Gentleman:
Ihave a few ques. concerning replacement of my head gaskets: 82 380 sel 121k. Recently done a singl-to dble w/o diff; car ran/idled excellent. Then, I noticed oil leaking under the intake. I removed the intake to find a pond of oil. Iam going to replace both head gaskets. Are there better gaskets than others regarding brands? Also, can you use a gasket sealer in conjunction with the gasket? I removed the intake in one piece too; Would it be advisable to replace the rubber grommets that attach the lower unit, or leave it alone. Another thing. Being that the heads are removed at that time, can a reputable machine shop replace the guides and ck. the valve lash. There never was much valve noise before I tore it down except a slight ticking on the pass head. Can the thrust pieces be cked while heads are off? The engine never seemed to burn oil and has plenty of power. Something else; I plan on replacing the fuel-injector o-rings too. The injector came aprt in two pieces. Can they be cleaned and w/ what do I use? Finally, I noticed in the service cd that there are special dowells used in the heads to remove to air-injection sys. I have removed the pump earlier w/ the hoses. I already passed the emission w/ flying colors and want to mod. the heads while they are off. Sorry for the long thread. Any hints or other info making this challenge smoother will be greatly appreciated. I would have gotten rid of this car if it wasn't for this site and the pros who post in it. Thanks-a-bunch!! les