04.5 LLY Head Gasket help

[Mark-]

04.5 head gasket help
OK so after 150k miles and years of towing my 5th wheel with the coolant temps fluctuating between normal and 238 deg and back down, the head gaskets finally failed. So $6k later I have a new water pump and a pair of new head gaskets. The question is how long before they fail again? I'm still towing although not as often.

Are the new head gaskets improved? New head bolts stronger? Will they fail again? Has anyone here had any experiences after the gasket replacement good or bad??

Thanks,
Mark

[More Power]

Yes, the gaskets have gone through a few iterations since the Duramax arrived. If the gasket job was done right, it should last at least another 12 years.

[Kennedy]

What I can say is that I have never seen a properly done head gasket job using studs and the early or mid style gaskets repeat fail.



I have definitely seen repeat fails when bolts were used. We never use the OE bolts. I believe the bolts to be a key factor in the failures and not the gasket design. We do not use the latest gaskets from GM either. I believe they downgraded personally, changing down to a 3 layer gasket and eliminating the crimped fire ring and cutting the cost by something like 66%. It just defies logic that they would be better.

[More Power]

There are at least 2 types of diesel head gasket replacement environments.... 1- Typical stock power oriented. 2- Performance oriented.

The typical stock power head gasket replacements are expected to run for years... Not many expect a performance built engine to run as long before it needs help. After all, the 04.5 head gaskets mentioned earlier did provide service for 12 years and 150K miles.

I wonder if the very newest Duramax engines are using the very newest replacement gaskets and Torque-to-Yield head bolts? I'd think GM would want to reduce their warranty exposure.

[Kennedy]

The vast majority of our head gasket jobs are on stock street trucks. I do however have a fair number of race and HP applications running as well. The HP applications simply test the process even further. I can honestly say that we have never had any of these fail with this process. We never worried about the crimped versus riveted gaskets in fact the crimped ones were all that was available in the OS/OB gaskets for quite some time. I think that GM misidentified the lack of clamping force allowing movement as suspected layer shift which of course proved not to be the case.

When GM changed to the new 3 layer gasket I looked at it puzzled. I took it to my machinist and we both agreed that we did not like the looks of it.

My feeling is that GM looked at the fact that the fire ring/wrap was splitting and decided that like Ford they didn't need it. We know how well that worked for Ford...


Note: High boost applications like my 2002 that runs in excess of 80 psi we embed a stainless wire ring with a very slight protrusion that engages the fire ring. We also use super grade studs or larger diameter studs.

[Mark-]

So after paying the chevy dealer to do the job back in July, you're saying that they will fail again? And how long will a dealer job last?