So my hatch has been siting in my garage with a blown head gasket for almost 2 months now and ive decided to fix it instead of swaping a new motor in it since i cant find a good swap for cheap. Ive heard that in order to fix it correctly, you have to take the head to a shop to do some work on it. Something like grind it down or something. I never done a head gasket before so any advise would be appreciated.

 

i did a head gasket on mine before, all my coolant was leaking into my oil. you take it to the shop so they can flat out the bottom of the head so there wont be a gap when you put the head back on so nothing leaks. its kind of easy just gotta redo timing and all that

 

That depends on whether or not you warped it. If the car was overheated, it is more likely to be warped but you can check it with a straight edge. It should sit flush in 4 directions (IXI). if it doesn't you will have leakage issues. You should also check your valve clearances while it's apart. Don't quote me but I think the spec is like .017 on intake and .019 on exhaust.

 

Only check valve clearances AFTER the head is torqued down and driven and re torqued, I read it changes once you torque the head.

Take a straightedge and a feeler gauge, I'm pretty sure you use a .02" and check the 4 directions above. Gotta check in my manual, but it should be very straight. If it isn't you need the head resurfaced. Check the block as well.

Biggest pain is gonna be breaking loose that crank pulley bolt

 

The important word the previous posts didn't use was it has to be a MACHINISTS straight edge. You can't use any old straight edge. These straight edges can run anywhere from $30-$100. Most machine shops will only charge $40 to mill a head flat, so its up to you. I'd just have it milled.

Valve clearance spec is 0.007"-0.009" intake side, 0.009"-0.011" exhaust side for a D-series, 0.006"-0.007" intake side, 0.007"-0.008" exhaust side for a B-series.

 

sweet...sounds pretty simple. swapping a motor still sounds easier for me lol. ill give it a shot this weekend.