Glow plug lost through combustion chamber cup

[Milcommoguy]

With all that work... How's was the engine running before? With all the troubles with IP's on some of these rigs (and I see some rust in that area??) Might be a good time to rebuild for the long haul now that you're half way there?

Would be more money, preventive maintenance? ... but free advice, CAMO

 

[87cr250r]

The only. Serious problem I see on these engines is the fire ring of the head gasket wears into the top deck of the engine block. I put Cometic gaskets in my engine but they require a specific surface finish. I'm not a big fan of Cometic products, either.

 

[M1165A1]

I should add it took about 6 hours to get to this point. Pretty sure I could do it in 4 now.

I was going to ask - that's a heck of a project you are into all for a tiny piece of junk in there!

 

[dcowan]

In reading the TM it appears you can re-use the head bolts? Any thoughts on that?

 

[Mogman]

In reading the TM it appears you can re-use the head bolts? Any thoughts on that?

No, they are torque to yield and only used once.

 

[Retiredwarhorses]

In reading the TM it appears you can re-use the head bolts? Any thoughts on that?

head bolts are TTY…Torque to yield
supposed to only use once….

 

[dcowan]

I'm having trouble finding the rocker buttons. Anyone know a good source?

 

[87cr250r]

RockAuto has them.

2001 CHEVROLET EXPRESS 3500 6.5L V8 DIESEL Turbocharged Rocker Arm Retainer | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

Half price of everybody else. Real GM part.

 

[dcowan]

The valve covers had no factory gasket. Only gasket maker. I ordered a gasket to put it back together. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Mullaney]

The valve covers had no factory gasket. Only gasket maker. I ordered a gasket to put it back together. Any thoughts on that?

.
Time spent making sure that the cover isn't "dimpled" where the fasteners go through is important. You could use a straight edge, but it should be obvious if the last work under the covers had a gasket. Rubber gaskets cause that problem more than Cork.

Either way, a flat sealing surface will be more important. Factory is no gasket.

 

[juanprado]

Quality rtv will seal even with imperfections.
Clean and degrease cover and block well.
Use permatex with no gasket. Read curing directions.
Most oe do not use gaskets anymore in most applications.

 

[87cr250r]

On your 6.2/6.5 engines use an OEM black RTV or "The Right Stuff" for all of your sheet metal items

Do not use RTV in places oil can pool such as your lift pump adapter plate. RTV is permeable and will weep oil if submerged.

Use anaerobic gasket maker for machined surfaces such as your timing cover and water pump backing plate. The anaerobics such as Loctite 515 don't bond the surfaces together so disassembly and cleanup is much simpler. They are not permeable. They are non fouling in that they don't dry where they squish out of the joint so they can't clog oil pumps.

On the 6.5 engine I am building I used 4 gaskets. That two for the intake manifold, 1 for the injection pump, and one for the water pump to backing plate (I wouldn't have used it but the impeller rubbed without it).

 

[dcowan]

I got my bolts and gaskets. The head bolts have thread sealer (blue/grey) on the threads and red what looks like RTV on the bottom of the head cap. Should I add any sealer to the bolts or is that good enough. Also should I clean the oil out of the existing block threads and top of head?

 

[Mogman]

I got my bolts and gaskets. The head bolts have thread sealer (blue/grey) on the threads and red what looks like RTV on the bottom of the head cap. Should I add any sealer to the bolts or is that good enough. Also should I clean the oil out of the existing block threads and top of head?

Clean and dry and as is.

 

[dcowan]

Got it all back together today and fired up and running. Took more time than I expected. Here are some things to note from the process.

1. Cleaning up all the gaskets was a real bear. Razor blades just wouldn't come close to cutting it. I ended up using 3m roloc gasket removal discs and they worked well. Still a pain. https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40064822/ Also used this on the valve cover https://www.permatex.com/products/g...permatex-gasket-remover-low-voc-formula-4-oz/ it didn't work as well as I hoped. I spent more time cleaning surfaces up than I did most anything.
2. Be sure to put the bottom back most bolt into the head before dropping it in. Its hard to get in after its on the block. I used tape to hold it up out of the way until placed.
3. I have a 200 amp generator and it was a nightmare to get back in. Used an engine hoist and chain and it still was tough. Getting the back support and long bolt all aligned and through was tough. I did finally loosen the exhaust manifold bolt holding the metal support to the generator mount frame and that helped.