by "XJDano" (xjdano)
Published 11/09/2017 at 07:47
by "XJDano" (xjdano)
Published 11/09/2017 at 07:47
Tags: Equinox
STARS: 2
Getting close to 200K, I know the head gasket is comprised, but wondering if it’s a job I could actually do myself.
I’ve taken apart a couple motors, but never had to keep everything together to put it all back.
I also wonder if it would be easier to pull the motor and do it out of the car.
I know I can handle small and medium sized jobs but a head gasket seems a bit more involved than just taking an old part off, and slapping a new part on.
Thanks.
"Tristan" (casselts)
11/09/2017 at 07:58, STARS: 1
4.3 or 3.4? I figure you mean the latter. They aren’t too bad. There’s plenty of YouTube videos. I had an ‘01 impala with a 3.4 that ate the HGs at 80,000 minutes, so you’re doing great!
"Aaron M - MasoFiST" (amarks563)
11/09/2017 at 07:59, STARS: 1
Plastic baggies, egg containers, and lots of tupperware. If you’ve taken apart motors before, figure out your organizational strategy now, but you should be fine. The only thing different between taking it apart and putting it back together is that you need a torque wrench, especially for head bolts.
And yes, take the engine out...good luck getting anywhere near the rear head on a transverse V6.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
11/09/2017 at 08:04, STARS: 2
3.4 you mean? You’re waaaaay overdue for a head gasket job in that thing. I’m shocked it’s still going. Those usually pooped out around 150,000km/95,000mi.
"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
11/09/2017 at 08:18, STARS: 3
The lack of wheel chocks behind those back wheels is making me uncomfortable...
"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
11/09/2017 at 08:21, STARS: 1
When my friend’s equinox shit the bed we definitely dropped the front subframe. It’s a great time to attend to other issues too. We replaced a surprisingly ugly coolant hose and I think he did the struts while we had it on a hoist. Once the engine we out, all of us took a few minutes here and there to take some degreaser and rags and knock 150k miles of gunk out of the bay.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
11/09/2017 at 08:53, STARS: 0
Normally I’d say a 60 degree V transverse mounted means pull it out of the car, but looking at some photos it actually doesn’t look that bad. Also head gaskets really aren’t that much more than pull the old and slap on the new, but you really should be careful about torque specs when putting the heads back on.
"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
11/09/2017 at 09:12, STARS: 0
We made it to past 100k miles without a by issue, it just developed a rod knock instead.
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
11/09/2017 at 09:17, STARS: 0
Ours was on the way out around 135,000km and we’re pretty sure it was shitting the bed again when it started overheating at 280,000km. Not worth dealing with, got rid of it.
What year was yours? Ours was an ‘02 Montana.
"Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies" (jordanwphillips)
11/09/2017 at 09:36, STARS: 0
2005 Impala
"hillrat" (hillrat)
11/09/2017 at 09:48, STARS: 1
That 3.4 is a pain in the ass. I did my own plugs & wires and you have to do the back 3 by feel alone because you can’t see anything back there.
"hillrat" (hillrat)
11/09/2017 at 09:50, STARS: 0
How hard is it to drop the engine? I did my water pump and serpentine belt this summer and you had to jack up the engine and take off the motor mounts on the left side. Is this something I could do in my driveway if I had multiple jacks, jack stands, etc.?
"Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer" (smallbear94)
11/09/2017 at 09:53, STARS: 0
Ah... I think they made some changes before ‘05
"Aaron M - MasoFiST" (amarks563)
11/09/2017 at 09:55, STARS: 0
Sounds like themanwithsauce has a better idea than I do. Dropping the front subframe generally requires you getting the front end decently high off the ground.
"hillrat" (hillrat)
11/09/2017 at 10:48, STARS: 0
How difficult is to drop the front sub-frame, what equipment do you need? Assuming I had some help, is dropping the sub-frame, pulling the heads, and replacing the gaskets something that can be done in a weekend, in a driveway?
"themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles" (themanwithsauce)
11/09/2017 at 11:08, STARS: 0
My dad and I did a similar job on a saturn Vue (not the same engine, but similar platform) over the course of a weekend. He’s a professional mechanic. My friends and I did it for an equinox over the course of about a week. We had access to hoists both times and they make the job of droping the engine much easier. Once you get the subframe dropped and the motor detached, it’s actually an easy job. Lots of parts cleaning and labeling, but definitely doable over the course of a few days. I’d say it’s a 15-25 hour job? All depends on skill and experience.
Hand tools and a good torque wench will be your bread and butter for reassembly, but you’ll want at least an electric impact gun for taking it all apart. If you have an air powered gun, even better. I would not do this in the driveway though, I’d only do it in a garage. You don’t want rain/snow and bugs or animals crawling into places they shouldn’t be.
"hillrat" (hillrat)
11/09/2017 at 11:25, STARS: 0
Again, thanks for the info. I have a crazy friend that definitely has a garage I can commandeer for a week and he probably has a hoist too. But that might be a bigger burrito than I can eat considering my attempt to change my plugs and wires ended in failure.
I managed to get everything swapped out, but the car is running like shit and after going through everything I did 3x I finally threw in the towel and took my car to my mechanic to finish the job. Naturally I got the outraged, “You did what?” from the shop’s owner, but I think he respects my moxie for trying to do it myself.
"theloudmouth" (theloudmouth)
11/09/2017 at 16:15, STARS: 0
If the water jacket hasn’t burst you definitely can. If it never overheated then it’s fairly straightforward, a lot of steps but straightforward. There’s also little reason to worry it won’t all go back together again.
If a car has overheated already just put a new engine in or scrap it.
"XJDano" (xjdano)
11/11/2017 at 21:11, STARS: 0
I don’t think the water jacket burst, as it got about to the red for a few seconds, but a blip of the throttle and it came back down.
I’ve been daily driving it for about a year as it is. More so with a hunch of bad gaskets.
"XJDano" (xjdano)
11/11/2017 at 21:14, STARS: 0
I’m going to be working on freeing up space in my garage to do this.
I have jack stands, jack, cherry picker.
I’m not sure if I can remove the sub assembly while it’s on stands.
"XJDano" (xjdano)
11/11/2017 at 21:15, STARS: 1
On borrowed time i know. I’m just getting a plan before taking it to a shop and putting more money than what it’s worth into it
"XJDano" (xjdano)
11/11/2017 at 21:17, STARS: 0
3.4 I don’t know why I said 4.3....
I’ve been watching it for a while, it seems it’ll be any minute it’ll blow up.