Friend of mine was getting a 97 D1 going and finally got it running and it sounded AWFUL. Upon startup it blew apart the cheap oil filter, and made the valley pan gasket bloat up. #6 was blown internally and all the combustion gases were going straight into the crankcase. Tore it all down, and did a HG job and took care of that issue only to find it also had bad rod knock so it was torn down and completely rebuilt after that. Seen probably 4-5 of those in my day. #1 part of a HG is the prep work and making sure all your surfaces are clean, I've used 80.00 HG kits to 400.00 HG kits and the results were identical. Usually HG's will start seeping at the front/rear of the HG where the water jackets are and eventually get to the point where coolant either constantly flows out or it gets into #1, #2, #7, or #8 and pressurizes the cooling system.

 

I know this is a dumb question but I'll ask anyway. Regarding head gasket leaks from the water jackets. My 04 has had a very slight external weep from the rear drivers side, back past #7. Going on 2+ years with it. Only leaks noticeably when it's cold, and I only need to top off the coolant every few months or so with maybe 8-10oz. Not even enough to drip to the ground.
The dumb question, can that back corner head bolt be snugged up a bit and provide any help with this or is that a terrible idea? I have read of head bolts being loose before or becoming loose over time which is why I am curious.

 

Negative, the only thing you might accomplish by over tightening would be pulling the threads out of the block. The issue is the gasket material deteriorates over time

 

I’ve had 2 external compression leaks on # 6. 60k-70k miles apart. It’s a flaw on the block.

 

I ran a D2 with a seepy set of HG's for nearly 40k with no issues. I just always checked the coolant level, and kept an eye on it. However if it's seeping it could get worse or simply blow out and cause you to over-heat.

 

I agree, you can probably go a long time with a leak like that. If could also be a loose intake manifold bolt and not the HG. Still a bit of work to get at and maybe not worth the effort for the slight external leak.

 

Is there a limit to the number of head gasket installs the block can handle (with bolts not studs)?

 

Very high number if done correctly. I always chase the threads fully with a tap, lubricate before install both threads and under the head. The goal is gasket compression, not bolt or thread stress.

 

This isn't a problem I'm currently dealing with but just out of curiosity - assuming one strips a bolt hole, are helicoils a viable fix? Or is a new block the better way to go.

 

Steel inserts> helicoil for such applications.