I am getting ready to install the new head gaskets and have a question on the valley gasket and using gasket maker. I understand you want to use either hylomar or right stuff at the corners were the valley gasket meets the heads, do you also want to use it around the water jackets and intakes? I understand the head gaskets go on dry, do you oil the head bolt threads?

Water pump, gasket goes on dry except the three long bolts use hylomar correct?

I will be cleaning the block with brake cleaner and rags. Do you all clean the lower intake and upper intake as well?

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

You should pretty much put a bead of some sort of RTV (I used black) along the the entire U (at each end), fill in the notches and then up an around the end water jacket holes.

 

Hm, I went around every port with the RTV. Does that spell trouble for any reason? Rave doesn't specify exactly IIRC.

EDIT: I would assume you should NOT oil head bolts since torque is so important there. Lubrication will throw your torque spec off from what I understand.

 

A question for you, have you done any research on lube for the head bolts? Last weeks Horse Power show, on TV, had a special on it and the importance of using the correct lube to get a more accurate torque setting.
As for the engine, don't get too carried away with cleaning the engine till have it is all back together and running, then while using a little Gunk Gel Degreaser, go to your local do-it-yourself care wash and power scrub the entire engine, D2's love water and you will get a lot better job from it.

 

No it should not be an issue as long as you give the RTV a chance to cure before you start it up. The end ports are the ones that generally leak so that is why people recommend to RTV them. As far as the head bolts go, yes lightly oil them. Here is a decent video on head bolt torquing, not stretch head bolts but still good general info:

http://www.youtube.com/user/EricTheC.../4/5WHBskK_F3o

 

DiscoMike,

I'm sure this thread could turn into a raging debate on wet vs dry torque, but from the research that I've done there are two distinct torque specs for each.

Does the RAVE specify using lubrication? If so then it's definitely a wet torque spec they're providing, but if not I would presume it's dry. Mixing those two could cause out of spec torquing. Now, is it enough to worry about? I have no idea. I have heard that depending on the lubrication type (antisieze, loctite, bearing grease, etc) a wet torque spec can be 30% less than it's dry torque equivalent.

 

Very good video (haven't watched it all but I started, good stuff), thanks.

And thanks for the clarification on the RTV around the ports. Setup time is usually not an issue for me because it takes so long to get the thing back together before I can actually start it...

As for lubing the bolts, you sure? Maybe I'm just being **** on this, but I'm interested to know if there's any Land Rover documentation on this.

 

Have you read the Shop Manual? As I recall it says to oil the head bolts (it was a while ago though).

 

I did some research on using oil on headbolts, some say to use 30wt and a bit of grease under the bolt head. What is the torque setting for the 2003 4.6, the rave manual says 15 ft lb, is this correct?

 

There is a 2 step torquing sequence, anyone doing a head gasket job needs to RTFM because you can easily ruin the job if you torque the head bolts wrong.