My Best Method For Cleaning Head Gasket & Other Engine Surfaces

[@brucewilliams6292]

Thanks for having the guts to put out your method of surface prep. Too many trolls. Thank you.

[@BeanieandCecil]

I used a single edged razor blade with a shop vac right next to the blade while scraping the crud off of the block to catch all the bits. Then any solvent on a rag like gasoline to wipe the block clean. This was a cast iron block, not aluminum. Worked fine for me.

[@WILSON.1]

Amazingly clear video. I rarely watch an entire video of this length, but each minute was informative. Thank you.

[@kylewoodward7078]

Ford tech.. has got to be the BEST ford guy on KZbin, he's my go-to guy, then Chris fix and a couple others.

[@williamcharles9480]

Good video, Brian. You're right about the fact that you need to keep moving with the 3M rotary brushes; you can cut a groove in an aluminum surface if you're not careful. I use a Shop-Vac to get rid of the left over gasket debris before blowing any surfaces off, especially down in the cylinder bores. I extended the length of the Shop-Vac suction hose, (they're usually too short to reach into the engine compartment), by using another hose with the nozzle stuck into the end that's supposed to go into the Shop-Vac. It stays connected if you firmly insert it into the hose. Even any vacuum cleaner hose will work, too. Sometimes you'll see vacuum cleaners with their hoses in front of people's houses on their trash day.

[@garysullivan5633]

Just watched this video after I bought the yellow and white rotary pads disc. I'm doing a head gasket job on a Hyundai Elantra. Only use them a few times in the past as a forklift mechanic I wanted to make sure I was doing it right. This video was awesome and I thank you. Have only used the yellow one before and on a whim I also purchased the white one I'm glad I did because obviously the yellow one would have been too abrasive for the aluminum head. The video wasn't too long straight-to-the-point very informative and a great mechanic behind it I would say. Thanks again

[@pingpong9656]

How did it work out? I have very similar job to do. Any helpful tips would be really welcome!

[@fredbach6039]

A small yet powerful vacuum cleaner with a plastic drinking straw well taped to the crevice tool will get down into the water channels and around the top piston rings. Better to suck it out first then blow with air. Also when using the whizzers, much like clipping grass with a weedeater, you can use the outward-throwing edge gently to throw the corrosion and grit off the block or head and not into the cylinders. Love the scotchbrite idea. Been using that on high vacuum aluminum and steel at the lab since the 60's. It's the cat's whiskers!

[@AwakeDude911]

used this info to do my volvo 98 s70 head job (burnt valve) in OCT 2016....now its 7-17-2019 still running with 260 k on the clock....works and didn't have any issues ...just used the same disk to do my 2006 s60 oil pan last week ..they last while and stores years and WORK !!!!!

[@ReclusiveMountainMan]

You're an asset to Ford. You take your time to do it right. Saves headache for the owner and the mechanic later on. Good job!

[@FordTechMakuloco]

Thanks!

[@broken1965]

Mopar electronics crap Fiat QC is garbage I live 5 miles from Belvidere assembly plant friends have worked their for decades the stuff I hear holy shit.

[@Billy-gh9ih]

Jon A all brands have problems

[@brianblithe2271]

@@broken1965 AC Delco /Chevrolet is being sued right now for putting made in China parts in made in America boxes. It may be over for American vehicles

[@jdmeaux]

Youmust be one of the Master Mechanics for Ford. Love your videos.

[@Midnight_Rider96]

The top machine shop in my area uses wire wheels on iron and soda blasting on aluminum. On my personal projects I scrape as much as I can with a blade, and finish with wet sand paper and a piece of thick plate glass. Plate glass is as accurate as a typical resurfacing machine at a machine shop, but takes much longer. Use alternating directions. Don't use finer that 220 grit because the small peaks and valleys will bite into the gasket and help it seal.

[@darkside03gt]

The concerns everyone has about the abrasives in the oil passages can easily be taken care of with old fashioned foam shaving cream. Just spray a little into each passage as well as the cylinders and vacuum it out after with a shop vac. After that poor a little oil down each passage and use a lint free clock to lubricate each cylinder. Having cheap oil to put into the engine after the job is done and draining it after a short warm up or test drive is also important.

[@Patrick94GSR]

Sounds like a break-in procedure for new piston rings or a complete engine overhaul. Seems a bit overkill for just changing a head gasket.

[@darkside03gt]

What are you talking about? Ensuring the cylinder walls have a little oil in them and pouring some oil down each passage in the block AFTER shaving cream was in them to catch particles has nothing to do with a break-in procedure. Keeping the abrasives out of the oil system is extremely important. I think you need to do some google searching on what happens when abrasive particles get into your oil system.

[@Patrick94GSR]

+TJ B right. And I've never, ever heard of anyone doing all that just for a simple head gasket replacement. I certainly did not on my Honda engine when I changed the head gasket at 330K miles. I've put another 25K on it since then with no problems whatsoever.

[@jbtvt]

Good idea with the shaving cream!

[@jayk10304]

@Sound Money 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@AwakeDude911]

got my roloc disk on amazon...it worked so good it cleaned the block just like the video! for $25 bucks you couldn't get cleaner or smoother..wasn't fun to do but worked so good id never use any thing else...this video saved me $1000 bucks !

[@VolkFolk11]

Glad you didn't disable comments! Nice video!

[@bendude6748]

I just got one of those white bristle discs, brilliant for head gaskets wayyyy quicker than doing it by hand makes the job much more enjoyable.

[@michaelguevara8015]

i use a razor blade to remove remnants on engines that use composite gasket then clean the surface with 180 grit sandpaper and spray some wd40. 180 grit and wd40 is all it takes for mls gaskets never had any issues this way.

[@brokebuilt4827]

Good video. I also primarily use brown scotch brite pads when prepping block decks. I found that using WD40 with the pad sometimes helps remove stubborn head gasket gunk around the cooling jackets.

[@bobbo2576]

Is green pads ok? I used that on my civic block and it’s clean but I read that it acts like 600 grit paper. No I’m afraid I’ve took metal off. Will a straight edge tell me if I’ve taken too much off?

[@israelcalderon7357]

@@bobbo2576 green one is a high grit so it should be finer then the red one so your safe

[@alexlaverick6111]

When I worked at GM they stopped us from using the rolocs because the plastic contaminates the cylinder bores and gets into the rings and causes scratches

[@Jengoboys603]

Lol

[@rhettdean4641]

Wrong. The 3m discs shown contain aluminum oxide. This is the issue, not the plastic. Plastic doesn't scar metal. And they can be used as long as you clean the grit as specified in the video. Clean it like you were going to eat off of it. Most mechanics don't spend the time doing this.

[@alexlaverick6111]

Nonsense. The plastic grit from the rol loc plastic discs destroys piston rings and can remove aluminium. You can't clean the grit out without disassembling the engine to clean the rings@@rhettdean4641 Do some research

[@looking_33]

@@rhettdean4641the plastic is impregnated with ceramic abrasive

[@christianhudspeth3338]

Could just stuff the cylinder walls with rags or cover them

[@josephridley4556]

I've been using homemade mix of acetone and atf on any rusty or oily anything! It cleans , lubes, and basically swoops ass on it , also helps break carbon loose . Those rolocs can make wavy surface really fast, I like the comment on using sharpening stone and oil too, do u use a machinist steel straight edge and check or just find the fattest graphite p.o.s. gasket to fill any errors? I'm using steel shim gasket on my 396 today .

[@sydsyd]

Ford had many different ways they wanted their blocks and heads cleaned, over the years, while working at the dealership. The correct way to have a non directional finish without removing all of the mean root surface. Well that was over 20 years ago, and never a comeback or concern. great video.

[@brianblithe2271]

How long you work at ford ?

[@sydsyd]

@@brianblithe2271 over 35 years

[@yannkitson116]

Interesting, I've never seen it done like this before. The surface looks very good. I use permatex gasket remover and a semi-sharp piece of plastic as a scraper, mostly because I was taught that the grit from any kind of grinding would wear out the pumps for oil and coolant prematurely. Thanks for sharing.

[@FordTechMakuloco]

+Yann Kitson Yes you must be very very careful.

[@ChhotuKumar-mn5pc]

chhotu

[@speedracer9156]

Yann Kitson A1EQ.Q.

[@bigthick8]

Yann Kitson L Bml

[@DustyDingus]

Speaking from experience, gasket remover and a plastic scraper won't even come close to removing gasket residue from aluminum. I tried paint remover, laquer thinner, gasket remover, acetone, engine degreaser, brake clean, fume free easy off (no sodium hydroxide), and every single other chemical suggested to anyone online without any of them removing any of the residue, at all. The only thing that works is abrasives and the method in this video is the one. I used the maroon scotch brite and then sanded with a piece of glass to make sure it is flat. Since I dont have the white Roloc.

[@wendellgreenidge3362]

Awesome video, glad you didn’t disable comments

[@Paul-fy1yg]

I use a wet sharpening hone , you can hold it flat and cleans and takes off any high spots

[@motorbreath3]

Large sharpening stone with lightweight oil for cast iron. Just tough around the dowel pins if u leave em in. Brings out the original factory machining patterns . Been using sharpening stone since old timer from Ohio showed me in the 80's.

[@garyr7027]

Takes two seconds to remove dowel pins. Lol

[@motorbreath3]

@Johnny Five Same, just be sure to use the fine side of it.

[@WizzRacing]

Been doing this way for 20 years on any engine. As I'm like you. Do it once the right way and I don't have to worry about doing it again.

[@FUGYOO]

I used this method on my 81 shovel head cam and primary covers. Works like a champ! Thanks again Fordtech.

[@gtametro]

Good video, the idea of any surface prep is to remove crud and not damage the metal of the head or block. Nicely illustrated.

[@marcsmith3881]

This is was actually a great help since I don't normally do head gaskets in my business. I recently pulled the heads off a minivan but sent them to a machine shop. It was $150 to have them leak checked, machined and cleaned. I couldn't think of a good way to get the swirls marks out of the block and your method works great. Takes time to keep cleaning but it looks great. I couldn't find the scotchbrite red so I used the maroon metal finishing pad from Home depot and it came out great. It's not as fine, but all of the swirl marks are gone.

[@marcsmith3881]

I found them at a Sherwin Williams. they have the very fine and ultra fine. thanks

[@Patrick94GSR]

Holy crap, I just had a 4 cylinder head tested, surfaced and cleaned for only $40. The guy is a well known machinist in the area, everyone takes their cylinder heads and flywheels to him for surfacing.

[@marcsmith3881]

+Patrick94GSR I live in Long Island, NY which is one of the most expensive places to live in the US. I wasn't concerned about the price but more that the heads were in good shape. It is a decent amount more work on a transverse v6 vs a 4 cylinder.

[@oby-1607]

I filled the bores with fresh oil applied to paper towels or clean rags. Then I used sandpaper to clean the deck. Finally laquer thinner to do final clean. Never had a failure after that.

[@tedpaszko8274]

Sand paper in the engine won't flush out And sands all the bearings and destroys the engine

[@sjsnopek]

I understand you don't want any comments but I want to give positive feedback. I have a what I believe is a head gasket failure in my 2002 Civic and I appreciate the explanation and advice you give. I will try to replace it myself. My mechanic said that both mating surfaces need to be machine which is why he quote north of $1000 Canadian for the job. The car isn't worth that much.

[@robertelee6712]

Nice job, I usually use 400 then 600 on a block. Also use some carb cleaner to clean up the pistons. But that's just paranoid me.

[@darianmackmer5444]

What material head gasket do you use? Hoping my surface will be clean and flat enough for mls head gasket. Super old comment

[@RJSoftware2000]

Great vid. One thing I would suggest, to sqirt some oil on piston rings before the rotary cleaning. Then vacuum the oil out to get the grit when your done. But clearly you are the voice of experience, so I'm subscribing.

[@garyr7027]

Many different methods for cleaning aluminum heads, but so long as you don't gouge the heads and grind dips in em, nearly any old way will work. I've taken utility knive blades and scrapped lightly in a backwards direction and that worked good too, then followed up by one of those pads you were using. There are some head gaskets for aluminum heads that requires the heads to be nearly perfect, but for those I've used copper seal spray and it worked just fine.

[@patdennis3751]

In addition to the rags, I also use a shop vac at the same time as the 3M to suck up as much grit as possible as it is made vs letting it stick to wet or oily surfaces.

[@sunnybutterfly0924]

I've done it this same way for years plug holes beforehand and use a vac

[@crpth1]

Heat gun or a butane torch, old putty knife. To eliminate every trace of the old gasket. Comes off like butter. Finish cleaning with fine sand paper >400 (full sheet) in a flat block. Paint thinner or brake cleaner or acetone. Whatever is closer at the time. Really fast and no rounded edges for sure. ;-)

[@obfuscated3090]

I'd save the sandpaper for parts being completely cleaned as otherwise grit will come off the paper.

[@CJFX_]

Is butane torching okay for most types of cars e.g. an Audi?

[@juanmanuelsolano5379]

I hace to clean one soon. I'll try your method because I got the tools you mentioned. Thanks for sharing your method.

[@brucehillakadalesutphin6084]

excellent info I'm currently working on a 2002 Mercedes C240 spark plug change out 4 hours later I've got all 12 plugs out the $500 dollars the dealership wanted is starting to look like a bargain ha ha! oh well back to work BTW just finished head gasket replacement on a 3.0 Ford 6 cylinder all good in the neighborhood never thought of scotchbrite good stuff thanks

[@Sdibble2000]

Great video sir! I really appreciate the close up shots and your detailed explanations all the way through the video of the different processes

[@TheArozconpollo]

At 3:49, you can see in the glare of the light, the uneven surface of the block. It looks like it's been heavily sanded. Is this going to seal well?

[@rickwhite2946]

Nope

[@DDescalchuk57]

@@rickwhite2946lol it’s amazing how easy it is to make a MLS gasket seal. Idk why so many people get all butt hurt. Fuckin carbide scraper the whole thing and it’ll still seal fine

[@modularpowered]

The senior master tech at the shop I work at taught me to get as much as possible off with a razor blade then use 600 grit sandpaper with a straight edge and wet sand it till its smooth. This was on aluminum block and heads tho

[@Airforce557682]

Do you recommend spraying anything into the oil passages to get and contaminants/debris flushed down to oil pan and change the oil? I can flush the coolant fine but I’m always concerned about getting contaminants in the oil when I do these jobs.

[@williamtimmons9628]

I use those 3M discs myself! They are amazing. If you use them right it's like they polish the surface. Especially the white disc.

[@USMC-Sniper-0137]

I hold a shop vac tube in one hand while scraping the gasket off with a safety blade in the other hand. Keep your blocks clean!!! I also have made an adapter from pvc piping parts to hook an old clothes washer hose to a shop vac and I can drop it into the block and start filling with water, stop, and vac. I do that several times and what a difference!!! I've pulled a lot of crap from my blocks. IF I need a smaller hose, I can slide another smaller diameter hose inside the washer hose that I've cut one end off. Remember, do not run the shop vac until you have the 'block half', near full of water otherwise it won't dislodge the old debris because it's just vacuuming the trickle of water instead of gulping the mass garbage you dislodged and floated to the top. I use a transmission funnel to fill the water ports above while the hose is in about 5 to 7 inches on the bottom..

[@drumtaylor1959]

so how did you fix the measure and gauge issue?? the engine could possibly still be warped the way you did it

[@macpatterson9750]

If its warped then youll have to take it to a machine shop either way

[@jeffallen6937]

I have a small brass chisel for thoes stuck on gasket areas. It keeps me from applying too much pressure with the wheel in that area. Its good to keep it sharp with a file.

[@BabyD48luvsyu]

What happens if debris falls into any of the holes? Any way to flush or vacuum it out before reassembling the engine? I do not want to risk clogging a oil channel and what not.

[@FordTechMakuloco]

+Deborah Klinker There is only one oil pressure feed hole the rest are bolt holes or coolant passages for which the bolts holes are blown out before assembly and the cooling system can be flushed easily before startup.

[@troybrake5686]

Take a flat play magnet and some 320 grt paper and go around the oil pan and timing gasket surfaces, i done that yesterday and it works great, I started with 60 grt lighty and finished with 320the magnet will hold it on there perfectly flat if your not pushing on it all awkward, let the magnet hold the steady pressure! You will thank me later! I have not seen anyone do that as a tip in a video, i just came up with it yesterday, you can make a video and it will blow your mind how well and accurate the magnet works, don't have to worry about making a low side, i used the 2 pack little square magnets from harbor freight!🎉

[@cpkz4042]

I've heard scotch brite will damage the oil... is it safe for a lower intake manifold for a 4.2l ford?

[@albertgaspar627]

On a side issue, if a cylinder head gives you a struggle pulling it off the block, skip the hammer application and find which cylinder is at TDC. relieve the rocker arm pressure so that all valves for that cylinder are closed, and pull the spark plug and send compressed air into the cylinder. Unless the piston rings have lost their seal, the pressure should do the work for you.

[@albertgaspar627]

@errlglerbsiv2231 depends on the head--an L89 aluminum or number's matching head, you may not want to be chipping away at with a hammer.

[@albertgaspar627]

@errlglerbsiv2231 agree with you, light taps won't hurt (the head may have seen minor detonation somewhere in its life and it's still in one piece), but if it's really giving a fight for some reason...air pressure can be an option. on a side note, a rubber mallet can be made in a pinch with a rubber tip from a crutch slipped over a basic hammer head or handle end--that allows me to carry two hammers at once in the trunk of my smaller cars :)

[@albertgaspar627]

@errlglerbsiv2231thanks :)

[@charlietanner6211]

i use heavy oiled rags to catch debrie,s

[@HORiSTYLZ]

Thank you bro, finally an answer ive been searching and well ur video by far the best

[@terrya450]

I use Permatex gasket remover I put it on wait about an hour and a half then use green dish cleaning sponge

[@FordTechMakuloco]

Cool

[@66crush9]

so how do you keep the grit from getting in the oil channels and damaging the engine, if you are just sending a head off to be surfaced

[@FordTechMakuloco]

+Metal Maniac When ever you send a head off you will need to clean everything thoroughly upon return brake cleaner is preferred. On the block side you cover the single oil feed hole and go around it.

[@66crush9]

Thank you .. this information is very helpful... I have done work with other heads back in the day but these aluminum heads are so fragile it seems...

[@buckwheat7424]

looks great, but how does it look with a straight edge, or is that not as important as the time saved by grinding down to the metal, removing some of it, and then rounding it all off with a sanding block? looks like the tops of cylinders are well rounded off instead of square. i've done some hacks like this and i'll have to say i was surprised it worked, but then you get the classic models and then you're spooked and try to maintain the square with some nicks and grooves, that also works but takes forever. and every scraping device you have ends up getting used from plastics to hardened surgery tools .

[@natefigueroa]

Thanks for taking the time to make these videos. I am always open to different methods. safest way on aluminum is razorblade only. But the disk gets it done quick. time is money.

[@wyleFTW]

Razor blade sounds riskier than a red scotch Brite pad I think, cleaning mating surfaces for the first time this weekend

[@mcnamee30]

What about some of the grit that may have gone past the rag to the rings? Thanks for tips. I didnt know they made such a tool.

[@FordTechMakuloco]

mcnamee30 As mentioned compressed air to blow it all out and you will be ok. These rings seal so well coolant will just sit in the cylinders I don't think grit is getting too far in there but yes compressed air long reach nozzle and lots of brake clean on a rag makes it nice and clean. An oil change after head gaskets is a must also with any cleaning method you use.

[@mcnamee30]

Thanks. Great tips I always just used a razor blade and that sucked!

[@transdimensionalist]

compressed air will just blow the grit further into the gap between bore and piston

[@paulfiebke3909]

Thanks for showing us that, what's the difference between that and a round bisket cutter? Keep up the good work

[@brucewayne2773]

I just use a nice sturdy foam rubber auto body pad with a sheet of 220 grit or similar grit sandpaper and it comes off quick. Iron block you are not going to do any damages whatsoever. For tight spots , I use a small 2 inch of a paint mixing stick and wrap it with sandpaper.

[@tanveernaeem1157]

Great video. Can you please also provide link to 'scotch pad' and what grit you use for this? Thanks.

[@ykmalachi]

I wrap a large scotchbrite pad on a block of wood and get a more uniform pressure

[@FordTechMakuloco]

ykmalachi Yeah or a pad sander good thinking.

[@DREADLOCKMODSHOP]

FordTechMakuloco I've always been told to get the block decked but i guess that would be for a rebuild only. I never understood why people only replace the head gasket and not just have the engine rebuilt. Everything is already off and it wouldn't be that much to rebuild

[@FordTechMakuloco]

Andres Hernandez Money is the name of the game when it comes to customers and time.

[@thomasalbertson2428]

ykmalachi ii

[@catsbyondrepair]

@@LynxStarAuto you can rebuild without pulling the engine done plenty of times.

[@lokki52808]

Bout to do this same job on my younger brothers HHR. Do you have links to the rotary wheels or can they be picked up at any hardware or automotive spot?

[@conmanumber1]

Hi. On modern common rail turbo diesels would you advise to spray Hylomar onto gasket as a dressing prior to installation?..

[@barbraabsalom4531]

I would trust you to do this with the roloc bristle disc but not any of the mechanics around here . I would rather they do it the old way by flat sanding , at least it will limit the potential for having to do it twice , only needs to be flat & clean , they are not that shiny when new .

[@Rsenior1981]

I only like to use rotary disks like rol loc when I’m rebuilding an engine, and I can thoroughly clean everything in the parts washer. If I’m not rebuilding, its a plastic scraper, and lots of patience, lol.

[@markosparko7873]

A cylinder block also contains oil passages and these are exposed when the head is off. My concern would be getting abrasive grit into an oil gallery, the pump will move it with the oil and push it through the big ends and bearing journals. Not good. Use a good gasket remover and a plastic scraper with a little rub from a scotchbrite pad for the stubborn stuff

[@hansevensen8426]

the grit in a scotchbrite is usually aluminum oxide, harder than iron. I'd rather use the roloc that he shows. it uses mechanical abrasion. the plastic will melt. most people are go way overboard, almost to the point where they are removing small amounts of block. get what you can see, wipe it clean, and you are usually good. what most people forget is to dump the oil after the head gasket, and at 500 miles to drain abrasives and contamination

[@lochnessmonstere3042]

check out the cylinder at 8:27 and compare to 10:23 . The amount of residue from the scotchbrite pad is pretty amazing. I can only assume that quite a bit of it is deposited in all of the passages. Then again he doesn't get any come-backs. I'm not trying to criticizing his technique, but I have seen this discussion in several videos. Didn't realize that so much of the pad was being left inside the passages

[@batmanlover2011]

Justin Kenaley of

[@02Franxx]

Something I do on holes that are round, use CAT blue plastic hyd. hose caps and place in the holes then as im cleaning just go straight over the holes and shear off the lip of the caps then afterward take a pick and remove the caps, im doing it on a 1972 grove rt75s with a cummins V555 engine, all the holes are round so covering everything was easy

[@user-ge2fb9fh2q]

Good information, always was paranoid dealing with aluminum, so easy to go too far and be sol

[@dreamfury2351]

Can someone explain why a very smooth surface will receive the sealant and gasket better than a slightly "roughed" surface? Is this just different than most surface prepping in it's nature?

[@chrisfojtik7391]

I have taken head gaskets off with compound that you use to buff paint jobs and I can make it shine. Takes forever though on really dirty surfaces. The point is that you are correct. I have seen the factory mill marks and they leave a feel to it that you can notice with your finger.

[@davidfrank2824]

I know this is off topic and this video was put out there 5 years ago but I do have a question? I saw those aluminum cylinder heads and there are three valves what is the third one for? Is it exhaust or intake. I actually haven't taken any new engines apart. Normally if I rebuild a motor it's the 5.0. Even though it's fuel injection it's still old school. Still has a distributor for all eight valves. Like always I enjoy your videos looking forward to watching more. Thank you for sharing all your knowledge that you have obtained over the years.

[@dennisrobinson8008]

Usually 3 valves are going to have 2 intake valves and 1 exhaust.

[@nebraskaman8247]

Excellent video! Def sounds like the dentist office lol. I live up north, and needed something to clean part of a gasket surface due to corrosion from road salts. This answered my question. Thanks

[@Nunya442]

I have the opposite issue with my front cover. Its aluminum and block is cast. Theres several baked on stubborn spots on the engine as well as the cover. Simply using the scotch brite wont work, I tried. Figure I'm gonna have to use a Rolex on the engine surface as well as the cover. The engine is tricky with the timing chain in the way. Any suggestions or thoughts are appreciated. Good video 👍

[@ryanspeck2248]

I just use a shop vac for the coolant and cleaning out cylinders. but wow that engine looks horrible! i just did a volvo 5 cylinder with 257k on it and it looked brand new inside. good job cleaning it up

[@tedr2789]

Another great vid. Must be absolutely clean if not tear down needed again, learned the hard way lol. . Never saw the drill grinders, thanks.

[@blosom2315]

would there be any benefit to cleaning the carbon off the top of the pistons while you had it open?

[@FordTechMakuloco]

blosom2315 No not unless there is a large build up.

[@jammy46235]

Good off and a plastic putty knife works miracles comes off like butter

[@pootychange00]

I'm an idiot and used stainless steel pot scrubbers to clean the oil off my aluminum valve cover. The only damage seems to be rough spots on the top. Did I screw up bad? It looks good. Just has scratches. I'm knew to all of this. I just wanted to change my plugs and found oil in the tubes. So I figured I'd save $300 and fix it myself. Also the Harbor Freight shop rags have a lot of lent and its in the part where I pour oil. Is this bad?

[@E.J.61]

Got a 1998 Ford Explorer Sport 4.0 SOHC engine.need to replace head gaskets, can i remove heads without removing the engine, and will it be easy to set back in time.

[@FordTechMakuloco]

+Marcus Bergis No you should really remove the engine to time it right afterwards.

[@stevenwhite9891]

your videos are great! Thanks so much for passing on your knowledge. I've only owned my 2002 f150 4.6l for a year but it has 200k miles on it. I expect I will be doing this eventually. Thanks again!

[@charliecaggiano5702]

Do you have a recommend or have a process to clean the carbon off the top of the Piston and top of the cylinder?

[@AutoDrdiy]

Awesome video, that is almost exactly how I do it in my garage. Clean install

[@austin22re]

Another tip is use barbasol shaving cream in the oil and coolant galleys, it expands and catches any debris or dust while you are cleaning, then you just vacuum the cream out of the ports. You get almost zero debris in the engine.

[@fordfan7829]

Using shaving cream in the water and oil galley ways is one of the smartest tips I have seen on KZbin in a long time. Genius!!

[@spoolinwagon5350]

I prefer a sharp edge brass bar on the iron side, wood or plastic scraper on the head. The RA needed to properly seal an MLS gasket is not achievable with any hand held rotary tools. The biggest problem is they remove material.

[@SE45CX]

Hi Sir, Would you tell me if that Roloc backing plate is the soft, medium or hard version? If you have experience with more than one version what is the difference.

[@jackiechan6460]

Is it safe to put the pistons in the deepest position and spray oven cleaner on it then wipe down the walls and piston head? I have never done any of this, but I do want to buy a car and make it a project car. Taking out the engine and rebuilding it will definately be one of the goals.

[@jackiechan6460]

+METT Cool. Bought a hand held blower for computers a few years ago. But has been great for car projects too. Thanks.

[@pollyhorlander7389]

Those who don’t like your advice need to make their own video! It’s so irritating to see complaints when someone shares their knowledge and expertise.

[@promisberg1]

Yes it's a great video but it's also very educational to read a lot of different points of view

[@canthandlethetruth7359]

I have a 1990 ford bronco. I changed the spark plugs, wires, cap and rotor and now it shakes badly and stalls before it even warms up. I’ve triple checked everything including changing spark plugs again. I followed the manual for gapping. I’ve also timed it at tdc as best I could bring that it doesn’t run very long. Do you know what the issue might be?

[@zygi22]

I wish all mechanics were as thorough and meticulous as you are.

[@cbr1thou]

Your wish is my command and it is granted!!!

[@Justin-sh4fn]

Will a brass wire brush on an aluminum engine work, I've been redoing the gaskets on an engine the last few days and ive been using a brass brush because it seemed to clean good

[@chvydrptop]

Great video, might be a silly question but is there any value is cleaning the carbon off the tops of the pistons since you have access to them?

[@monkey32z]

Carbon is hard and abrasive, think of what makes up diamonds. Dont let the carbon you clean off get in to the piston rings. What I do when I do head gaskets and see a lot of carbon build up...put that piston to TDC. Put a thick coat of bearing grease around the cylinder over the rings. Clean the carbon off the top of the piston with a brass brush or soft stainless brush with whatever additional chemical to help break up the carbon. Wipe it all out with a towel/rag. Drop the piston half stroke. Wipe out the remaining grease from packing. Then go on to the next cylinder. After all cyls ate done like that, I go back through with every piston at BDC and wipe then clean again with a towel/rag soaked in brake clean. Then again with a towel/rag soaked in ATF. ATF has detergents in it, and it lubricates/protects against rust until you're ready to drop the head on.

[@pyrorye-80]

Absolutely zero benefit to cleaning the pistons and a good chance of hurting the motor. Dont do it!

[@dabitat]

Is there a suggested method for cleaning the bottom of the valve guides?

[@subarutime5089]

Baby wipes work great to stuff the holes these a little wet so dust sticks better

[@tempest411]

Plastic scrapers and gasket remover MAY work with removing old gasket material, but it DOES NOT do $hit against crusty coolant residue and carbon. But yet so many people insist that engines cleaned like the one in this video will self destruct due to aluminum oxide contamination, what's the solution?

[@Smartskaft2]

Does a standard Scotch Brite washing sponge has a "grit" closely to that one is used in the video? I really can't find any large one like that in my area, and buying stuff from Amazon or Ebay takes forever to get here. Can I use the Scotch Brite from those washing sponges, or will the scratches be too deep?

[@FordTechMakuloco]

Smartskaft2 Those are much too rough.

[@Smartskaft2]

Ok, I did'n think I was that lucky. ;) Thanks!

[@TheEdudo]

Smartskaft2 I know three types of scotch brite red, coarse ;grey, less coarse and yellow, fine. You can buy them at your automotive paintshop

[@jadenlarson9431]

My machine shop told me not to use these as they can make imperfect surfaces and cause your headgasket to go. He said use 120-220 or higher if u want sandpaper and a straight edge or two by four

[@DISOPtv]

The white one is equivalent to 120 grit.

[@woog74]

Do you need to chase the threads on head bolt holes on these 3 valves?

[@FordTechMakuloco]

+woog74 Never have and never a problem I do make sure they are clean and blow them out though.

[@Jaylikescar]

Would it be fine if I just used a scraper it looks fine and smooth it’s my first time changing the head gasket.

[@itsflunkytime1805]

I'm getting ready to do head work on my car. This is helping me out so much for the cleaning part

[@sandymackie8466]

Yoou Never checked the cylinder head with a straight edge and feeler gauges after all that metal removing!

[@andrewanderson9917]

Exactly what the hell does he think he is doing liability risk ....

[@x-man5056]

No metal removing worth worrying about. Cast iron and aluminum much harder than brush or Scotchbrite.

[@adrenalinejunkie126]

@@x-man5056 totally agree. Used these for years as a mechanic on cast iron blocks, aluminum surfaces on customer's vehicle's and my own aluminum head race engines and never a leak. Gotta keep it moving, like he said lol

[@joep9219]

Damn I didn't even know there was other colors besides green. That's what I've used on all and razor blades. So far I've been lucky. I'll tell them at work yo order white ones.

[@spartans8670]

Do you have a video on how to remove carbon off pistons? If you don’t can you recommend me one. Thanks

[@pospc2]

Humble mechanic has a video. I can tell you my personal method. If i have time to wait I soak them for a couple days in Marvels Mystery oil and cheap ATF. Then use a brass brush and brake clean or acetone.