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I'm curious how you determined that the a head gasket has failed but the link below should help get you started. You can register for free at autozone.com. The info for the 4.7 starts about halfway down the page. You can also see other chapters on the left hand side of the page for more info.

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/repairinfo/repairguide/repairGuideContent.jsp?pageId=0996b43f802e2b92

Post back with more info or questions. We'll be glad to help. Thanks.

The temp gauge never went

Submitted by LT Mike on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 08:13.

The temp gauge never went into the red so i never thought there was a huge pronlem,I just figured a thermostat,hose or radiator. I started the truck last week and after a few minutes there was a cloud of white smoke out of the exhaust. There seems to be no water in the oil. My biggest question was if I could remove the heads with out removing the timing cover i understand tht you have to take the sproket of the cam but could the heads come off after that?

LT, Do the letter's LT stand

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 06:56.

LT,

Do the letter's LT stand for Lawrence Taylor by any chance? :-)

Answer to your question is no, but don't buy any parts or start replacin the head gasket yet, untill you tell us how you determined the gasket is blown?

NO not Lawrence Taylor.

Submitted by LT Mike on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 07:56.

NO not Lawrence Taylor. Lieutenant Fire Fighter

LT, You can use multiple

Submitted by drivability on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 10:26.

LT,

You can use multiple methods to check for a blown head gasket some of them are:

Using an exhaust gas analyzer in the cooling system.

Smoke testing the cooling system.

Fluid analysis from a radiator shop.

Block tester kit bought at a parts store.

Pressure testing system.

The last three will probably be your most likely options. You can take a sample of your coolant to a qualified radiator shop, purchase a block tester and follow the directions that come with it or remove the spark plugs and use a pressure tester to find the faulty cylinders. If you use the last option, be sure that the system is full and let the system remain under pressure for a while (sometime a few hours is needed). You will usually be able to tell how long by the rate that the pressure drops. When you're done you can disable the ignition (spark) system crank the engine (WITH THE PLUGS STILL OUT). When you do, it will be obvious which cylinders are affected. Some techs will use rags or paper towels around the spark plug ports to catch the coolant and verify the cylinder. HINT Don't have your face in front of the spark plug ports.

Let us know what you find or if you have any questions. Thanks.

Does any of these head gasket

Submitted by LT Mike on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 15:22.

Does any of these head gasket repair in a bottle stuff work or is it just a hoax.

LT, (You Asked) Does any of

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 16:57.

LT,

(You Asked) Does any of these head gasket repair in a bottle stuff work or is it just a hoax.

Not a hoax man.
Get it straight.
HEY ARE BULLSHIT !!!!

LT, I would have to agree

Submitted by drivability on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 17:14.

LT,

I would have to agree with Big Block. Although I have seen some work, for most leaks, they are usually temporary at best. An internal head gasket failure (if you have one) only makes it less likely to work. You're not only dealing with cooling system pressure but you are also dealing with engine compression.

You also want to consider the negative side effects that some of them have. Some have been proven to clog components.

In short, they are usually kind of like going on a high fat and high cholesterol diet in an attempt to fix an arterial bleed. :-(

Back to your problem. Are you sure that you have a head gasket leak?

I am 90% sure it is a head

Submitted by LT Mike on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 06:47.

I am 90% sure it is a head gasket. The truck will start and after it warms up the smoke starts with the smell of anti freeze from the exhaust so I do believe it is the head gasket. I am not afraid to tackle this job but like any one if there is a quick fix it is worth trying. I don,t want to trade in the truck it is in great shpe for a 2002 and beside the head gasket it runs great. I just don't want to screw up the timing chains i know you have to put a block of wood to keep the tensioners from falling and i understand that the thing i dont't is after i remove the cam sprokets and comress the springs and remove the rockers and therods and of coarse all the bolts,Does the head come off with the 2 secondary timing chains stiil attached to the main chaion.I hope i am making my self clear. I have done other heads but not with SOHC in the head.Thanks

409, Could you be a little

Submitted by ASE MASTER on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 17:23.

409,

Could you be a little bit more blunt and direct?

ASE, Please don't make him go

Submitted by drivability on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 17:45.

ASE,

Please don't make him go into CAPS LOCK MODE!!!

LT,

Are you by any chance thinking of trading it in if it proves to be a head or head gasket problem?

LT, I've been in this

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Mon, 02/06/2012 - 20:01.

LT,

I've been in this business a long time man, 49 years to be exact. Needless to say I've seen a lot of things. Just recently the daughter of a good friend of mine bought her first car. My friend is a good mechanic, so he checked out the car before his daughter bought it, and according to him it checked out fine. Shortly after his daughter bought the car it started runnin poorly and belching out smoke via the tailpipe. My friend brought the car me to check out, and it turned out that the car had cylinder issues, and the seller used the product in the link below to hide the cylinder issues, and knowingly sold the car to my friend’s daughter.

http://rislone.ca/catalog/view/47-smoke-away-with-stop-leak-34326

Why am I telling you this? because the world we live in is a strange place, life is funny, and you never know what is waitin for you with each passing day. In other words shortly after the seller sold the defective car to my friends daughter he had an unfortunate accident is now in a wheelchair for the rest of his life.

Thanks Big Block for the

Submitted by LT Mike on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 06:52.

Thanks Big Block for the correct advice i just want to be clear on the correct removal and replacement before i tackle this job. When I purchased the truck there was a leak in the radiator and in one of the heater lines that i have since corrected.Thanks

No problem LT, thing is we're

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 08:56.

No problem LT, thing is we're still waitin for you to tell us how you determined the head gasket needs to be replaced? You should know that in the business of auto mechanics and repair better than 75% of all problems are misdiagnosed. We don't want you to waste your time and money on changin the gasket, only to be left with the same problem in the end. That's why we're askin you to tell us how you determined the gasket is bad. Tell us the tests you did. Tell us the signs and symptoms you observed, so we can accurately guide you. Changin the wrong part (or parts) sucks, and it's a great way to give yourself a real pain in the head and mess up your day :-).

I did not run any tests, I

Submitted by LT Mike on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 09:46.

I did not run any tests, I was under the impression that when water, white smoke and the smell of anti-freeze comes from the tail pipe it is a sign of a blown head gasket. Would there be another reason for the smoke coming from the tal pipe?

LT, Unfortunately there are

Submitted by drivability on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 10:38.

LT,

Unfortunately there are other reasons like cracked or warped heads, loose or improperly tightened bolts and damaged blocks for instance but technicians like Big Block and myself would NEVER break down an engine until we A) confirmed the leak and B) confirmed the cylinder(s) affected. If you ever end up tearing an engine down, it would be good to know what to look for and where, BEFORE you start the process.

I will do a compression test

Submitted by LT Mike on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 15:35.

I will do a compression test on the cylinders tomorrow. Is there any other trouble shooting ideas i should do to determine if it is a head gasket.Thank you all for the correspondance.

LT, Remember that a

Submitted by drivability on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 16:05.

LT,

Remember that a compression test failure does not, in and of itself, confirm a head gasket problem. I would recommend using one of the methods I gave you above. I'll copy them here for your convenience.

You can use multiple methods to check for a blown head gasket some of them are:

Using an exhaust gas analyzer in the cooling system.

Smoke testing the cooling system.

Fluid analysis from a radiator shop.

Block tester kit bought at a parts store.

Pressure testing system.

Let us know what you find or if you have any questions. Thanks

Ido have a hand held 3100

Submitted by LT Mike on Tue, 02/07/2012 - 16:49.

Ido have a hand held 3100 Innovadiagnostic unit. The code on the unit reads as follows ( P0135) 02 Heater circut (Bank 1, Sensor 1) Generic if this helps at all.

Mike, Blown head gasket

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 03:22.

Mike,

Blown head gasket symptoms.

Engine overheating or consistently high engine temperature.

A noticeable, significant, and sudden drop in coolant level with no sign of an external leak.

The mixing of coolant with engine oil. Check the engine oil in your car. Look for a frothy formation of oil and coolant on the dipstick or around the inside of the oil filler cap that looks like chocolate mousse.

Look for the emission of sweet smelling white smoke along with water droplets from the tail pipe.

The cap on coolant overflow tank makes a popping sound. Let the engine cool down for about thirty minutes. Now open the hood and remove the cap from the overflow tank. If you hear a popping sound that means the cooling system is still under pressure even though the engine has been shut off. This surely indicates a blown head gasket.

Remove all the spark plugs. Get a cooling system pressure tester and pressurize the cooling system to about 15 PSI. Leave the system pressurized for several hours. Now lay down some clean paper towel along the cylinder heads where the spark plugs were. Crank the engine over for a few seconds. Since the spark plugs are not in place any antifreeze that leaked into the cylinder will be blown out onto the clean paper towel. Examine the paper towel for the signs of antifreeze and you will be able to tell which is the guilty cylinder.

Ignore the setting of PO135 for now. If it turns out that you truly have a blown head gasket, then fix that first. If the code is still set after the gasket change, let us know and we'll tell you how to deal it.

Here's a video link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QA7KVQq9vKA

Thank you. I will start on

Submitted by LT Mike on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 09:24.

Thank you. I will start on the list of to do.s and let you know what comes of this. Again thank you very much it is always nice to know there are people like you guys that are there to help us.

Mike, (You Said) NO not

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Wed, 02/08/2012 - 15:05.

Mike,

(You Said) NO not Lawrence Taylor. Lieutenant Fire Fighter

(You Said) it is always nice to know there are people like you guys that are there to help us.

Look man I'm a MARINE, so it stands to reason that most of the guy's I hang out with are also gonna be MARINES. But here's the thing, the guys who aren't Marines are FDNY and NYPD personnel and I respect the job that they do, so I gotta say to you is:

It's always nice to know there are people like you guys that are there to help us.