The head came off without too much difficulty the top gave me a bit of problems. The dealer replaced the head once at 70,000 miles Now has 130,000 miles I observed the following.
1) 3 head bolts around cylinders 4 & 5 had evidence of rust
2) 1 near the front cylinder was oil soaked
3) 3 other bolts were not nearly as tight as I would have expected

I have never gotten so deep into a Diesel engine and have purchased new head bolts well waiting for them I'm in Calgary, Canada they are 3 times the price here. Should I pull the cam shaft and replace those bolts also I just have a fear of removing too many things but also concerned about the finished result.

I am also doing a erg delete but found the exhaust pipe which feeds int to air intake full of oil. I seem to have a ton of blow by through the breather and did instal an oil air separator which works If I drain it every 1000 miles which is a real pain. Just wondering what amount of blow by is excessive and if I should be doing anything more before reassembly.

Thank you kindly.

1) Is the rust at the head of the bolt or on the threads? If on the threads, maybe the holes weren't cleaned the last time the gasket was replaced or the head gasket is leaking coolant into the holes.

2) Common head gasket failure but it shouldn't be that bad on a 50K mile head gasket.

3) When tightened properly, they don't come loose unless the head warps.

You don't have to remove the cam tower bolts as long as you're careful working on a head with open valves.

Are you just replacing the head gasket or having the head checked and serviced? At least make sure the head surface is within flatness spec.

Chase/tap the head bolt hole threads then thoroughly clean and dry the holes. Very lightly dampen the bolt threads with oil before installing.

It's hard to describe what's normal particularly when a head gasket is compromised such as you describe the number 1 cylinder. The engine is happy to burn blowby oil as fuel and it won't make too much of a mess in the intake tract if you disable EGR. Have you swapped to a pressure wastegate actuator so EDS can't cut boost because EGR is no longer functioning?

Sixto
MB-less

x2

I'm sitting here wondering why they had to pull it at 70k. Anyway, it sounds like it was not properly torqued to me. I'd start worrying about the blow by when you it uses a quart of oil every couple hundred miles.

__________________
Jim

So it's ok to use the 5 or 6 used bolts which require the cam to come out to replace them. Those are the ones that required the longer special head bolt tool. The rest of the bolts will be new. I think I read somewhere if you replace 1 bolt you have to replace all bolts.

Another question I have attached some pictures where the head is pitted in the area of the water entry points that are open in the block. I don't know why the gasket is open at those spots but it has definitely damaged the head in 2 areas hopefully it is clear in the pics.

The oil soaked bolt was where the metal strip is located near cylinder 1 I'm assuming that is why the car was smoking so bad. As for the water I believe it seeped into 4 & 5 cylinders and resulted in nailing until the car got close to operating temps. In this cold climate it will start at -30 but that sure adds a big temperature range to work through so maybe we experience more head gasket failures.

Back to the pitting is a head shave in order? I have yet to check for straightness.

Thanks for the responses.

Sorry my resolution will not allow pictures to be attached.

Attached Thumbnails

     

Getting back to actually answering your questions, the bolt threads were rusty even the heads of the bolts upon close examination of the gasket rust was evident on the stainless steel rings that seal the combustion chambers.

I have the full history on the car and the first head gasket change occurred due to smoking the same reason I am now changing my gasket. I also had a lot of nailing but spent a fair amount of time chasing fuel supply to make certain it wasn't something simple. I preformed a leak down on a cold engine 1 & 5 had me concerned. I ran a purge and the smoking cleared itself so the I tried an alternative fuel source and supply but still smoking that's when I decided on a head gasket failure. I was really hoping to see a failed gasket but I believe it was maybe loose head nuts which I'm surprised by since it had always been dealer maintained until I got it about 8 years ago.

The verdict is still out about a full head service but if the pitting is reason then it will get sent out. I'm hoping to be still driving this for years to come body and interior are excellent.

The head flatness is within specifications no warping so is the pitting so far away from combustion chambers still reason to have the head shaved?

The Catch 22 is you should check bolt length before reusing. That means you have to put the entire bolt in your hand which means the cam tower bearings have to come off. Mind the cam tower loosening and tightening sequence.

Is there anything besides solid block deck opposite the pitted area in the head?

Sixto
MB-less

Opposite the pitting is a triangular opening in the block where I believe water is. The pitting is somewhat of similar shape but the gasket has a smaller hole in the center of the triangle. Yes you are right about having a bolt in hand. But now once the cam is off may as well replace the valve seals they don't leak but age maybe of concern.