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Anyone actually done a head gasket in car

1K views 7 replies 7 participants last post by  misfit6794 
#1 ·
Ok - I know what the manual says - but following the manual is just too easy!!!

Has anyone actually (sucessfully) done a N* headgasket change in the vehicle? I have a '97 Deville that appears to have a blown head gasket (~85K miles) and I am debating whether it is worth it to try and do it in the car. From a little bit of staining I see, it appears to be the rear head (closest to the firewall). I know that if I need to do timecerts, I will definitely need to pull, but I am debating doing the initial head removal in the car.

I am looking for feedback from anyone who has (sucessfully or not) attempted this in the car. What was your outcome? Any especially impassable sticking points? Please don't quote the manuals for me - I am looking for actual experience here.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
Yes. If nobody on here has done it, check http://www.caddyinfo.com forums. Multiple folks there have done head gaskets AND Timeserting in the vehicle. They all said it would have been easier with the powertrain cradle removed, but both head gaskets AND Timeserting CAN be done with the engine in the car. I believe both were on Sevilles, so a DeVille probably has even a little bit more room to work with.
 
#3 · (Edited)
The guru said he did one and would never do it again.

I think your shooting yourself in the foot to try it that way. Why torture yourself when dropping the cradle makes it soooooooooooo much easier?

Unless you have a large amount of perseverance you will probably never finish it if you do it in the car. Dropping the cradle will put you in the range of likely completion.
 
#8 ·
Hmmm, I don't see why you would want to try it, but anything is possible. When I stopped in at my mechanics when he was doing my headgaskets, he was timeserting the block. I could see this being way more difficult with the engine in car, especially the rear gasket. Its not really a repair to experiment with, unless you've gotta spare engine. No point in doing all the work if you are unable to do it properly, I think it would be really hard reach all 20 headbolts, to retap them.
 
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