head gasket replacement

[watchdog153]

I ran into a road block while trying to get my car apart to change a blown head gasket... Its called a timing belt!!! Lol but seriously, I was under the impression that i would be able to mark the belt with some nail polish, line it up with the teeth on the cam gears and then just slide it off from the top. Then use a clamp to keep tension on the belt so it doesnt come loose below the lower timing cover...

So heres the big question, Do i need to do all the work and headache involved in taking off all the belts, pulleys, etc in order to get to the timing belt tensioner?
This would basically be the same amount of work as changing a timing belt... which i hear and from what i can tell seems to be a real pain

Please someone tell me theres an easy way...

Heres some details on my car and where it came from...
Its a stock 95' gst that i traded straight across for an 03' ford taurus. The guy I traded with gave me all the receipts showing a bunch of work recently done. New timing belt, water pump, new cat (exhaust looks all new) The car was running fine and was a daily freeway driver to and from work.
I noticed one day that it had black smoke coming out the tail pipe only during accel but not at idle. I thought the rings might be bad so i checked compression and it was high and even... like 220,220,215,220. So i suspected worn turbo seals. The car burned enough oil that i had to put in a quart every 300 miles. One day i was driving home from work and it overheated. I had it towed home and put in my garage. At this point it was leaking oil like crazy. I put in more oil and ran the car in my garage scanning for leaks. Found the oil was leaking in a nice stream under the thermostat housing and down the front of the block. This was right where the head and block meet... ok ok sorry for to much info. Sounds like a blown head gasket right?

The cars been sitting in my garage for almost a year now. I just got a decent bonus check and ordered a fp big t28 and dsm link v3 lite. I would love to get this car to around 20psi or so, Just need to get the damn head off the car without F!@#$ in' it up . Once the head is off its going to get rebuilt, surfacing is part of the rebuild... I want to use an oem composite head gasket, if i can ever get it apart and back together. The intake and exhaust manifold are already off. All i need to do now is deal with the timing belt

Thanks for any replies

 

[92AWDHX40]

Way to much there to read but timing belt all belts everything yes no way to get around it. vfaq.com
timing belt job. its all there, there are also is a thread on this site discussing it, get a manual to help or vfaq. com great description. change all items pulley tensioners belts, of course. if your unsure have someone to do it for you, one mistake and youll need a new head again.

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

Yeah, I read the first half and then you kinda lost me. Either way you look at it the accessory belts and pulleys have to come off. Just get the engine at TDC with all the timing marks lined up before removing the belt, that way it will be that much easier when you go to put it back together.

Here is the link to the 2g timing belt VFAQ. It's not fun but it is doable.

Also like Victor said, if you don't know when/if the timing belt was done last, might as well do it the right way now or else it will snap and then it's bye bye head.

Hope this helps!

 

[watchdog153]

Thanks for the quick replies,

Yeah i guess i did have alot of info there. So if i keep tension on the belt you dont think i could just slide the head out from the side? The timing belt and water pump were just recently changed... almost new.
Ill do the extra work if i have to, i just had an idea for easy mode

 

[9!'clipseDOHC]

Without loosening the tension it would be impossible to get the head back on, the belt would just be too tight.

 

[gsxeclipse97]

Just a side note I would mark the crank and the oil pump in different colors so you have a better idea where things should line up.