How hard is it to change a head gasket?

How long does it take? and could somone that doesnt know much about trucks do it from a chilton's or repair manual themselves? It a head gasket on a 89 chevrolet blazer(full size 350 5.7L)How hard is it to change a head gasket?Just one head gasket, that will take about 4 hours with no air tools, depending on if it's the alternator side or not. most of the time will be spent cleaning parts and gasket surfaces . It's an easy job--just follow any of the Hanes or Chilton books.
How hard is it to change a head gasket?
dont do it yourself...u need proper torque specs..and other info...



it takes anywhere from 2hours to longer...



take it to a shop...not a %26quot;in home garage mechanic%26quot;..
How hard is it to change a head gasket?
Usually, there is a reason for the head gasket to need to be changed. Often, overheating and when you remove the head, it should be milled to make certain that it is flat and not warped (from the overheating). Otherwise, you'll soon need another new head gasket.



If you plan to do it yourself, know that there is a great deal of cleaning, degreasing, prep before reassembly and attention to detail. Torque to spec in the proper sequence is critical as well.



Good luck!
Providing you have the proper know how, proper tools and specs. Go ahead and plan one full day to do the actual work. It is very wise to have the heads pressure tested and resurfaced. Depending on the condition of the valves, seats and guides, have a valve job done if necessary, You will be at the mercy of the machine shop as far as how long it will take them to get that work done. It usually takes 2 or 3 days depending on his workload
I would say, if you are not a train mechanic, don't do it. Chilton's or Hanes tell you most of the things to do, but there are little idiosyncrasies that only mechanics now when doing a job like that. I've been a backyard mechanic and now I am a trained journeyman mechanic of 15yrs. It's amazing all the little, important things you learn in training and on the job experience that you don't know otherwise. Also, no two of the same jobs are ever the same. Something unexpected always comes up like broken head bolts and how to get them out(lots of special tools). Just pay the price to have it done professionally. Call triple A for a good shop to take it to. Triple A certified repair shops have to keep their customers happy or they will loose their rating.
if your asking, dont do it. you need alot of experience, if you know what your doing its very easy, but if your willing go for it, just make sure before you start you have all the proper tools parts and equipment and also make sure you diagnose the problem first before you start. let me see just looking at the truck with out doing any reasearch, of course disconect the battery, remove the carburator,intake,drop your exhaust,remove any hoses pullys, remove distributor,make sure you mark your timming,remove valve covers, remove rocker arms and pushrods, and just use proper sequence and torque, just clean surfaceces and put everything back, torque everything using the proper sequence, keep in mind i missed alot of steps, but its just to give you a general idea, why do you think its a head gasket? have you done a compression test? any how gd lk to yu
Doing the head gasket on my honda (first head gasket for me) took me about 6-7 hours because the amount of work and being the first time. The cams have to come out, so the valves have to be readjusted after reinstall, that's and hour there, and on top of that its a honda, there's no room to work. Intake and exhaust has to come off. Head bolts have to come out in a certain order to prevent warpage. Also once the head is off you need to check the gasket surfaces to make sure they are flat. You need a real straight edge and feeler gauges, do not use a level. If its not flat, it needs to be machined. Then it goes all back together, using torque specs and what not. It's really not for the beginner.