92 Ranger 2.3L rough idle, now it won't start

[woodi]

Glad to hear that...I've done a few head gaskets in the past, one on a toyota 22re and one on a honda d16. Can't imagine this is much different, hardest part I recall was getting all the old gasket gunk off the block and getting the exhaust bolts loose. I'm looking to get the parts on order, probably worth getting the whole gasket set and replacing the shot timing belt while I'm in there. The chiltons I have seems to say the bolts are reusable, from what you're saying it sounds like somewhere along the way they changed out the bolts to torque to yield ones? Since I haven't seen any signs of overheating or coolant lose there shouldn't be any reason to worry about getting the head skimmed right?

 

[Mark_88]

If you have the time and money, shaving the head can actually improve performance and eliminates the risk of leaks if the head warped. The over heating (or lack thereof) can warp them and if yours didn't over heat you might be OK...if funds are tight...

When I did mine I always took it to a shop to have them mill and check for cracks. It was a bit of insurance against having to do it all over if there was a problem elsewhere. With that, mine usually lasted several years before I had to do them again...also had the valve seals replaced and the stems checked...they can test for leaky valves also as that affects compression...

Sounds like you know your way around engines so this one should be easy...maybe a couple of hours if all goes well...the head gaskets are not (usually) sealed on so there should be little or no scraping on either surface...some people on here use a spray on adhesive to ensure seal but I've never had to and don't recommend it...just do the twice torque as prescribed in the manual...60 ft/lbs on round one and 95 ft/lbs on round two...or was it 85...???been three years since I did the last one...

Unless you rework the head there should be no oil leaks from things like the cam bolt and the tension pulley bolt...just the seal on the valve cover as potential leaks of oil...

I really should have had a V8...I think I was killing them by working them too hard...lol