It was finally time to do head gaskets

Heads, valves, pistons, rods, crankshaft, etc...

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Bender-san
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Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 6:40 pm

It was finally time to do head gaskets

Post by Bender-san »

My '93 B10 Wagon only made it 354,000 miles before I got my first indication of a head gasket leak: A slight loss of coolant every 1,000 miles or so with no external leaks. It was on the original oil separator plate and needed the cheap Valeo clutch replaced with something a little more reliable, so out came the engine. I was surprised to find only a very tiny trace of coolant loss in the number 3 cylinder and nearly perfect cross-hatch on all cylinder walls. The exhaust valves were pretty beat up on the valve seats, but the intake valves looked brand new. The car had a lifter tick something fierce after storage and reassembly, but a week of driving with a quart of ATF running through it fixed that issue, as well. I have been amazed at how well this car has held up over time, and I thought others might enjoy my story.
cj91legss
Fifth Gear
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Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:17 am
Location: Lakewood, Wa 98439
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Re: It was finally time to do head gaskets

Post by cj91legss »

Hell yeah we'll enjoy your story. It's nice to see these engines get 350k+, Do it right and you'll easily see another 100k+. Glad to see you're taking very good care of it. Are you the original owner?
91 L-TW Wagon with a full Swap -RIP
92 SS Prefaced, GD dash swapped, 22T/205 Hybrid 20 psi - BEAST!
93 SS Bone Stock Gone!
94 TW Bone Stock Gone!
91 SS 4EAT Sold!
98 LGT 4EAT
98 LGT Wagon 4EAT
Bender-san
First Gear
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 6:40 pm

Re: It was finally time to do head gaskets

Post by Bender-san »

No...bought the car from the original owner with 340,000 on it. He still garaged it every night. The guy was a maintenance junkie, so $800 was too good a deal to pass up. I suspect this engine can go considerably further than another 100,000 with the continued maintenance I've done to it.
cj91legss
Fifth Gear
Posts: 6322
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:17 am
Location: Lakewood, Wa 98439
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Re: It was finally time to do head gaskets

Post by cj91legss »

Ill papal you 5 bucks when she does 500k

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
91 L-TW Wagon with a full Swap -RIP
92 SS Prefaced, GD dash swapped, 22T/205 Hybrid 20 psi - BEAST!
93 SS Bone Stock Gone!
94 TW Bone Stock Gone!
91 SS 4EAT Sold!
98 LGT 4EAT
98 LGT Wagon 4EAT
rallyak
Third Gear
Posts: 896
Joined: Wed Oct 26, 2011 7:02 am
Location: Anchorage,Alaska

Re: It was finally time to do head gaskets

Post by rallyak »

I wouldn't advertise that to much, I have two over 500,000.
Image
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Charles

90' White/Gray Outback DD workhorse (670,xxx) miles
92' Onyx Metallic (430,xxx) Wife's DD
68' Barracuda formula S 340 4spd coupe (ongoing project)
66' Mustang 2+2 4spd wife's (ongoing project)
cj91legss
Fifth Gear
Posts: 6322
Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:17 am
Location: Lakewood, Wa 98439
Contact:

Re: It was finally time to do head gaskets

Post by cj91legss »

Lol, Dammit...

Sent from my SGH-T989 using Tapatalk 2
91 L-TW Wagon with a full Swap -RIP
92 SS Prefaced, GD dash swapped, 22T/205 Hybrid 20 psi - BEAST!
93 SS Bone Stock Gone!
94 TW Bone Stock Gone!
91 SS 4EAT Sold!
98 LGT 4EAT
98 LGT Wagon 4EAT
Bender-san
First Gear
Posts: 57
Joined: Sun Sep 12, 2010 6:40 pm

Re: It was finally time to do head gaskets

Post by Bender-san »

500,000 miles could take a while as this is now my winter-only car (Miata gets summer use). It's fun to see the look on peoples' faces when I tell them the car has that many miles on it. It looks like a 200,000 mile car.
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