LB7 head gaskets and injectors change

[DAKOTAKIDD]

Hey all, First off I am new to this site and to diesels. Looks like a great place to hang out. Lots of info here.

I am going to be doing a head gasket and injector change in my 03 LB7. I just had it diagnosed at a local shop but their cost for parts and labour are way to rich for me. I am a aircraft mechanic so I decided I am going to do it my self but I need a little help in some areas.

I think I am going to order my parts from Merchant auto and when I spoke to them today, he said all I needed was a head gasket kit with manifold gaskets, injectors and injector kit. I will buy the tools I need to do the job (injector re-re and cup re-re tools) as well as glow plugs. Do I need to replace the injector sleeves or t-stats, injector lines or high pressure injector lines, return T for injectors, fuel rail bolts etc.... The advisor at the shop suggested I change some other lines as they rust and usually break when removed. Is this the injector lines he is talking about?

Is there anything I am missing for parts. I would like to order this asap but want to be sure I have it all.

I am leaving the engine in the truck and going to do the work in my drive way. I haver some threads saved on tips etc but wondering if there is a "how to" article for both jobs that could help me along. Also where is a good place for a manual?

Sorry for the newb questions and I appreciate all your help.

C

[rapidoxidationman]

I did the head gaskets on my LLY back in January. The book time is about 32 hours, the book time to do the water pump is about 9 hours. The project took me about 55 hours and included the water pump. I started a thread about the project, but kinda lost steam on my posts when I started putting things back together. Search my posts for a good start.

If you have access to a garage, do it in a garage. The engine's internals are going to be open to the weather for a while... Dirt is bad.

Since the heads will be off, bring them to a machine shop for inspection and cleaning/resurfacing as necessary.

A flywheel lock tool will be handy for removing the crank pulley (it bolts on where the starter bolts on). If you're lucky, a local shop will let you borrow theirs for a case of beer.

A fan pulley removal tool is also handy. A friend let me use his snap-on pneumatic with an air hammer.

Other than those two specialty items, my usual hand tools got me through.

KEEP THINGS CLEAN!!!!! Can't stress enough the importance of this, especially when you start clamping down the heads. Even towel lint can cause problems with the seal (this is where a garage and no wind is handy...).

Take your time, use LOTS of digital film. I took probably 150 pictures during the disassembly and most of them came in handy on reassembly. I also took 5-6 pages of notes on a 2' by 3' notepad I stuck on an easle next to me. Each part that came off got labelled and the bolts for the part were taped to the part. I didn't have any parts left over after the truck was reassembled.

http://www.alldatadiy.com/ is very handy but not terribly in order as far as exactly how to do it. I just started digging and referred to it when I needed a bit of hand holding. It also has all the torque values you'll need for reassembly. Worth the subscription, IMHO.

You CAN do this job without removing the engine from the truck and without removing the turbo from the engine, but there will be times the truck or the turbo is really in the way. Take your time and think it through.

A shout out to John Kennedy, a vendor here, is now in order. His expertise came in handy and I got 90% of the parts necessary from him (a few 0-rings and copper washers came from the local NAPA). If you get stuff from him you'll also get a clicky Bic pen to write with:cool:

[Kennedy]

A lot will depend on how rusty things are. This is where having the engine out would be nice.

Thermostats definitely as there is next to zero additional labor. I's skip the injector pop out tool as it's pretty useless. We use an old supply line along with one of the old return bolts (sacrificial) to work the injectors out. If the sleeves don't come up we leave them.

Definitely replace all 8 supply lines due to corrosion.

http://www.kennedydiesel.com/docs/Duramax%20LB7%20Injector%20Line%20Corrosion.pdf