head gasket

i replaced the head gasket on my series 4 262 d17 about 5 yrs ago . i troque it down by the specs but i cant remember if i did it again after it was warm. i noticed its gone again at the back . the head was sent off and completely checked out the last time and found there was nothing wrong. the the top pf the engine deck was find aswell.. my question is when replacing the gasket is there anything needed to put down ahead on the surfaces or do u just put it down dry????

Rob,

ARP has head bolts for that engine on the shelf.  The last set I bought was $120 including nuts and washers.  All you need to do is call, and tell them the length, threads and size.  They don't have kits as such, but they have the correct bolts on hand.

They blow out at the small water passage, there is not much material in the gasket between the fire ring and that hole. I have D17 I am replacing gasket, I am trying a Felpro gasket this time looks like a better gasket than last one I used. I put a roll pin in the block to stick thur the gasket at the water hole my thinking was that it might help support the gasket and hold in place.  The old gasket lasted about 7 yrs. On my WD45 I replaced with a solid copper gasket, Lubuck gasket made it and I got them to leave that hole out of the gasket. Sam T-Ga.

The liners should stand ABOVE the block .002. If they don't, it is unlikely that a new head gasket will hold long term. What Rob talks about is something Bill at Sandy Lake also said to try. My D17D started out the same as yours, leaking a little from the rear of the head. Mine finally blew into the cooling system causing it to boil over. When I pulled the head I had liners .005 to .007 below the surface of the block. Years ago in the dealer's service dept they had a special tool to recut the counter bores and then install liners with thicker ledges. The thicker liners are NLA so the fix is recut the counter bores and then surface off the block to get the correct height. What you think might be just a simple head gasket job can turn into a complete overhaul.

I had the same trouble on one in the past. you can get bolts from caterpillar at a good price when I did mine and reguardless of what they say about going dry, use copper coat.  cheap insurance.

What Bill at Sandy Lake tells me is rust is the usual culprit from lack of cooling system care. The ledges on the Buda sleeves are narrower than 201-226 gas sleeves. That was definitely the problem in my original block. If you have a rust problem when you pull the sleeves, the counter bores can be replaced. If you look for another block, be picky on the water jacket condition. Also keep in mind that a nice rust free block may still need the counter bores recut. My replacement block was rust free but still needed the bores done.

Decided to finally join this forum.

Farmer, before you put the head back on get a bottom tap and chase all the holes with it all the way to the bottom. Spray each hole with brake clean and blow it out. Watch your eyes! Lube threads with a light oil. If you're using a click style torque wrench, I like to pull it to the point of the click real slow because if you do it kind of quick it'll click or snap before it's really to the torque limit.

i used some of macks fire rings and they did the trick on mine