Grand Am Head gasket replacement

[gmbwrenchn]

Looks like I'm going to have to replace my head gasket. '95 Grand Am, 4cyl. 110k miles. It's leaking coolant into the oil after it seen extreem heat from an over heating. Is there only one head gasket? Can I do this without pulling the motor out? Any other tips or things to replace as long as I'm doing this job would be appreciated. Thanks.

[gmack221]

You can do the job with the motor in place, with that being said its not an easy job to do, but with patience you can do it. While your in there replace the water pump & thermostat (get a dealer thermostat its worth it). If your a backyard mechanic like me your looking at a whole weekend project, but I did it & so can you. You will have to remove the cams, timing chain, intake, exhaust manifold, passanger side motor mount (jack the motor up using the lower dog bone style motor mount, NOT THE OIL PAN). Oh yeah and when you have head off have it checked for cracks & flatness (if you don't want to do this job again you will do this). You will need new head bolts (since they are torqued to yield). Yes there's only one head gasket since your car is an inline 4 cylinder, only the V6's will have 2.

Tips
When you remove the cams keep the cams in the cam housings, make sure all of the lifters stay in the cam housings. Before you start to tear it down position the crank so #1 is at top dead center, you will need 2 - 8mm bolts to hold the cams into the correct position, get or borrow an inch lb torque wrench for the cam housing bolts, & get a haynes manual for all of the torque specs. Since you have 110K on your car you should probably replace the timing chain, tensioner, & plastic timing chain guides. Buy the gaskets in a kit & it will save you money.

Since I assume you have coolant in the oil i'd drain it right away (I had the rod bearings go out because of water in the oil) , then when your done put in fresh oil, & change it shortly after you get it running, to get the rest out of the motor (the oil & filter are worth it).

[skibum1111]

Also look at the timing chain cover gasket, make sure you get the right one. One is thin, one is thick, the parts store should ask you which one you need. Don't forget fuel injector o-rings, and you will need a special tool to disconnect the fuel line. I did mine, took 11 hours and it was 95 and extremely humid when I did it.

[gmbwrenchn]

Thanks to both of you for the replies. It will help a lot. Yes I did find coolant in the oil, a small amount. What about having the head milled? Is that ok to have done or not.

[gmack221]

skibum111 there is no reason to disconnect the fuel line from the fuel rail, once you get it off you can just set the whole assembly to the side, no need to crack open the pressurized system, just put it on the brake booster.

gmbwrenchn a good machine shop should be able to tell you exactly how much it can be machined, but yes it can be milled to flatten out the surface.

[gmbwrenchn]

Looks like I have the timing chain cover with the thick gasket {3.4mm}. What timing chain do I need, the single roller or the double roller. I want to buy it before I tear it down.

[skibum1111]

I believe all the dohc motors used the double roller, but pull the cover off and look at it, then look at the diagram at the parts store. Mine was a double roller, but the tensioner was different from what was included in the kit, so I had to go with separate parts. And as for the fuel rail assembly, I disconnected it to get it out of the way and left it out on the picnic table in the side yard, along with the hood, airbox, and a bunch of miscellaneous parts.

[gmbwrenchn]

I'll tell you what, I was looking at the engine again and is there going to be enough room to get that timing chain off and water pump, without pulling the motor? There just don't look like a heck of a lot of room to work on the side of the motor. Do I have to cock the motor up on an angle to get in there? How far up do I need to cock the motor? Is the motor bracket by the timing chain cover the only motor bracket I need to remove? Do I need to pull the crank pulley off to get the timing cover off? Thanks.

[gmack221]

Originally Posted by gmbwrenchn

I'll tell you what, I was looking at the engine again and is there going to be enough room to get that timing chain off and water pump, without pulling the motor? There just don't look like a heck of a lot of room to work on the side of the motor. Do I have to cock the motor up on an angle to get in there? How far up do I need to cock the motor? Is the motor bracket by the timing chain cover the only motor bracket I need to remove? Do I need to pull the crank pulley off to get the timing cover off? Thanks.

My 95 DOHC 2.3L in a grand am was a double roller timing chain.
yes there is enough room, but its tight and you can jack up that side if needed
yes that motor mount is the only one you need to remove
you can take the motor up until the half shaft hits the inner fender
yes the crank pulley needs to come off to get the timing cover off

remember to jack on passanger side lower motor mount to raise the motor
remember to use a ratchet strap from the drivers side engine hoist loop to the radiator support to steady the motor
you can remove the ratchet strap after you get the timing chain & housing off & let the motor all the way down.

Do not jack on the oil pan of this motor!!!!!!!!!

[skibum1111]

When you are ready to pull the crank pulley off, make sure you run a tap through the threaded holes before you try to run the bolts into it, they usually clog up with rust and its pretty easy to break bolts off in there.

[gmbwrenchn]

A Big Thank-you To Both Of You!!!!

[bones001]

hey gmbwrenchn I would make sure that you have the head professionally checked by a machine shop. I did a head gasket in one weekend, and did it again 2 weeks later. I took the head in the second time and machine shop found 4 cracks (weak design according to them) good luck