[quote:68916e1cd8="eguenot"]Engine Mechanical problem
2004 Dodge Ram V8 Four Wheel Drive Automatic 77000 miles
Water pump went out, motor heated and I think head gasket bad or warped heads. I'm handy around this type of work but do not do for a living. want to know if you would advise for or against me doing this job on my own. do not want to spend 1500.00 but also don't want a poor outcome[/quote:68916e1cd8]
If you've pulled / re-installed heads before, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to do it again. Personally I'd want the factory service manual handy, but you can also use a notepad & a shirt-pocket pack of wire number strips you can get @ an electrical supply house to mark wires, hoses, etc. as you remove them. I've used different colors of electrical tape too - just a way of marking items so you can make sure everything goes back where it's supposed to.
And if you've got a pane of glass larger than a cylinder head, there's a fairly simple way of seeing if the heads are warped - tape a piece of emory cloth down tight to the glass & coat the surface of the head with mechanic's blue dye. Circle the head around on the emory cloth a few times, then flip it over & have a look - if the dye is scratched in some places & not in others, that will tell you where the high & low spots are. Hopefully the dye will wear away evenly & if so, then the head should not need to be surfaced.
Oct 3, 2009 at 7:45 PM
