Head gasket blows, block has electrolysis spot

[xirdneh]

blew the head gasket between 1st and 2nd Cylinders
in that narrow spot between 2rd and 3rd Cylinders
it looks like a bit of casting was eaten away
its not very deep and it does not go all the way to the cylinders
it did not leak there
wondering if there is something i should put there when i install new gasket and head?

[Petros]

You might have the top of the block resurfaced. Also, make sure both the head the block are properly grounded separate from each other.

Post a picture of it.

[xirdneh]

i measured the depth at .004" in deepest spot

[Petros]

use a peice of granite counter top (a scarp will do, you can get them for free from an installer, they always have to haul their scraps to the land fill, also home depo sells polished ganite tile, you just need one). use spary adheaive and put down some 400 grit wet and dry, (or you can start with 200-300, and than switch to 400 for final clean up) and use it like a sanding block. press evenly across the whole surface so it comes down the same amount. Use solvent or water on it, keep sanding and wiping it clean to check progress. Replace the paper as needed. once it is all gone and you get a nice even sanding patter on the top of the block surface, clean with soap and water, than solvent, you are ready to go. Make sure you use spray solvent around the pistons/rings, and compressed air, to get all of the sanding grit out.

I have pictures of this procedure over in my head gasket thread in the repair guides section. You do not even have to remove the engine from the car to do this, just clean it off real good before you reassemble. I also put some motor oil in the cylinders before I bolt it back together.

[xirdneh]

there is some high heat JB weld that survives up to 500 degrees
do you think that spot would reach that temperature

also was thinking about the graphite like film that covers head gaskets
if i could get some powder or flakes of that stuff in that recess so the head gasket would compress it
but where would i get that stuff

[atoyta]

I put rags down in the cylinders to catch most of the dust & used my air body sander to level mine out. just made sure to keep it level & even across the whole deck when I did it. It has worked for 10 years like that.

[xirdneh]

i am kind a leery about shaving .004" off the block
also. i am pretty sure the head has been shaved at least once
seem like there should be a simpler option

[xirdneh]

showed the picture to local machine shop
they do not think it was caused by electrolysis, water is required and it did not look like water got there
instead, they say it must have been leaking between cylinders and that caused it
i have my doubts about that
neither guy thought i should try to patch it with anything
just get a new head gaket and it will probably be alright
they thought FEL_PRO would be beter than the Toyota dealer headgasket

[Petros]

do NOT add anything to the block surface here, it gets as hot as 1000 deg for brief moments duing the cycle. shaving a few thou off the block top will not make any differenace to anything as far a compression and alignment of everything, that is normal way to service a block between overhauls anyway. You will make it hold better by making the top very flat with a big flat granite slab as a sanding block.

I think toyota gasket far better than fel pro, I have seen both. fel pro is okay, but factory gaskets looks much more durable and better made. either will be for nothing unless you get both the surface of your head flat, and the top of the block flat. you will not harm a think to take a few thou off the top. I have done it lots of times, we did on racing engines, it is routine to do for a proper full overhaul of an engine. Easy to do, and makes it seal good, more reliable.

follow the directions over in my head gasket repair guild. You can use the same method both on your head (unless it is badly warped), and the top of the block.

[xirdneh]

one major difference between Felpro 9082PT and Toyota 11115-15061 head gaskets
Toyota on left Felpro on right

[xirdneh]

Oh yea, whats an easy way to get those two alignment pins (tubes) out of the block without ruining them?

[marlinh]

That is quite the difference in width of gasket! What does Toyota charge for their head gasket?

I usually grab the pins with small vise grips and tap them up with a hammer. A few marks on the pin doesn't affect their function. There are special tools available to pull them out if they are seized. Don't know if they are available to rent.

[xirdneh]

the toyota head gasket was 34.00
after thinking about it i am pretty sure the felpro 9082PT shown in the picture is the wrong gasket for a 3AC
i need to look that up

according to rockauto.com (thats where i got it) its correct for 1983-1988 tercel
but
googling one sight says 1987-1988 tercel (which i suspect is not the wagons)
other google sites say 1983-1988 tercel

[Petros]

that is typical fel-pro, likely the same head gasket works on the larger bore 4ac as well. Factory gasket is much better.

there is a special puller tool for those sleeves, it uses a slide hammer with a collet type sleeve that grips the alignment tube and it pulls it straight up and out. I have never managed to get them out without damaging them unless I have the puller tool, and this too puts some grooves on them that I clean up with a file. It might help to put penetrating oil and heat the block some to allow you to wiggle them out with vise-grips. but I have always resurfaced the block deck with these pins in place. I just sanded around them, never had an issue, they are not located in a critical gasket sealing location.

When I worked for Nissan when we built a racing engine we would remove them and throw them away, never used on them on the racing engines, never needed them. The head bolts holds the head in place. I suspect they are just there to facilitate production assembly to keep the head gasket in the proper location before all the bolts are in place. it is easy to keep the head gasket centered without them by just checking it before you tighten it. but I have never removed them on a Tercel engine.

[xirdneh]

I bought one of these after watching the local machine shop guy use it to clean off the old gasket on an aluminum head
he used 80 grit
i used it with 100 grit
i was careful to sand evenly and not take much if any aluminum off
used the Genuine Toyota Head gasket as shown above (have always used Fel-Pro)
did not do anything to fix that divot (electrolysis spot)
Did the Petros modification to head gasket
got the car running and after 50 miles so far so good