Replacing Olds 5.7l diesel head gasket

What procedure should I follow? Do I need to remove the bolts in a
specific order? It is not worth contracting this work out to
anybody. This could be an exercise in shear folly if more than the
gasket needs to be replaced.

On Jun 4, 3:09 pm, Wonderer > wrote:
> What procedure should I follow? Do I need to remove the bolts in a
> specific order? It is not worth contracting this work out to
> anybody. This could be an exercise in shear folly if more than the
> gasket needs to be replaced.


>From memory, have the head checked for straightness. While it is off,
have a good valve job done on it and check the guides.. You MUST put
in new head bolts. Disassembly order is not important. Assembly is.
Follow the procedure in your repair manual.

On Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:09:47 -0000, Wonderer >
wrote:

>What procedure should I follow? Do I need to remove the bolts in a
>specific order? It is not worth contracting this work out to
>anybody.

Anybody who would be knowledgeable enough to do a profession job
would, hopefully, also be honest enough to tell you its a really bad
idea.

> This could be an exercise in shear folly

It is sheer folly. The diesel version of the Olds 350 engine was an
unmitigated disaster. The Olds 350 was designed for 9-10/1 gasoline
compression ratios and then a diesel version was hasily conceived with
much higher compression and attendant stress. About all they did was
increase the head bolts from 7/16' to 1/2' It wasn't enough and the
engines blew head gaskets all the time. among other problems Many who
had such an engine in their PUs converted them back to gas. I can
remember when this was a commonplace operation.
A diesel engine needs to be built for diesel from the ground up.

Don
www.donsautomotive.com

>if more than the gasket needs to be replaced.

On Jun 4, 3:09 pm, Wonderer > wrote:
> What procedure should I follow? Do I need to remove the bolts in a
> specific order? It is not worth contracting this work out to
> anybody. This could be an exercise in shear folly if more than the
> gasket needs to be replaced.

If you don't have one I suggest that you get a repair manual for that
engine before starting disassembly. Be sure to check that the mating
surfaces are flat.

John S. > wrote:
>On Jun 4, 3:09 pm, Wonderer > wrote:
>> What procedure should I follow? Do I need to remove the bolts in a
>> specific order? It is not worth contracting this work out to
>> anybody. This could be an exercise in shear folly if more than the
>> gasket needs to be replaced.
>
>If you don't have one I suggest that you get a repair manual for that
>engine before starting disassembly. Be sure to check that the mating
>surfaces are flat.

Fixing that engine is an exercise in sheer folly. It will not stay fixed.
They never did.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On Jun 5, 11:30 am, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:
> John S. > wrote:
> >On Jun 4, 3:09 pm, Wonderer > wrote:
> >> What procedure should I follow? Do I need to remove the bolts in a
> >> specific order? It is not worth contracting this work out to
> >> anybody. This could be an exercise in shear folly if more than the
> >> gasket needs to be replaced.
>
> >If you don't have one I suggest that you get a repair manual for that
> >engine before starting disassembly. Be sure to check that the mating
> >surfaces are flat.
>
> Fixing that engine is an exercise in sheer folly. It will not stay fixed.
> They never did.
> --scott
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

Yours is not an answer to his question. He asked how it should be
done and not whether it should be done.

John S. is right.Get a repair manual/book for that model vehicle before
you even start working on it.(engine) The same is true for all
vehicles,gas or diesel.Check your local auto parts stores or libraries
for a book on that model vehicle.A book store can probally order a book
for you or look around online,perhaps Amazon.
cuhulin

On Mon, 4 Jun 2007, Don wrote:

> It is sheer folly. The diesel version of the Olds 350 engine was an
> unmitigated disaster. The Olds 350 was designed for 9-10/1 gasoline
> compression ratios and then a diesel version was hasily conceived with
> much higher compression and attendant stress. About all they did was
> increase the head bolts from 7/16' to 1/2' It wasn't enough and the
> engines blew head gaskets all the time.

You're partly right. It's loosely based on the gas 350, but that's not
necessarily a bad thing if it's done right. GM's big mistake was not
adding more head bolts, which led to the head gasket problems. The
problem can be helped by never re-using head bolts, but the best solution
is to use head bolts (or studs) that are strong enough. There are lots of
these engines still running perfectly, and getting 30+ MPG in 4000+ lb.
cars.

> among other problems Many who had such an engine in their PUs converted
> them back to gas. I can remember when this was a commonplace operation.

Commonly done "back in the day" by those who knew nothing about diesels,
but a real pity, and a complicated solution to a simple problem.

There's lots of good info on the web about these engines and how to fix
the head gasket problem. Once that's done, it's a solid, economical
engine.

-Dan
'81 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, 5.7L diesel

On Mon, 04 Jun 2007 22:00:25 -0500, Don
> wrote:

>On Mon, 04 Jun 2007 19:09:47 -0000, Wonderer >
>wrote:
>
>>What procedure should I follow? Do I need to remove the bolts in a
>>specific order? It is not worth contracting this work out to
>>anybody.
>
>Anybody who would be knowledgeable enough to do a profession job
>would, hopefully, also be honest enough to tell you its a really bad
>idea.
>

I know several in the Cadillac club that still have them or had them
running well over 200k. They were much better in the later years than
the early years. Still slow and stinky but they didn't croad as
easily.

To the OP: As others have said make sure you use new bolts. Tighten
them in the proper sequence with a torque wrench. I would even go so
far as to recheck them after you had a few miles on it as the
headgaskets were a known trouble spot on those engines. Do it right
and you should be fine.

Steve B.

Don wrote:

..
> A diesel engine needs to be built for diesel from the ground up.


Well, there are a few good conversions out there. The first Ford
Powerstroke (the 7.2 liter version) was originally an International
Harvester gasoline industrial engine. But it was extensively modified
for diesel use, first as the non-turbo Ford diesel in the 80s, then as a
turbo-diesel, and finally as the intercooled/turbo Powerstroke and
International T444E. Interestingly, the smaller Powerjokes that are
causing so much trouble these days WERE designed diesels from the start
and aren't half as reliable as the previous one. Go figure.