PTAaron Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 (edited) I had another thread going about my no heat then engine over heating issue: http://www.w-body.com/showthread.php/79181-Still-no-heat-engine-temp-out-of-control ... but I thought it would be better to ask the question in a new thread, in typical annoying newbie style. Sorry about that. I just discovered that now my oil is full of coolant - which, if I'm thinking clearly, means my head gasket is toast. I want to replace it myself - but the Haynes manual doesn't seem to have a section on doing this, and I've tried a variety of searches on the forum and have not found anything too helpful yet. Is there a "how to" posted somewhere on the site? The online manual referenced in the FAQ section seems to be a dead link. Am I correct in thinking that a compression test will help me determine which side of the engine is blown out? Thanks guys. EDIT: Cutlass Supreme 3.1L '94 Edited March 15, 2014 by PTAaron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTAaron Posted March 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Alrighty - I found the headgasket section in the Haynes manual, I was just too frustrated and was not thinking clearly after banging my head against the wall to spot it originally. I have a mechanic manual for the Merkur - so every step is detailed clearly, I was hoping to find that so I overlooked the half page description Are there any tips from the folks that have done it before? I am expecting this to be a full day or more project - I'll be disassembling starting tomorrow, not sure how long it will take to get a gasket set in my hands - then hopefully re-assembling that day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua Shaw Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Alrighty - I found the headgasket section in the Haynes manual, I was just too frustrated and was not thinking clearly after banging my head against the wall to spot it originally. I have a mechanic manual for the Merkur - so every step is detailed clearly, I was hoping to find that so I overlooked the half page description Are there any tips from the folks that have done it before? I am expecting this to be a full day or more project - I'll be disassembling starting tomorrow, not sure how long it will take to get a gasket set in my hands - then hopefully re-assembling that day. You sure its not an Lower Intake Manifold gasket? Arnt these engines known for that issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PTAaron Posted March 15, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 You sure its not an Lower Intake Manifold gasket? Arnt these engines known for that issue. Honestly I don't know. I was going with headgasket based on the random vanishing coolant and comments in the other thread regarding the air in the system. How do I differentially diagnose? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rich_e777 Posted March 15, 2014 Report Share Posted March 15, 2014 Cylinder heads are not all that hard, its getting the torque right on the bolts and making sure the push rods go back in the same place. It is a big job, I spent about a week doing it, but I was taking my time and doing other stuff and the gaskets got changed in the process. I would look at an internal LIM gasket leak first. You can do a compression test on your cylinders to confirm a head gasket failure, also a plume of white smoke out of the tail pipe would also be a good indication. You will need brand new head bolts as you CAN NOT reuse the ones in your car, the are torque to yield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitehawkjcb Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 Head gaskets are fairly easy - especially if you're doing the LIM. I've never done one on a 3100, but it is OHV, so once you get the LIM off the heads are next. Just make sure to torque them how they are supposed to be torqued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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