Heads Questions ...please advise me !

[Rmorgan711]

I found a shop in San Antonio to do my Studs & gaskets. So my question is since the heads are out to stripped be magnafluxed ,checked,repaired ,etc....
should i replace the valve seats and do a valve job ? How much more would this cost ? Are the stock valve seats a problem item ??
Its costing me $3600 turnkey the way it is unless heads need repair

[windrunner408]

I would at least doe the valve job. It is up for debate on whether or not hardened back seats actually do anything. Get a quote from the machine shop you are taking them to to be checked, magnafluxed, milled, etc and get a price on a valve job with new guides and hardened backseats I dont think having hardened back seats installed is that much more IIRC and you should probably just go ahead and do it, but you will more than likely not need ALL new valves but should get new guides and get bronze ones if you can. Hope this helps.

[shu873]

It's been talked about over and over that the problems with 6.0 heads cracking originated in the valve seats. I know hypermax makes a hardened seat, but I've never priced them. I had my studs put in less than a year after I bought the truck and this info was never discussed back then. If I had to do it over I would replace the seats at least, provided that the heads are not already cracked. Most heads that come off will show small signs of cracking.

[Evil Eye]

Originally Posted by shu873

It's been talked about over and over that the problems with 6.0 heads cracking originated in the valve seats. I know hypermax makes a hardened seat, but I've never priced them. I had my studs put in less than a year after I bought the truck and this info was never discussed back then. If I had to do it over I would replace the seats at least, provided that the heads are not already cracked. Most heads that come off will show small signs of cracking.

GREAT advice right there.

Mine have been studded for over 70k miles and still going strong. I would like to have hardened valve seats, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. They aren't leaking now and I would imagine that since Kurt and I were running hot tunes during the early days of 6.0 custom tuning that we have some hairline cracks in our valve seats.

[Rmorgan711]

so ...if you have cracks in the valve seats ?? it has nothing to do with blowing the coolant out your de-gas tank ? you would just have cracks in the seats ?? nothing more ?

[windrunner408]

Not sure what you are referring to exactly, but about the only thing you can do is pull the heads, take them to the machine shop and have them magnafluxed to see how bad they are cracked if they are at all. Most of the time, even with light cracks, the seats can be replaced. If they arent cracked at all, then you could just forgo the seats if they are too expensive. It would be up to you IMO.

[Evil Eye]

Originally Posted by Rmorgan711

so ...if you have cracks in the valve seats ?? it has nothing to do with blowing the coolant out your de-gas tank ? you would just have cracks in the seats ?? nothing more ?

Well.... It isn't likely, but really depends on how badly it is cracked. It is MUCH more likely that the head gasket itself has been damaged and/or a ruptured EGR cooler that is pressurizing the cooling system and/or leaked coolant into the cylinder causing the HG's to fail.

Correct about the cracks. Most heads that are pulled from the 6.0's (and the 6.4's for that matter) have slight hairline cracks in the exhaust seats. So long as you are not losing compression, there should be no problem.

[Rmorgan711]

HG's fer Sho ! Already done.... EGR Delete, New O.Cooler ,new fan clutch ,new radiator,new turbo,etc..etc.. truck fan started kicking in and locking up when I would try and pass someone or get on throttle hard ..at same time as fan kicking in De-gas bottle is over pressuring , venting & whistling like nobodys business.....when I first start driving truck in the a.m. it only takes a few miles before temp gauge shows half way so I'm definately heating up the coolant alot sooner than normal , I replaced everything thinking I had a cooling problem but repair shop assures me HG's are toast , it has always whistled very little when I ran the truck hard before , but now it does it pretty much every time I stab the throttle and load the engine !