Any tips for changing head gasket??

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

I found a little oil in my coolant. That's got to be the source of my overheating problem. There's nothing left that I haven't already tried or changed. Any tips, or things to watch out for? I'm not looking foward to this but am ready to dig in.

TIA, Dan

[RichP]

Some suggestions, once you get it apart and depending on milage you may have alot of gunk in there. Clean that head out of all the sludge, get it all. You also might want to drop the pan too and get any stuff that falls down. If possible it might be a good time to have the head profesionally cleaned or at least soaked in a solvent tank for a while. Good time to pull the hydraulic lifters and either replace them or cook them in solvent, just be sure to mark where each one came out of, same with the pushrods.
When I pull a head I use a shoe box and poke holes in it for the pushrods and I use a smaller box for the lifters.
Personally I would put in new lifters, pushrods and use new head bolts. Basically you are disassembling half the engine so don't stint :D
Of track here a bit but I just got a jeep catalog that has colored valve covers in yellow, red and black, nice looking too :D
Also take a look at your cylinder walls and see what kind of shape they are in.

[GSequoia]

Rich...what did you use to clean it with? Looks like I've been forced into doing my head gasket now (I'm stuck..Jeep won't even get out of it's own way) and would like to be as prepared as I can be before doing it!

[Loose_Nuts_Enterprises]

Sequoia, Did you make it home?

[GSequoia]

Nope, I'm still stuck up in Bakersfield right now. My last resort is to take Greyhound home and come back up here to do the head gasket (obviously I'd rather get the Jeep home and do it there). I do have a secure place to store the Jeep here for a few days (again, many thanks to Goatman!), so I've got that covered, just trying to figure out a way to get the Jeep home (It won't make the drive, I can barly get to 25mph at times.

[Kejtar]

Damn Sequoia... that sucks..... hope you can get it down south all right....

RichP.... do they make a valve cover in the pattern of a confederate flag?

Kejtar