Overheating is the most common reason a cylinder head cracks or warps. Before installing a new head gasket, the head itself must be checked, or the new gasket may fail quickly.
Inspection Steps
- Clean the deck surface completely.
- Check flatness with a precision straightedge and feeler gauges, lengthwise and diagonally.
- Pressure-test or crack-test the head to find hidden cracks, often between valve seats.
- On overhead-cam heads, check cam bore alignment.
Repair or Replace?
- Light warpage within limits can often be corrected by resurfacing.
- Cracks, severe warpage or damaged cam bores usually mean replacement.
- Removing too much material can affect compression and cam timing on overhead-cam engines.
Installation Tips
- Use a new head gasket and new head bolts where specified.
- Follow the tightening sequence exactly.
- Find and fix the cause of the overheating.
Evergreen Parts
Evergreen offers cylinder heads and components identified by engine or vehicle application. Use the Evergreen eCatalog to find the right part, and see where to buy Evergreen through our authorized distributors.
