# Cylinder Head Removal Tutorial



## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

Anyone out there in the mood to write up a cylinder head removal procedure (similar to the timing chain replacement thread)? 

I've discovered what I think is a leaky head gasket (oil on the back of the engine right around the head). Pretty sure it's not the half-moon gasket, but it's a difficult area to see.

I checked old threads and someone by the name of 'mootsman' seemed to have the exact same leak in the exact same area.

First my timing chain rattles and now I think I've got a leaky head gasket. Beginning to think my truck was made on a Friday afternoon or Monday morning.


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

if it is in the back of the engine then it was most likely the valve cover gasket and not the head gasket..


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## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

Yeah, I was hoping it was the valve cover gasket or half-moon...or both, but it seems dry in the areas where these sealing surfaces are. The gunked up deposists of oil seem to start around the head / block mating surface. 

Again, it's a difficult area to see. 

Checked both the oil and coolant and both seem to be clear.

Also pulled # 4 plug (I believe # 4 is closest to the firewall) and it's a nice shade of tan / grey with no signs of oil.


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## CMax03 (Jan 17, 2009)

I would've performed a compressoin test B4 I wrote this up......


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## zanegrey (Dec 5, 2005)

although a comp test would not reveal (relavent information) for a leaking to the outside oil passage ..it is always a good idea to do b4 removing the head...


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## Grug (Aug 20, 2009)

I've never done a compression check before. I probably won't bother with it immediately if it won't shed any light on my oil leak...assuming of course the leak is coming from the head as opposed to somewhere else.

I just thought that if I start ripping the engine apart to do the chain, maybe replacing the head gasket at the same time would be a good idea.

I just don't want to find out the hard way that my head gasket is ready to go bad.

Bear with me, I'm a rookie at a lot of this engine stuff. I'm learnin' as we go.


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