Hi,
Looking for advice and opinions on replacing head gasket (and timing belt while I am in there) on an 89 4 banger (manual 4x4). Been many years since I have visited the top end of a motor, so please, suggestions on brands of items (gasket sets), tricks, quirks, and????...guesses on how long this takes??

Thanks in advance

 

It is a PITA. Change head on 87 over Thanksgiving and took about 3 days. We did not change timing belt as the harminic balance had to be pulled to be able to remove the lower timing cover, /if you go to the trouble of getting it off, then I would go ahead and replace the front seal too. Had to remove the radiator, also. The vabuum line mess that goes to the carb should also be marjed very carefully as we thought we would remember ans we still don't have something hooked up right. The heater hoses are hard to get to but found that if you remove the front passenger tire and the rubber flap from the inside of the wheel well you will gain better access ti lines and bolts that will have to be removed. Felpro makes a gasket set for the 4 cyl, I got mine at the local Car Quest Dist. Also a completely rebuilt head was around $500.00. That is for thw 2.3L.

 

Wow....good to know (and bad)...mine has fuel injection which may make it easier..how much was the gasket set???

thanks for the input and honesty...
paul

 

Maybe, maybe not. I've done it twice with mine, replaced the head gasket once without removing the fuel injection. Set up a tripod that I used to lift the head with the manifold and plenum still attached. That's the good news.

Bad news is it wasn't the head gasket, it was the head. They corrode and eat through the aluminum around the steel valve seats and in mine dumped coolant into the exhaust port. That time I had to take off the head to replace and he's right, major PITA to get the injection system unhooked and disconnected. One thing, the harmonic balancer on mine came off easy, so if yours does the belt isn't much more work if you're in that far.

Good luck with it.