Replacing head gaskets???

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SS predator

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Jan 17, 2010
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Hi, I have a 04' that i'm repalcing the head gaskets on. On a impulse buy I purchased ARP studs & head gaskets from RCD. Will these gaskets do a better job. Or should I stick with stock? Searched it couldn't come across any info on the RCD gaskets. Also noticed when getting ready to pull the cab last night that the 2 back cylinders on both sides of the head are covered in oil. What would cause this? Not sure if I worded that right.
 
Can't speak for Fords, but the only gasket I've ever been able to hold for a considerable amount of time was a stock one...
 
To my knowledge, stock gaskets are still the best option. Its very important to make sure the heads are flat. As far as the oil leak I'd guess HPOP leak. Wild guess though.
 
Wish I would of did somemore research before ordering the RCDs. Oh well. Ya i'm going to take the heads to a shop to get them freshened up and plained. Truck has 380,000kms on it so it's time. Hopefully somebody has had experiance with these gaskets. Hate to be stuck with fancy place mats for the Kitchen table. Need to find a straight bar to check the block as well.
 
SS predator said:
Hi, I have a 04' that i'm repalcing the head gaskets on. On a impulse buy I purchased ARP studs & head gaskets from RCD. Will these gaskets do a better job. Or should I stick with stock? Searched it couldn't come across any info on the RCD gaskets. Also noticed when getting ready to pull the cab last night that the 2 back cylinders on both sides of the head are covered in oil. What would cause this? Not sure if I worded that right.
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The Black Onyx Gaskets are the Best. These gaskets and studs will not let you down. The oil Is most likely form a damaged stock gasket. My suggestion is take your head to a local machine shop and have it checked before you install them back on the block. If you need anything else just PM me or email me at awhite@griffindiesel.com
 
Ok thanku, well got the cab off. Have to wash her up then get the heads off. Going to take the heads in to get a valve job & resurfacing.
 
RCD's black onxy gaskets i've heard are great. They are pretty much like a stock gasket, but they have more sealant on them so that they will seal better than a gasket from ford which has less of that blue sealant.
 
I am currently running the stock gaskets and ARP's and have developed a leak with only 10,000 miles on them since the rebuild. I've got the black head gaskets now and we will see how those hold up when I get around to putting them in.
 
No gaskets will seal up if the heads are cracked or aren't perfectly flat. The straight edge check that the dealers do really doesn't check for warping. You really need to have them checked by a machine shop for cracks and true flatness...
 
FaSSt9602 said:
No gaskets will seal up if the heads are cracked or aren't perfectly flat. The straight edge check that the dealers do really doesn't check for warping. You really need to have them checked by a machine shop for cracks and true flatness...
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Agree with 100%. A machine shop is the only true way to tell if your heads are ok and true.
 
I'm taking the heads into a engine building/machine shop. Spoke with them & they have done quite a few 6.0L heads. What ever work the heads require will be done right. I'm also replacing the oil cooler, RCD EGR delete, installing a oil bypass filter, and installing ITP fuel sytem. I like the truck so hoping to fix the problems like bad injectors that have plagued me in the pass.
 
We have used a lot of the black gaskets some from RCD and some from the company we believe makes them (they look exactly the same) and have had no problems yet.

Sounds like what your plans are should work very well.
 
FYI The black gaskets are not made by RCD, they are just an aftermarket headgasket.

We sell a pretty good bit of these gaskets also, they work perfectly, we have installed them on probably 25 trucks with no complaints, these gaskets are OEM quality, just for approx $150.00 less the OEM.

As said above, have the heads tested, new headgaskets will not fix a cracked or warped head, once you insure they are good and the block surface is good, you will be good to go.
 
X10 on getting the heads checked/decked. Ford missed the warped heads the first time around. When i took it back, the service manager wasn't too keen on doing it again, thought he was going to get audited by Ford. Had they taken care of it right the first time, neither of us would have been nervous about getting stuck with a 11,000 dollar tab... Thankfully the tech i had was unreal, knew what to say to keep Ford and the goober service manager at bay, all while doing the repairs, and any and all updates he could in there.
 
Not sure if I should turn this from a simple head gasket change thread to a whole new thread called engine rebuild. Got the heads off. They look in good shape just visually. Have 3 cylinders that have a approx. 1" wear mark down the outside middle of the cylinder. You can just barely feel it with your finger. I'm not sure how much money I want to throw into this thing. Any ideas on parts costs. Bearings, gaskets, cylinder honing etc.? The gentleman that handles pricing at the engine shop is out of town today. Probally be looking at pistons & rings as well. Go stock or aftermarket?
 
SS predator said:
Not sure if I should turn this from a simple head gasket change thread to a whole new thread called engine rebuild. Got the heads off. They look in good shape just visually. Have 3 cylinders that have a approx. 1" wear mark down the outside middle of the cylinder. You can just barely feel it with your finger. I'm not sure how much money I want to throw into this thing. Any ideas on parts costs. Bearings, gaskets, cylinder honing etc.? The gentleman that handles pricing at the engine shop is out of town today. Probally be looking at pistons & rings as well. Go stock or aftermarket?
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Trust your reputable engine builder. If he says it needs rings, honing, etc...do it. Do you plan on keeping the truck forever? If not, a dealer/car lot repair as I call it would be the bare minimum. Also to note, what about the oil cooler...is it pre-filter on a ford? If it were mine, I'd check for flat, check for cracks, do a valve grind/valve seals and resurface and sell the SOB. (my personal opinion)
 
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