Somebody shoot me!

[TahoeTom]

The 7.3 heads have the cooling passages in the corners plugged, so the gaskets have no provision for coolant flow there. Those passages are where your coolant is leaking. I think they plugged the 7.3 passages to get away from the leakage problem. Some have speculated about drilling holes in the plugs and using 6.9 gaskets to improve cooling but I don't know if it has been done. Icanfixall posted a good picture comparing the two gaskets. http://www.oilburners.net/forums/showthread.php?70885-Disappiontment-In-The-Mountains/page5

 

[icanfixall]

The 7.3 head gasket fits the 6.9 but it does not have the open coolant passages on the lower corners. If you take the chance and use the 7.3 on the 6.9 you are testing the closed cooling passages for all of us. If the 6.9 runs hotter than it used to run then we know the reason is the closed coolant passages. So far its just a idea but its well documented so far. We have run the 6.9 gaskets on the 7.3 and they ran cooler plus they did not leak. I measured both sets of gaskets and they are the same dimensionally. Only diff is the open or closed passages. Please call and talk to ARP about the torque and the lube.

 

[vegas39]

The 7.3 head gasket fits the 6.9 but it does not have the open coolant passages on the lower corners. If you take the chance and use the 7.3 on the 6.9 you are testing the closed cooling passages for all of us. If the 6.9 runs hotter than it used to run then we know the reason is the closed coolant passages. So far its just a idea but its well documented so far. We have run the 6.9 gaskets on the 7.3 and they ran cooler plus they did not leak. I measured both sets of gaskets and they are the same dimensionally. Only diff is the open or closed passages. Please call and talk to ARP about the torque and the lube.

Living in this desert, I want cool as possible so I'll get the 6.9 gaskets. Since that keeps me from installing today, I'll go ahead and take this head and have it pressure tested just for good measure.
I'll give ARP a call and talk with them. Recklund (Ryan) says there is a place in Henderson that I can get the lube from.

 

[IDIoit]

in response to your "someone please shoot me" headline.
please provide latitude and longitude coordinates.
maybe we can get a 80 mm present sent to you

 

[riotwarrior]

It is supposed to rain here later today and I would like to get the head put back on this morning, do I need to use that ARP lube again, or am I ok to put it back together? I ran these studs for 40,000 miles.

What about the other head, should I re torque it? I'm definitely not pulling it off.

Wow Im out for a few days and all kinds of stuff goes on..

Yes the ARP lube is required again. It is applied each time, and make sure you clean out head bolt holes in the block too properly with a bottoming tap then blow them out really well. Also clean off the nuts/studs of any old lube and debris. This ensures a correct torque reading when done each time.

In all likelyhood in for penny in for pound, I'd pull the other head, reclean bolt holes and torque down on new gaskets...

JM2CW

 

[vegas39]

in response to your "someone please shoot me" headline.
please provide latitude and longitude coordinates.
maybe we can get a 80 mm present sent to you

Lol. Just so long as it does the trick!

I was so fed up yesterday, I was going to head out to Carmax and buy a cheap F150. I've gathered my senses a little today and am feeling somewhat better, although still rattled.

 

[IDIoit]

a converge order with HE Quicks outta do the trick/truck nicely! lol
its always a PITA when
theres 2 words that helped me through lifes little problems like this
F*** IT.
it does well for stress levels once youve mastered it.
all you can do is all you can do! sometimes we win big, sometimes we loose big!
the trick is to always have 1 vehicle they you dont mess with unless you have to!
i know i know, easier said than done. i use my 98 E350 for a back up right now,
best 2k i ever spent!!! but as soon as my 87 is done, that things going under the knife as well lol

 

[vegas39]

Wow Im out for a few days and all kinds of stuff goes on..

Yes the ARP lube is required again. It is applied each time, and make sure you clean out head bolt holes in the block too properly with a bottoming tap then blow them out really well. Also clean off the nuts/studs of any old lube and debris. This ensures a correct torque reading when done each time.

In all likelyhood in for penny in for pound, I'd pull the other head, reclean bolt holes and torque down on new gaskets...

JM2CW

I figured somebody would suggest pulling the other head and even though I knew I should, I didnt want to. My wife said the same thing also, do both side while its tore down. Easy to say when she aint doing the work!
I do have to say though, she was a big help yesterday when I discovered the head gasket issue. 25 years I've been with her and yesterday was the first time she ever helped me work on a vehicle. I think she could tell I was getting ready to hang myself!

 

[IDIoit]

I figured somebody would suggest pulling the other head and even though I knew I should, I didnt want to. My wife said the same thing also, do both side while its tore down. Easy to say when she aint doing the work!
I do have to say though, she was a big help yesterday when I discovered the head gasket issue. 25 years I've been with her and yesterday was the first time she ever helped me work on a vehicle. I think she could tell I was getting ready to hang myself!

shes a keeper! my ex wife would have been calling the insurance company and upping the pay-out lol

 

[icanfixall]

Kenny she sure is a keeper.Glad your doing both sides because the other side is suspect seeing it was done at the same time. As for bottom tapping the threads.. Not really needed with studs because they will reach the bottom fine. But its nice to do just the same. But makes no difference really. My daughter is the only one offering to help me. Wifey has no interest. She lives by... rive em till that quit".. Then call someone. I was finding a fuel leak yesterday on the diesel but did not get to fix it. That damn 4 way fitting at number 8 cylinder under the turbo is leaking. For those that have no idea that brass fitting on the end of the return line has an olive in it just like the filter to injection pump hard line. I'll bet only a very small number of members know of this olive. And some engines don't have this fitting either. Best way to know if your engine has this hidden fitting is look at the injection pump return line. If its steel running down the drivers side of the engine under the hard lines you have it. When I fix this leak I will be changing my complete return line system size to the 5/16 line size. New o rings, caps fitting and the air bleed off at the filter top. Thats a lot of work for what I will have in the end. Another elimination of a weak link in the fuel system. I will never have another olive leaking way back there. Kind of glad I finally found the leak too. Its been leaking on and off for several months

 

[bbjordan]

This came with my studs for the 6.9.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[ironworker40]

shes a keeper! my ex wife would have been calling the insurance company and upping the pay-out lol

guess we now know why she is your ex wife!

 

[Kistthesky]

25 years I've been with her and yesterday was the first time she ever helped me work on a vehicle. I think she could tell I was getting ready to hang myself!

Mine would probably leave rope, razor blades, exhaust hose & loaded firearms laying around!

 

[Dave Barbieri]

Yup, 37 vehicles in 40 years of marriage, some of them seriously memorable. Marty has been VERY patient. And understanding. On our wedding night, she looked lovingly into my eyes and said, "Sweetheart, daddy taught us girls to do two things really well. Shoot pool and shoot pistols. You won't survive a divorce. Come on to bed." Yup, 40 years and HAPPILY married!!

 

[PwrSmoke]

This came with my studs for the 6.9.

You must be registered for see images attach

This should have been the second or third post in this thread instead of people making wild-assed guesses about what the torque should be and potentially steering somebody in the wrong direction! ARP has the instructions on their website to be looked up! Kudos to you bbjordan.

I retorqued my studs at about six months and 1500 miles and a PITA it was. Necessary... not so sure. Anyway, something I learned from an old engine builder years ago, and it applies to any engine using composite head gaskets. When you assemble the engine and torque the heads, stop there and let the engine sit a couple of days, or at least overnight. The gaskets will "relax" a little under compression. When you go back, you will note the studs will take a bit more torque. If you have time, you can do it again. I did it three times over a two week period and after the third time, it appeared the gaskets had relaxed as much as they were going to. In theory, all the new composite gaskets are "no retorque" unless otherwise indicated but the "let her sit" thing seems like an easy precaution and for me the proof is always whether or not they will take a little more torque after sitting. (this does not apply to stock head bolts or any other type of "stretchable" bolt).