Head Gasket Help 6.2L K5

[USMC6.2]

Okay so I just picked up a 1982 6.2L K5 Blazer and I got a great deal on the truck because of a few minor issues that have turned into a few major issues. I need to totally replace the wiring (almost the whole harness). I also have been having a hell of a time trying to figure out what was causing my starter bolts to become loose to the point of falling out? I decided to check my glow plugs to see if any were bad, turns out 6 of 8 were bad. If anyone has any other tips on what could be causing the bolts to come lose please let me know... So now the big problem I noticed a lot of white smoke coming from my exhaust and after finding my oil mixed with quite a bit of coolant I have figured out I have a blown head gasket so this weekend I am going to start my first head gasket job. From what I have learned this truck is one of the easier engines to do a replacement. I have ordered a full gasket set every gasket above the head gasket will be replaced. So what Im looking for is maybe some tips from someone who has done this before and maybe some special tools I may need to complete the job. and also how I can clean up the heads once I get them removed. Can I use the soft wire attachment I have for my Dewalt drill? Basically I would love any helpful tips you have to offer.

Thank You,
Jeremy

 

[brian wafer]

on your starter is there a bracket that bolts it too the block. often it was not installed . when somebody replaced the starter the last time. it would be toward radiator side off starter. as for glow plugs ac60g are the better ones!!!they are pads that install on buffers that work great for cleaning. when your heads are off you will see cracks around the pre heat chambers they are normal too a certain point.

 

[USMC6.2]

There is no bracket the starter is bolted right to the block, the bolts are diagonal from each other not strait across on this model. How big would this bracket be? from the bolts being lose the starter is easy to remove right now so i pulled it down and it doesn't have any other place to attach anything so if there was a bracket at some point it had to be right between the starter and the block. Could the head gasket along with the dead glow plugs have caused the starter to start getting too much torque or something like that? Would you happen to know what that bracket is called? I have googled all kinds of combinations of words to find it, but no luck. I have worked on some 350s but never a diesel before there are a lot more little things that can really screw you. Thank you for your help its much needed

 

[max 02]

I don`t know allot about 6.2`s but as far as the starter goes try and find a bracket... the blocks can break if the starter is loose.
Can`t really be fixed with out pulling the motor out. Major PITA.

Good luck with it.

 

[brian wafer]

 

[chulisohombre]

in thing on those heads is deformation from overheating.after you get the heads off get a piece of glass and lay it across the cylanders and block and see if there are any gaps.if there are you will need to shave the block and heads to make them flush again or else the head gasket may blow again real soon after you replace it.as far as the starter bracket i have seen them on summit for small block starters before.its basically a l bracket thet bolts to the back of the starter and to the header bolt nearest the end of the starter.it does help a lot to keep the alignment on the starter.the bolts on the starter dont usually back out as they are nurled to keep them locked to the block.new bolts may help that problem as well.if they are loose and you go to start it,it can brake the ear off the block where it bolts in.i had that happen on my 69 chevelle and made the block useless.

 

[tRustyK5]

Okay so I just picked up a 1982 6.2L K5 Blazer and I got a great deal on the truck because of a few minor issues that have turned into a few major issues. I need to totally replace the wiring (almost the whole harness). I also have been having a hell of a time trying to figure out what was causing my starter bolts to become loose to the point of falling out? I decided to check my glow plugs to see if any were bad, turns out 6 of 8 were bad. If anyone has any other tips on what could be causing the bolts to come lose please let me know... So now the big problem I noticed a lot of white smoke coming from my exhaust and after finding my oil mixed with quite a bit of coolant I have figured out I have a blown head gasket so this weekend I am going to start my first head gasket job. From what I have learned this truck is one of the easier engines to do a replacement. I have ordered a full gasket set every gasket above the head gasket will be replaced. So what Im looking for is maybe some tips from someone who has done this before and maybe some special tools I may need to complete the job. and also how I can clean up the heads once I get them removed. Can I use the soft wire attachment I have for my Dewalt drill? Basically I would love any helpful tips you have to offer.

Thank You,
Jeremy

You shouldn't need anything more special than a good torque wrench. Manual cleaning of the heads should be fine, but I wouldn't use anything more abrasive than a red scotch brite pad on the sealing surfaces.

Head bolts cannot be re-used, the factory bolts are "Torque-to-yield". The best money spent on a 6.2 head gasket job is a set of ARP head studs. My '83 6.2 had the head gasket(s) fail, and on dis-assembly I found three of the TTY headbolts nearly loose. The problem IMO with TTY bolts is if you torque them just a little too far you exceed the "yield strength" and the bolt will continue to stretch over time...loosing clamping force. i'm convinced this was a major factor in the head gasket failure on my truck.

If you have a manual glow plug set-up the AC 60G glow plugs are hard to beat. If you still have the stock glow plug controller set-up (turn key and wait) the Kennedy "Quick Heats" work well. i seem to get ~2 years out of either kind.

Starter bolts. I'd start with new bolts, and starter bolts are specific with a knurled section and a flanged head. New bolts always fit tighter, and do a better job staying tight. Add the starter brace and you should be good to go.

 

[diesel4me]

Not to go off topic,but here's what I ran into on the starter problems with busted block "ears".........................................................................................We had a guy scrap a nice running 350 at the junkyard because the block broke out where the outer starter bolt went,so you couldn't use a typical 2 bolt starter with the diagonal bolt pattern...but a customer told us you can get around that sometimes,in the 1970's there were some starters with cast iron noses that had both the diagonal and the straight across bolt patterns..if you have an automatic you could probably swap on the smaller 153 tooth flexplate and use the straight across bolt pattern starter--I've never done it,so I cant swear it'll work,but it might.........we ended up putting that 350 in a '68 GMC 4x4,that had a SM465 tranny,that had a starter with 3 bolts that bolted to the bell housing,not to the block!..so we got a free engine that ran great!...