LUVTruck.com

1980 4x4 Chevy Luv with a Redline carb

I picked my truck up today after sitting at the Denver Int. Airport for the last 20 days and started my drive north toward Greeley. I made it about halfway when I noticed the heater started blowing cooler and cooler air. About five minutes later, the throttle goes out and steam begins rolling from under the hood. I park on the side of the road and see my coolant has been completely evacuated. I let it cool down, refill the radiator and crank the engine. Coolant begins pouring out of the gasket just below the valve cover gasket on the drivers side of the engine. It seems to be pouring out of the gasket and maybe also out of the headers themselves (I think this because coolant is also coming out of the first break in the exhaust pipe at a pretty steady stream.)

My question is... does this sound like just a head gasket or possibly a cracked block or something else?

Follow up question: I got a gasket set coming in to O'reillys tomorrow. I have mediocre mechanical knowledge and just your average tool set.. am I capable of changing a gasket with just basic tools and skills? I looked at it and it seemed like it was just a bunch of easy to reach 1/2 inch nuts and screws. Is there anything I am missing before I dive in to it right there on the side of the road and realize I am in over my head?

I have two days off and either need to get it fixed or send it to a salvage yard and go by a new truck (having a pickup is a requirement at my job). I realize this is a lot of information to take in and my brain is scrambled so I apologize but any help would be unbelievably appreciated. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

EDIT: The truck will not start, the engine will turn over and doesn't knock or make any strange noises, it just sounds like it won't "catch" and start up. I did check the fuel pump to make sure it was still pumping fuel to the carb and it was.

The oil on the dip stick did not appear to have any coolant or water in it.

The gasket failure is common. It is not a difficult job. If you have average mechanical skills, you should be able to do it/ I would remove the head and have it checked/surfaced at a local machine shop. The head bolts can snap off due to seizing from the heat cycles, Do a search on this site for head bolts, should find a couple of threads on it. Good luck...

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FIAA!

SFPP!

Are the head bolts the 8 allen bolts underneath the valve cover?

Yes..

_________________
If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

I didn't have any prior signs of a failing head gasket (and my temp gauge hasn't worked since I got it...) does that make it less likely that it's a head gasket problem? I'm not going to lie, I had the antifreeze concentrate mixed pretty heavy, probably 65/35. It was getting down to -20 degrees around here and I was nervous about my motor freezing up. Don't know if the heavy mixture could be a major part of my problem or not. Just wanted to add these two cents.

Concentrated antifreeze mixture is not likely to have caused the problem.

Head gaskets often do not show any signs of failure before they let go on these trucks. When mine blew, it was running fine until it suddenly started running like crap and steam began to blow out of the exhaust.

As long as your head isn't warped, you should be good to go. Just be sure to have it checked out while you have it off and clean the surfaces really well. Tighten the bolts in the proper order and use a torque wrench.

There's a Harbor Freight in Denver if you need a torque wrench. Use coupon code 59332387 to get it for $9.99.

Your engine is one of the easiest to swap a head gasket. You do need certain special tools & they're all metric, for instance the head bolts are 10mm hex & you'll need a short extension to get the wrench handle above the rockers. Get yourself a manual that explains the procedure & follow it. A Haynes or Chilton's should be good enough, a FSM is always better.
A few tips that may not be in your manual:
-Leave the intake attached to the head. It's better to have help lifting it off & especially on, it's overbalanced to one side & you want to set the head onto the new gasket as flat as possible.
-You can also leave the exhaust manifold attached if the header pipe will break loose, but you will definitely need help lifting on & off, it's heavy & awkward & has to lift up high & drop straight down.
-Fel-Pro is a good aftermarket head gasket. It goes on dry except for the slightest smear of silicone at the crack between the head & front timing cover. Also silicone the half-moon washer into the head.
-There are two small hex bolts through the head into the top of the front timing cover. Have a rag plugging the timing cover opening around the gear & chain when removing or replacing these bolts, if you drop one into the engine the oil pan must come off to retrieve it. Also these bolts only torque to about 14-16 ft-lbs, not the head bolt torque.
-It's best to replace each head bolt into the hole it came out of. Make sure there is no oil pooled in the hole, it can throw off the torque reading.
-The head gasket can be replaced with the engine in any position. For maybe a bit more peace of mind there are timing marks on the crank, timing chain, cam sprocket & cam that only align when the engine is at #4 TDC on the compression stroke. If you start with the engine at #4TDC any thing that might happen to move during the R&R can returned to the alignment position & the whole assembly will go back together correctly.
-Change the oil as soon as possible, check the head torque after a few hundred miles, any time you have the valve cover off go ahead & set the valve lash (the procedure for this is in the manual).
After you read through the procedure in the manual ask if you have any questions.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

I'm heading to town now to pickup a gasket set and a 10mm socket. Fortunately I have a torque wrench already so that is one thing I won't have to purchase. I really don't know jack squat about the timing chain, crank, and cam... I was going to zip tie the timing chain where it is right now and hope that i can keep it there during the whole process? If that is ridiculous and not even a realistic goal, which cylinder is number 4? I'm running to town right now to grab a car dolly and haul it back out here. Should start working on the truck by this afternoon. Here's to hoping it goes well!! Thanks for all the help thus far, any tips and tricks are appreciated!

Number 4 is closest to the cab.

Take pictures of where everything is in case your zip tie fails.

You said torque the bolts in the correct order. Is there a place I can find that specific order on this site? I will definitely make sure to number the bolts correctly to go back in the whole they came out of.

Awesome, thank you! I've been searching for that information. Got the truck out to the work site this evening, tomorrow is my big day. I'll keep y'all informed! If the head is slightly warped and must be milled down, is there a maximum mill depth that I should know of?

Also, any recommendations for sealant on the head gasket? Go on dry? Grease? Oil? I bought some $7 tube of gasket sealant from Oreillys but haven't decided whether or not yet to use it.

Head gasket goes on DRY- or it will quickly fail. A bit of silicone at the crack between the front timing cover & block will stop any oil leak there, the head gasket alone won't. If there's been an oil leak in this area in the past it will still leak with just the new head gasket.
Also it's a good idea to loosen & remove the head bolts in the reverse of the installation.

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'78 Chevy LUV,1.9,4sp,headers,31's,SAS Dana 30,Dana 20,SOA rear w/Aussie Locker, rough body, bought new 12/4/78.
'87 Trooper,2.3,5sp,headers,31's,ball joint flip & spacer,Aussie Locker rear,Superwinch hubs,brush guard w/5.5K winch,more to come.

DONE! Thank you all VERY MUCH! I was in a real bad pinch and y'all helped me out a bunch.

The gasket swap wasn't terrible, i left the exhaust manifold and intake on during the whole process. I zip tied the timing chain and it all seemed to go back together well. The heater blows heat again and the engine is running smooth. Still haven't gotta take it out on the highway and drive it around but as of right now... it appears to be a success! Thanks again... you saved my ass.

Congrats!

_________________
If you think no one cares, try missing a couple of payments...



FIAA!

SFPP!

Don't forget to check the torque of the head bolts again in a few weeks.

Good call! thanks for the heads up.. that'll be just in time to head back to KC. Also, I'm buying some AAA tomorrow, I'm already prepared for that phone call.

"Thank you for choosing AAA. It will only be $170 for a whole year of service. What kind of vehicle will you be driving?"
"A 1980 Chevy LUV"
"Sir, that will $500 for a six month policy."

I imagine i will be using and abusing this service.

Lol. It's not really that bad. I drove mine stock for 5 years and put a head gasket, a clutch assembly, and an alternator in it. My grandfather drove it for 7 years after that and had no problems. Once you get them going good, they're actually pretty dependable vehicles.