Re: Re: Help!!! Advice needed, 4.3 liter engine head gasket in a 96 Astro van

Noble motives for sure. Be sure and do both heads, not just the one with

>the blown the gasket. Use FelPro gaskets all around. Prepare for for >real headaches in removing the heads due the location of the engine, >lots of effort, and hard on the back. Remove the passenger seat for >better access. Consider removing the drivers seat also. Bring a few >blankets with you to protect the inside of the van, as almost everything >will be done from inside the van.

THere is a bigger concern hear. Head gaskets on these engines do not just pop or fail. THere is always a reason. Usually it is from low coolant or overheating and the head warps and gasket blows. You want to pull bot heads and have them checked for flatness at a machine shop and trued if need be before you put it back togeher. Do not skip this step.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan
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Birdbrain

Reply to
Neil Nelson

Care to elaborate? Is Mike (i.e. me) or snoman the birdbrain?

Do you know something I should be doing or not doing? I'm the first to admit that I do not know anything about a 4.3 engine, and am asking for help ! The family consists of dad, mom and 4 kids and 2 vehicles. Mom and the

4 kids depend on this vehicle, so if there's something I should know, please speak up !

(and I really appreciate all the suggestions above - I'm printing everything and taking them with me...

Currently I'm budgeting 3 days for the job/visit, maybe 4 if the machine shop is slow getting the heads back i.e. delays the process. Current plans are to do the following during the "down time" while the heads are out at the machine shop...

1) brake pucks and shoes (if needed) 2) thermostat 3) shocks (if needed) 4) trans fluid and filter (if needed) 5) water pump (maybe) 6) fan clutch (if needed)
Reply to
mikemorris99

Snoman

Why he felt the need to parrot his same old drool when you had already mentioned having the heads checked/reworked is anyones guess.

I highly advise using a Fel-Pro MS98002T intake manifold gasket set on this application, this set is a better design that addresses the inherent weak spot of the OEM manifold gaskets which were very prone to failure. (and may well be the root cause of the overheat) Also, keep the injectors wet once disassembled; when you disconnect the fuel lines at the left rear corner of the engine, cap the lines on the manifold side. If the injectors are allowed to dry out, there is a very good chance that they will stick and cause a misfire.

Good luck with your project.

Reply to
Neil Nelson

No you mean Neil is the bird brain. Head gasket do not just fail for no reason and if you think they do you are a bird brain.

There was a design defect with Intake gasket that GM rediesigned in late 2005. It effected the 4.3 and 5.7 Vortec motors. I personall had one fail on my 2000 5.7 under warranty at 29K miles and again out of warranty at 38K miles. They fixed it for free out of warranty and promised me that if it ever leaks again they will fix it for free. They said last repair had new gasket style. BTW truck only has a little over 42K today

You will need good luck if you follow Neils advise and do not varify that heads are flat. That head gasket is clamped between to big pieces of cast iron and the only way it is going to block is if one of the surfaces warps and changes pressure on it. (or you supercharge it on over boost engine a lot too). SOme time they can warp with heat and straight out with they cool but NEVER change a head gasket on any engine that has blown one without check head for flatness or for etching from hot gasses after it blew.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

The OP realizes that genius, that's why he stated in his first post that he was going to take the heads to a machine shop and have them checked.

Do you not read what people post, or is it just a lack of comprehension?

You going to deny the plausibility of the computer programmer had a leaking intake gasket and ran the coolant low resulting in what is now SUSPECTED to be a blown head gasket?

GMs redesign sucks. The Fel-Pro gaskets are much better.

The defect effects ALL GM V engines. 3.1, 3.4, 3.8, 4.3, 5.0, 5.7.

IOWs, you've never done the job, even on your own truck.

Hey asshole, where did I tell him not to verify that the heads were flat? (use all the screen space you need to show the citation)

You mean 'two' big pieces?

Gotta love these tangents you go off on... Supercharged?? W-T-F?

Yes birdbrain, this should be mentioned six or seven more times, even though the OP knows to (and has stated that he will) do it anyway.

Reply to
Neil Nelson

You just like to be a troll and cause trouble. I was telling them SOP of gasket repair.

Yes I do think you lack reasoning and comprehension...

Where are you going with this Troll??? I said overheating or low coolant earlier did I not?

New design is a lot better

Not really but then a Troll would not likely know this. The reason there was a big problem with 4.3 and 5.7 Vortec motors is because when GM went from TBI to MPI thay changed bolting of intake to engine (example on 5.7 they stopped using center 4 bolts to secure it) and the manifold flexed more in heating and cooling cycle and strained gaskets plus GM used a cheap plastic design for a while too. Intake gasket problems with TBI engines where of a different nature and 3.1,

3.4 and 3.8 where not as troublesome because they were not based on a modified 40 plus year old engine design.

Actuall I have rebuild a lot of engine and valve jobs and intake gasket changes but why change it when GM will pay to have it done?? Is this a Troll thing? BTW, I was planning to change mine when GM offered to do it for free and free repair if it ever leaks again and only a foolish troll would pass that one up.

tisk tisk, Troll loosing temper. Remember you started this not me....

I guess your troll brain get lost here and cannot rationalize that the block is a big piece of cast iron and so is head.

Another Troll responce, I was stating the reason why they fail in service. I dod not say he had a super on his. I need to remember when you talk to a Troll you have to keep it simple sometimes.

Yes I am sure he sees who has a temper problem here.

----------------- TheSnoMan.com

Reply to
SnoMan

Uh-huh.. Seems he already had that figured out with out you reinforcing it.

Parroting what someone else has already said shows reasoning and comprehension, eh?

The OP said he was having the heads checked earlier did he not?

By your own admission, the redesign failed in your truck after 9000 miles.

Yes, really. Same gasket architecture, same reason for failure.

I guess you wouldn't.

What about the 5.0, are you saying that that engine didn't suffer intake gasket failures as the 4.3 and 5.7 did? Or is this just your armchair expertise showing thru again?

Just like the Ford Windsor engines which strangely don't suffer intake gasket failures any worse that the pre-Vortec Chevies.

Um, Mr. Genius, the coolant leaks are not in the center of the manifold where the bolts were eliminated, they leak at the ends where there are two (note spelling) bolts per coolant passage. If (big if) your missing bolt, flexing manifold theory were correct, these engines would have a history of driveability problems from vacuum leaks into the lifter valley and oil consumption problems from the leaks allowing oil to migrate into the intake manifold from the lifter valley.

Bingo!

Um, no. They leaked in the exact same place in the exact same manner. Only differences were; it usually took longer before they began leaking and the old gaskets were harder to scrape off.

They most certainly are.

The Buick 3.8/3800 isn't based on a modified 40 year old design?

You don't know your ass from a hole in the ground.

Oh, FYI, Buick didn't eliminate any bolts from the center of the manifold on the 3.8/3800 engines yet the gaskets still fail.

Looks like your "a lot better" redesigned gaskets only last 9000 miles. Why don't you give the OP a break and stop recommending parts that are going to fail and cause him to do the job over again.

Because better parts would be available, because someone isn't too lazy to do it, because someone has the skill sets to do it, because self respect prevents them from whining about an out of warranty failure.

Certainly not, it's a laugh at you thing.

GM "offered?" They have people that just call around and ask if people would like a free set of defective intake manifold gaskets, huh?

You think "free" means good?

So, you can't provide a cite of me telling him not to verify that the heads are flat. IOWs, more of your made up bull shit, which better fits the definition of "troll" than anything I've posted.

But where are these big pieces going [to]?

How can that be a reason [they] fail when this truck doesn't have a supercharger to begin with?

So why even bring it up other than your insane need to fill space with meaningless and irrelevant tripe?

No, you just need to remember to stick to the subject when you actually have something useful to offer and resist the urge to add extraneous filler material.

That would be the guy posting non-relevant, inadequate filler material.

Reply to
Neil Nelson

Hey Neil, just wanted you to remember that you are only pissing in the wind with this one.

Reply to
azwiley1

Jinx, You Owe Me A Coke!

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Comboverfish

I beg to differ... ... just as I was reading this, Favre threw an incredible touchdown pass.

Am I coming down there to buy you one or are you coming up here?

Take Paypal?

Reply to
Neil Nelson

Heh heh, I've heard that Wisconsin is really wonderful... in the summer. A trip is tentatively planned for somewhere around summer of

20??. I'll keep you posted :-)

Toyota MDT in MO

Reply to
Comboverfish

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