head gasket job

[mattpiper]

I decided to go ahead and change the head gasket on my 93 quad DOHC 2.4 because of the water in my oil. I just got the head back from the machine shop, they said the head was out of surface pretty bad. I assume this is the cause of the water in oil, but there was also water leaking on the ground....could the warped head cause that?...I am also going to replace the water pump while everything is apart(its only 40 bucks)because that is the other place I think the leak possibly is coming from...One more question, are autozone or napa gaskets good enough or should i spring the extra 50$ on the head set from the dealership?

and as always, thanks for any help, you guys are great!!!

[xeroinfinity]

Well matt the head can leak purfussly if its warped, but it must not been to warped or the machine shop surly would hav noticed, and you wouldnt be putting it back on.

Leaks on the ground could be a water pump, or a freeze plug leaking. Also check the radiator on the ends, where its plastic, sometimes they crack and leak slowly.(Since the car is 13 years old) Check hoses too for leaks. Might even try some DYE in the coolant after you put it back together to check for any other leaking spots.

About the gaskets, just buy a really high quality gasket. The gaskets should hav a sealer(orange or other colors) on them and a metal ring that seals each of the cylinders.

NAPA and the ZONE both hav high quality gasket kits, you just need to specify your intentions when you buy them.

[daman]

I've always had good luck with fel-pro gasket kits.

[mattpiper]

exterior leak was the water pump...the weep hole showed signs of leakage...i bet the pump was the culprit that @#$%ed up the head...the thing barely would turn by hand

[daman]

I agree.

[skibum1111]

Make sure the head gasket you get is graphite, thats what GM is recommending on the quad motors, and they seem to work the best. I did mine with a graphite gasket, have not had any problems over the last 4k miles since it was done, the only thing I have noticed is my mileage is weird, sometimes 35+ on the highway, sometimes 25ish on the highway.