there are a couple members from up that area, they might be able to help you with an Indy in the area.

You mentioned your T-stat was changed last year. Do you have an ultra-gauge?


When I bought my rover, the PO had records from Great Basin Rovers, Ut (reputable rover shop by all accounts) of doing a water-pump replacement and head gasket replacement (including machining, which I verified with GBR when I bought the front drive shaft).


When I bought the ultra gauge, I noticed the car would get up to 230 on a moderate incline, idling in the summer, it would get hot enough for the gauge to go slightly above centerline (which is waaaay too hot!)


My T-stat was stuck. I would have had another head gasket leak in 20k miles if I would have let it slowly cook.


Monitoring your coolant temps is a MUST. You might not have any bolt problems at all, but your T-stat could be faulty.

I don't have an ultra gauge but did have a Bluetooth OBD adapter with Torque app on my android phone. Up until October when I changed to an iphone coolant system was operating a high of 204 degrees. There is always a possibility that the stat failed. I will be sure to pull it and test it.

The 2001 I own had head gaskets done before 93,000 miles when I got it.
I know this as someone bashed in the firewall to get the back bolt out.

I put new headgaskets on at 93,000 and now 108,000. We will see how it goes.

BTW - I just slapped on the heads. No machine shop work.
I think ---

If the cooling system lets the temp vary widely - then the head gaskets are
"rubbed" down by expansion / contraction.

Just like when you were a kid and the go cart had no brakes.
Wears out the soles of your shoes.

Same with these head gaskets.

Oh well.

You know the drill.

jfall, can you explain this a little more, it would seem that every engine has wide temperature swings... from garage temp up to around 210 deg... are you saying the DII swings more, or is more likely to epic fail, or both?

Swings a lot.
Put a live scanner on the OBD2.
You can stop the swings by:
New radiator
low temp thermostat.
New HD Hayden fan clutch.

This is just a theory or hunch by me and a few others.
My rover is not having huge temp swings now
and I bet my HG's will last a while now.
I try not to put many miles on it so ..
I'll get a few years out of it from here I bet.

Got it.
Also, maybe the super thin aluminum block and some design flaws contribute to the ultimate disaster?


I plan on making mine last a little while longer with a more modern GM engine. I look forward to the days when I can drive it anywhere an not worry about taking a bunch of spare parts and tools for a "side of the road" wrench fest.

even if the heads were properly torque in sequence to (what is it like 18 ft/lbs?) and then turned 90 degrees and then 90 degrees. If ANY shortcuts were taken it could have sat the head on wrong.

The thing that gets missed (assuming the spec+90+90 wasn't ignored) is that the head should be torqued 3-4 times until they reach the final torque spec. Also, if the bolts are turned 180 instead of 90 and then 90 it will not be on right.

use ARP studs, there is no messing around. they torque something like 30, 50 & 80 lbs. are reusable, require no special machining, put less stress on the bolt holes (the cause of most slipped liners) and only about $50 more than stretch bolts.