Head Gasket Repair: Should I attempt?

[surfninjas]

things i can do/have done

-oil change
-thermostat
-radiator + hoses
-spark plugs, wires, ignition coils
-ect sensor


if i do attempt, what do i need, or what will make it easier.

i have:
-a driveway
-socket wrench 3/8
-metric sockets
-typical pliers, screwdrivers, etc.
-metric/sae wrenches

 

[Jordysoso]

well in the shop manual it walks you through a head gasket swap. however this entails taking off the valve cover, head, cams, cam gears, timing belt, intake and exhaust manifolds, and a few other parts and eventually the head. i did a swap however i chose to have a buddy that is a certified mechanic and works on evo's for a living do it. make sure if you do do it yourself that you get the head milled square if its not square, your gasket will need a fresh flat playing field to sit on. this is a parts list of what i had when i did mine:
full dnj gasket set (rockauto)
timing belt
lower temp thermostat
waterpump
alternator
accessory belts
stronger head bolts

maybe more im forgetting but that is from what i remember. you will need to check your timing when you are done as well. youre basically stripping the whole motor down. these cars are easy to work on but if you are not mechanically inclined or do not have patience, find a buddy who will help or will do it for you.

 

[anthonyallred]

Do it! Not hard at all. The timing is the only technical part and they make it fairly easy. Doing mine this weekend.

 

[Installshield 2]

^^while on paper the work is pretty straight forward...after doing nearly everything but a full head gasket swap...be prepared to have your hands full...honestly, i wouldn't recommend it for anyone that hasn't yet changed cams or a timing belt...or at least without the help of someone who has...

the timing belt and cam shafts alone are far from a walk in the park...all kinds of tricky low clearance areas to get to the tensioner, and misc bolts, etc...wrestling the intake manifold in and out also isn't exactly cake...with many members having all kinds of vacuum leaks after because of how hard it is to seat properly...

then the gasket itself, and having clean and flush surfaces in critically perfect shape isn't exactly easy either...You'll be directly dealing with an aluminum head, and in a lot of cases, aluminum fasteners...which put up with absolutely NO abuse whatsoever...read over torque sequences 15x before you start that procedure...get a good digital ruler, and a deadly accurate torque wrench are 100% required to do it right...

A good set of tools and a weekend are a must...with experience, it can be done much faster...I'm just suggesting you set aside a decent amount of time and get the help of some experienced friends to take this on...I'm not trying to discourage you...but i've swapped cam shafts literally 10+ times on these engines...and i still get frustrated getting timing correct, not cross threading a simple bolt, reaching things that should be easier, etc...

 

[mp5la]

I would only take it on if this isn't your daily driver. If you have another car that you can drive while this sits for a week then you might be ok. These types of deals always go on longer than you think.

 

[tweety2300]

I would only take it on if this isn't your daily driver. If you have another car that you can drive while this sits for a week then you might be ok. These types of deals always go on longer than you think.

+1 it is as simple as taking it apart and putting it back together but if you've never done it before take your time. You're also Gona need more than a 3/8 ratchet set

 

[xxskateratxx1]

Dont do it... Plain and simple... I agree though if you have another vehicle that you can drive in the meantime and you have someone who has done it before and can lend you some tools and help then cool, but if not then i wouldnt even attempt to do this job... Its far from easy - I havnt done one myself but I have witnessed some painful attempts of friends trying to do it on there own with a shop manual for the first time... Needless to say the car just ended up on a tow truck and to a shop that had the know how and tools to do it...

Thats just my thoughts though.. You can do whatever you want my man!

 

[anthonyallred]

Done. Took me 10 hours over 2 weekends. Its a very good project to learn the ins and outs of your car and for mechanical training in general. Its not as difficult as its made to seem here. Be cautious and careful mark and bag all your bolts and take pictures if necessary. the timing is made pretty simple by mazdas engineering people and i got it lined up and correct my first attempt without a tooth off. I suppose i am a bit more mechanically inclined than most and have been doing various projects my whole life but completing this is priceless for your mechanical experience. Good luck. Let me know if i can help.

 

[Jackie chan]

I just did mine over this last weekend too. If the weather is good where you're at, I figure you'd probably be fine. I'm fairly mechanically inclined, but I'm also just a kid. If I can do it, then so can you.

 

[_rgk]

I'm about to attempt this myself. Can anyone offer any words of advice or encouragement?

I have a shop manual, plenty of tools, a driveway, another daily driver, patience, the ability to squirm in and out of tight spots, steady hands, and an understanding girlfriend.

What I don't have are a good torque wrench and electronic ruler. Would you people recommend getting the loaner torque wrench from the local auto parts store?

Also, I need advice on what to do while I've got everything apart. I know I have a leaking head gasket because I overheated the engine and now I've got air bubbles coming into my coolant expansion tank, but I've also got some oil leaking into one of my cylinders. I understand this might be a valve guide oil seal issue, but I've heard that it might also be a camshaft oil seal issue. Is this true? If so, are these things I can easily do while changing the head gasket?

Thanks!!

 

[mp5la]

Harbor freight has what you'd need for not a lot of money. They'll be close enough to accurate for at least one use. Otherwise home depot sells a pretty decent torque wrench for about 100 bucks. The loaner torque wrench is probably not going to be super accurate (it may have been dropped/abused during it's life).

 

[surfninjas]

i ended up going to a shop. $1400 for the head gasket repair, spark plugs (unnecessary, but this place was hundreds cheaper than anywhere else), water pump, timing belt. hope everything worked for you.