge_2K1

4 cylinder pushrod wtf ...wow that thing must be wide

MG midgets have inline 4's with pushrods, heres a pic:
http://www.fincars.com/images/kuvat/engine.jpg

Taking off the head on a mg is quite easy, take off the carbs, disconnect coolant hoses, take off vavle cover, take off rockers, take off the head bolts, and there you go.

[jcp123]

Actually, be thankful it's a pushrod engine. That makes it a ton less complicated compared to doing it on an OHC car.

[Matra et Alpine]

best to let us know your experience and tools.

Coz taking it off is the easy bit

Everything covered so far ...
BUT, find out if the engine uses sacrificial head bolts. These are one-off use as they stretch when tightened up to provide the correct pressure. Using old ones risks threading a hole or even cracking a head !!
When putting it together you'll need a torque wrnch and know how to use it.

it is about the easiest job ON a car as long as you're methodical. marking everything knowing EXACLTY where it came from ( ie which rod goes where and which head bolt goes where ) and use the right tools.

Why not tell us what car it is, likely someone will have done it and can wanr of any gotchas - beyond those listed in posts already.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Actually, be thankful it's a pushrod engine. That makes it a ton less complicated compared to doing it on an OHC car.

Sorry but this is a DEPENDS, jcp.
The pinto OHC is actually EASIER as there is no need to worry about which 'rod goes where and the timing is childsplay with no complicated belt route or overly-complex adjsuter settings.

Just adding that $0.02 so folks dont' get frightened for the wrong reasons

[Wouter Melissen]

The torque wrench is the most important you'll need. It's very important to tighten the bolts in the right order and at the right torque.

[Cedric]

It's a rudimentary Ford 1.3 X-flow.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by Cedric

It's a rudimentary Ford 1.3 X-flow.

Nothing rudimentary about it.
Was state-of-the-art when it came out .
Great little engine that you can REALLY tune up if you chose
What carbs ??

Anyway, how are you on tools and basic isntruction ?
If anything above kindergarten on those then go get yourself a Haynes manual for the car. A good torque wrench and a full gasket set.

Follow the instructions and it REALLY IS the easiest job to do.

Should have asked the first time ... do you havce a mate or a parents mate who does his/her own spannering ? Ask them to help you out the first time or at least to be around when you're putting it back together. Being able to ask for help is the most important step in any learning

[jcp123]

Originally Posted by Matra et Alpine

Sorry but this is a DEPENDS, jcp.
The pinto OHC is actually EASIER as there is no need to worry about which 'rod goes where and the timing is childsplay with no complicated belt route or overly-complex adjsuter settings.

Just adding that $0.02 so folks dont' get frightened for the wrong reasons

Dunno...pushrods are easy to run up through the right hole (seeing as how they'll only go through in one angle), re-degreeing the cam correctly when you slap the OHC head on isn't nearly as easy.

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by jcp123

Dunno...pushrods are easy to run up through the right hole (seeing as how they'll only go through in one angle), re-degreeing the cam correctly when you slap the OHC head on isn't nearly as easy.

Don't need to re-degree it with some engines. eg the stock pinto
The belt drive is accurate enough to retain the original timing and the small difference caused by the slightly thicker (new) gasket is not an issue except for the highest tune was where I was coming from.
hence the citing the pinto OHC engine

Yep on others where the timing is much more critical then you need to vernier the cam in.

BUT in reality no harder than habving to adjust each rocker on a 'rod engine after fitting a new gasket. Coz now the slightly thicker (new) gasket translates directly to valve opening and rocker gap.

The major point on 'rods is making sure you put the rod back in the same hole it came out of. It's a common noob error

It still comes back to little difference on simple engines. Now a full on DOHC with very tight overlap is another matter But there again 'rods on a 4-valver would be a bloody nightmare too

[jcp123]

i'm not sure i believe you, but never having touched an OHC car, i won't say you're wrong...

[Matra et Alpine]

Originally Posted by jcp123

i'm not sure i believe you, but never having touched an OHC car, i won't say you're wrong...

trust me, my boy

You are spot on with an engine that's tuned up, jcp.
I wouldn't want to NOT re-gap rockers on a pushrod engine or adjust timing on the cam no matter WHAT the manual said for a tuned engine.

As the reason most of us would go DOHC is to get best performance out of smallest displacement then I'd always set it up spot on. Especially as usually a high tune setup will have the valves go INTO the piston space. So if the timing's out you'll bend valves and punch holes in pistons - not a pretty sound

However, to go over the engineering, retiming a OHC only requires slackening of the bolts on the end of the cam, rotating it to marks ( using a simple vernier guage ) and tightening the bolts again. The equivalent task on a 'rod engine needs EACH rocker to be loosedned, gapped and re-tightened. It's quicker to do one cam on a vernier than 8 rockers In each case the task is not complex on most engines.