Hey Guys,

I'm getting ready to order a complete head gasket set for my 960. I can get an Elwis brand, or Victor Reinz or Elring. Are they all about the same quality? Which do you prefer?
Also, about the air pump, does it have to be installed or can I just leave it off when I put the head back on. I don't really see what it does. One hose on it isn't connected to anything.

Thanks for your advice,

Jim

 

i have a HG set and head bolt set for sale. i broke a head bolt off in my car and i am done messing with it. i have a complete 95 parts car and many 93 parts, including 2 heads.
the parts came from PELICAN PARTS.
call me or email me
843 222 1537
tyc@sc.rr.com

myrtle beach.

 

Elring or Reinz are good gaskets for whiteblocks. Stay away from Felpro on Volvos. Don't know Elwis.

Air pump pulses/pumps ambient air into the exhaust manifold at very limited intervals. It's a very simple device. Sure, you can live without it, but if you have it use it.

Taking it out will trigger a DTC. Yes, one gooseneck port/hose is not connected to anything -- it is supposed to draw air. And yes it makes sense where it is.

 

Thanks Henry for the info on the air pump. Was just curious about it.
Got the head off yesterday & it was two burnt exhaust valves. Head gasket was still intact. Ended up ordering everything from FCP Groton. All they had was the Elwis brand head gasket set. All I could find out was Elwis has been making gaskets since the 1930's.

Thanks again,

Jim

 

About the air pump -- although it has been here in the past, I'll recap -- it is an emissions device. It blows ambient air on exhaust stream, when car is started / engine cold for about 90 seconds. Increased oxygen helps burn unburnt fuel on exhaust mani, and it helps Catalytic Converter heat up quicker, thus extending Cat's life and better fuel economy. In extreme cold, pump runs only for a few seconds, to avoid parts freeze.

Burnt exhaust valves are symptoms that car was used for short trips. These Porsche-designed motors need to be driven hard, and love high-revving. Some stuck exh valves can be unclogged by running car with 4500-5000 rpm for 10-15 minutes, on highway at low gear.

 

I drive the car to work which is 14 miles each way. 9 miles on 55mph two lane & 5 on 70mph interstate. I really don't cut it any slack! Also made a couple of 900 mile road trips. Last March while driving to work, the car the car was getting way to much gas & didn't want to come to a stop at a stop sign. When I shut it off, it would not start up. I had it towed to the local import garage & they said the water temperature sensor told the computer that it was 20 below zero and that's why the gas kept pouring in and washed down the cylinders. They changed the sensor & put new plugs in. The check engine light stayed on & they said the code reader detected a faulty Cat converter. They told me not to worry as we don't have emissions testing here in north Georgia. The car seemed to run good and my mileage seemed to stay at 20-21 MPG. Don't really want to spend any more money on a new converter. I'm hoping that didn't cause the valves to burn out.
I'm supposed to pick up my reworked head on Friday. The guy at the machine shop said the Elwis gasket set look pretty good for what it's worth.
Anyway, I will keep the air pump hooked up.

Thanks again for you expertise!!

Jim

 

Due to a faulty Coolant Sensor, engine ran rich. Richness can damage the cat. If the honeycombs inside Cat disintegrate, they create blockage, which creates too much back-pressure, which increases temps at exhaust valves, and "burns" valves. Take a rubber mallet and hit the cat -- if you hear rubbles inside, the above is a very plausible scenario. If you don't fix the cat, then get ready for another valve job.

If the cat however is not blocked (although its efficiency has been reduced), another plausible scenario is that during the time that Coolant Sensor was whacky, ECU was going wild -- which means -- it not only enriched the fuel/air mixture, but at certain conditions (maybe WOT, wide-open throttle) maybe it went the other way -- it didn't enrich enough, which of course can burn valves. The ECu logic goes like this -- when it detects richness (too much fuel) it tries to lean the mixture, to bring it to where it's supposed to be, at those parameters.

My first test would be the rubber mallet. I would also put a vacuum gauge on and check backpressure (Scenario 14 here.)

 

In richness conditions, Air pump is your friend, a very good friend indeed. Yet its effect is very limited in time -- only in the first 1-2 minutes.

 

One last thing Henry......I remember way back in the late 70's or so, some of my friends would cut a hole in the converter & take out the pellets and then weld a plate over the hole. If I remember right their cars ran just as good by doing that. Will that do any harm to the engine? There certainly wouldn't be any back pressure. I don't have emissions testing where I live. If the pellets are loose inside, my little air cut-off wheel could have them out in a minute or two. The best price I could find on a new converter was $300.
Just a thought...........

 

One last thing Henry......I remember way back in the late 70's or so, some of my friends would cut a hole in the converter & take out the pellets and then weld a plate over the hole. If I remember right their cars ran just as good by doing that. Will that do any harm to the engine? I don't have emissions testing where I live. If the pellets are loose inside, my little air cut-off wheel could have them out in a minute or two. The best price I could find on a new converter was $300.
Just a thought...........

 

You can also get a universal cat, or take it out altogether. I am not sure in GA, in some states, though there are no tailpipe emissions, stil a CEL fails you. Rear O2 sensor detects it. Or you can take out the bulb and tell the inspector "Service" light is the CEL