I have a rebuilt slightly modded 5vzfe but i have an oil leak. I ruled out rear man seal, front....etc...It looks like it is coming from the head on the rear passenger side of the motor (Used UV Dye). It goes along the rear-->onto the starter and follows the oil pan lip and Part of the wiring harness.

We used Cometic head gaskets to rebuild the motor and surfaced both the heads and the block.....hopefully the head and block were surfaced to 20-50 RA--builder has never had problems with his machines before and his reputation is great. No coolant leak and the motor runs exceptionally well

I still have think i need to replace the gaskets so what is an exceptional brand and why?

Here is what i know:

**Ishno=OEM--MLS but requires a very smooth surface
**Fel-Pro= Old stand-by but some of there gaskets are cheap--claim you can have a RA of 70
**Victor-Reinz=Dont know much about them
**ITM=Budget gasket set
**Cometic=Supposed to be quality aftermarket??

So has anybody else had problems recently with Cometic? Done a head job with good results.

DIY--surfacing techniques?

Here is also some Info from MT Goat

Some good info I ran across today. I haven't seen much with numbers before: http://www.babcox.com/editorial/us/us80222.htm

I quote:

Quote:
For bimetal engines with composition gaskets, the recommended surface finish is 20 to 50 RA

Quote:
MLS gaskets require an extremely smooth, flat surface finish on both mating surfaces (typically 20 to 30 RA or less).

 

Ok--update, spend two hours under the truck with it running. Did this check in the dark with UV detector in the oil and a black light. Cleaned everything then started her up to see where the leak was coming from.

Looks like it is either the Front main seal or something right there on the front of the motor. Head Gaskets held

 

That's good news, bet you are very relieved.

 

Hell yes, i did not want to do a HG after all the work i put into this truck so far. I just hate oil leaks--and to think I own a 1972 Jaguar also HHaaaaaaa.

Goat--can I PM you about some aftermarket electronics stuff--I.e.---5vz-fe Tuning stuffs? I know you have a pretty advance set-up and i am about to pull the trigger on some stuffs (ECU2, Wide band tuner.....) $1400 worth....And depending on the dyno numbers after the tune--decide whether i want to do a mild supercharger set-up...anyways....if ya got the time

 

I prefer to stay away from PMs so others can help or benefit too. Start a new thread if you want or lots of knowledge out there already. Have you read Speedys SCer thread? Lots of new stuff out there too, my stuff is old now lol.

 

I'll jump in to give my .02 on supercharger stuff too...

 

alright i will start a new thread. It will cover the different options for different SC and NA set-Ups---yeah i started reading Speedy's thread but fell asleep HHaaaa Just kidding. I have more to read....

Thanks Guys Henry

 

hross14, I see you did your homework on HGs. I have my heads off and need to order gaskets soon. For somone who will not be sending the heads out which HGs would you go with? I guess I can go OEM but if there are "better" alternatives for cheaper I will go that route.

 

Most important of all is to get those heads and block ultra smooth--like a babies butt!!!. FEL-Pro and Victor Reinz are supposed to accept rougher finishes Up to 70 RA (Fel-Pro). Fel-Pro is probably the way to go if you arent sending out your heads....

If I were going to redo my heads and couldnt find a machine that could do 20-30 RA--i was going to go to the glass guy (or machine shop to smooth plate steel) and get a large thick piece of plate glass. Then resurface the heads by hand. Then have the guy make me a large handled piece of plate glass and use that to surface the block ......

MT Goat and Mastcox--Still reading the Speedy Supercharger Build thread--damn that thing is long.........

 

Good, and don't forget the links too.

 

I see a full Fel-Pro kit for $372. Were you going to get a full kit or go piece by piece? Any advise on the head bolts. My friend is pushing ARP as they are not TTY.

 

Make sure when you purchase the Fel-Pro set it says something like upgraded gaskets, or revised gaskets or something like that. They put a better better?/Different designed HG to compensate for the smoothness issue.

I replaced the head bolts with OEM--they are torque to yield bolts--dont reuse them because they stretch and therefore dont perform as the originally did.

I would also just buy a whole gasket set--wouldnt piece meal it.

 

I'm not saying don't get new bolts, because I probably would myself but the FSM doesn't show the head bolts as a non-reusable part: http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/2003/Repa...ylhea/comp.pdf

Here they say "If any bolt is broken or deformed, replace it." So I really doubt they are TTY. http://www.ncttora.com/fsm/2003/Repa...ylhea/inst.pdf

 

Me--after seeing how much force is put on them-........piece of mind for such a big job.

 

It would really suck to break one. About how much torque do you think that last 90* turn amounts to?

 

I would estimate in the range of about 150 ft-lbs. Those suckers really took some cranking with a cheater bar when I did my rebuild.

Edit- it was interesting because you can actually feel the bolts begin to yield at about the last 15 degrees of turning.

 

That's kind of scary.

 

Yep, new bolts--only way to fly

 

i have a question...what does RA stand for? lol

 

I think it's surface finish in micro-inches.