Brickers:

So I was having a chat with my indy guy the other day and he mentioned something I thought might be of interest to folks on this board about 1992 heads/head gaskets. Whether this is common knowledge I don't know, but I figured it worth posting to the forum either way.

The last three times I have gone to see him he has been replacing head gaskets on 1992 700s. Generally they come in for something else, and he invariably discovers oily coolant that requires he call the owner and add the car to his queue for the days work (not a fun surprise to get I would imagine, especially when trying to plan your day). This last time I went in he remarked on this fact, and he further elaborated by stating that he has been doing a HUGE number of head gaskets on 1992 700s lately.

From what he has garnered from the guy who reworks his heads and his own analysis it seems the 1992 heads have some type of problem, and that they are physically different than the earlier heads. His metal guy told him that the alum heads in the 92s are harder than other alum 700 heads. In fact, he actually has to cut the 1992 head slowly three times to avoid ruining it when he reworks it. Additionally, when he looked at the head itself it seemed like the metal had changed slightly do to the heat, and that it was less pure or more inconsistent in texture than the other heads.

So if you own a 1992 700 with the original head/head gasket you might want to keep an eye on the coolant for oil and oilfor coolant. If you are thinking of picking up a used 700 you might want to find out whether it's head has been rebuilt before you buy.

good luck,
rt

P.S. I wrote 1993 previously when, in fact, I probably should have written 1992. I've since changed it in the post. Read my replies below for clarification on the mistake.

Had a chance to speak with my mechanic this afternoon and got a little more information on the problems he was talking about specifically.

The fault he thinks he's seeing doesn't have to do with the head itself at all (my mistake). What he told me is that the effect he described (head changing texture slightly, etc.) has been happening to all the heads he's reworked, and that it is a side-effect of the heat that changes the aluminum and makes it more brittle/fragile than normal.

The problem he was telling me about involved the head gasket itself, and affects the 1992-1993 7xx/9xx models. Over the past 4 months or so he has done 7-10 head gaskets on these models, and he informed me that, at least for him, that is an unusually high number. Additionally, he noted that the gaskets on these models shouldn't be failing anyway, and that they should be lasting much longer than the 9-10 years their failure is indicating.

It's possible this is just a fluke, and that he has seen a wierd number of head gasket failures in his garage lately on these models for some other reason. However, it is also possible there was a run of bad gaskets employed or that the gaskets used in these later models weren't "up to snuff".

Hope this information helps.

regards,
rt

Someone, in the next month, is going to tell someone else asking about a 92, that they have bad head gaskets, or bad heads, or something. That's how this kind of thing goes.

Everyone with a 92, kiss your resale value goodbye.

Lucky me--a 92 and 93.

If you could, find out what a "HUGE" number is?
--
Chris Herbst, in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, we're going to need more information. I'll sidestep the whole model-year disruption and get streight to the point... WHICH engine are you talking about? The later 700 series has 4 common engines, any of which you might be referring to. If you have a VIN (multiple VINs are better) from one of the head job cars, it's easy to determine which engine they are referring to.
--
89 764 GLE 150k/ 86 745 GLE 240k

Hmm... maybe he meant '92 and misspoke? He's the best mechanic I know, and given how many I've used over the years that's saying a lot. He probably just wasn't paying attention when I asked about the specifics and just agreed with me when I asked if they were "like 1993s or something" (I don't keep volvo production info at the front of my mind).

Hopefully some other folks with late model bricks who have recently experienced head gasket failures will post in this thread to clarify.

-rt

RT, I was under the impression that "92 was the last production year for 740's.

Maybe you're guy is talking about 940's, which went to '95 production year.

Anyhow, update me if indeed there are '93 740's out there.
--
John '88 240, '92 740 Tampa Bay

I'm pretty sure it was a 700 I saw in his bay at the time, and that he affirmed this when he stated as much to me. I guess it's possible he misspoke or something and it was a '93 940 or something, but I would think it much more likely he meant a '92 700.

He probably just wasn't thinking when he affirmed my question on whether it was a '93 or not... I'm not sharp enough to be able to recall all the years, etc., off-hand.

-rt

This guy must be feeding you a line.

I mean... there AREN'T any 1993 700s!

I'm just kidding, actually. That's really interesting. I'm going to do some checking on this. I wonder what the deal is? Maybe someone has some casting information or something that might explain it.
--
Chris Herbst, in Wisconsin.

Chris:

Yeah, I screwed up on th years. I think this was my mistake and just his oversight; I had asked if it was the 1993 models and he inattentively affirmed it to me. It's likely he meant the 1992 since it was, in fact, a 700.

I need to circle by his garage tomorrow to ask a couple of questions about the fixes he did (he topped off my coolant and the guage went dead for a bit, I think due to too much fluid and excessive blow-out past my dying 75kpa cap), so I'll ask him for a bit more information to post on the problem then. He may actualluy still have that brick in his garage if he couldn't get the head reworked before Thanksgiving.

Either way it would appear there is something wierd about the late model head. I've also noticed a number of posts to the board ovr the last few months regarding blown head gaskets on late model bricks.

-rt