I also had good results with the gasket from the Dodge dealer. THe factor minivan part looks like a graphite gasket and works very well.

The one time I used a no name gasket from a rebuilder kit I when I went to re torque the head the exhaust side head bolts had really loosened up.

Kevin

thanks for the info, dudes. i wonder why it is an issue with monteros re: head surface, because the OE honda HG are tri-layer metal, with aluminum head and block. people get heads cut all the time by whomever and use the OE gasket on that side of things no prob.

i will say that in the honda world...it seems everyone uses copper spray, so maybe that helps things. i never believed in it vs. hylomar.

so, i'll probably use the OE gasket for my year ('87). i like the idea of the aj usa gasket but composite OE seems like the way to go for my totally OE job.

really? thanks. hmm...something to consider vs. the OE mitsu gasket for my year, which apparently is a composite gasket and for my completely OE rebuild seems like the ideal piece.

what year caravan...obv first gen, but does it matter what year?

ALSO, do you guys think it would be worse for me to use head bolts (vs. studs) with my setup considering it's completely stock? is the extra expense worth it?

All Caravan 2.6 head gaskets should have the same PN. Factory head bolts are fine. Their ultimate strength is lower thatn the ARP parts, so if over loaded they will permanent deform before the studs do.

That may not be a bad thing.

There was a TSB on the bolt torque, It was upped 5 ft lbs ( double check that).

Properly set up the stock parts will last a long time. Engines that lose gaskets repeatedly have some other problem. That includes a cracked block from a severe overheat.

Kevin

the only thing I would say, which you should already have is the grade 11 hgeadbolts. Only the early engines had the grade 9 bolts. I'd check and see which you have but unless someone replaced them in the past they should be 11.

Thanks! luckily, at least as long as i've had it, the engine has never overheated worth anything. it's heated up a bit twice due to low coolant, in that the temp gauge went up to the middle, but the truck ended up home before it knew what happened. this truck has always been a local only type o' truck.

so, here is what i see:



the head is going to the machine shop now to get checked.

as it stands, i need the following: intake/exhaust mani gaskets, lower carb gasket, HG, head bolts.

so here is what i'm thinking: caravan HG, montero head bolts ('87?) and i guess fel pro for the rest? any tips?

EDIT: any reason why korum's online lookup shows a mitsu HG for "-2/87" then another for "3/87-"? i guess i'm going to get the caravan one but i looked up the mitsu for comparison.

double post...but,

should i harness my OCD here and be practical, and just get the fel pro stuff for what i need? perma tq HG and the rest of the gaskets and head bolts? at the bare min, maybe i should get OE head bolts but i'm looking at this like it is my turbo mazda or the high compression/spray hondas i used to build. this truck is all OE, doesn't go on trails, etc. and i feel that as usual i might be looking too far into this for no real reason, that regular replacement stuff might be a-ok.

basically, KISS.

thoughts?

I'd just get oem or aftermarket, cheaper and does the job just as good for your needs I'd think.

Before you try korum, look at mitsparts.com, they had a better deal on most everything I've looked at.

An 88-89 starquest head gasket set works nice. Pay a lot of attention to cleaning the block deck of all old gasket, short of using a scotchbrite. I use gasket remover, and a razor scraper, and acetone on the block and head just before bolton. Two sets of hands is nice to get the head on dead straight before you set it down on the head gasket. Old head bolts with the heads cut off are not overkill. One bump and the head gasket is toast.

thanks for the tips. yeah, gasket remover spray is wonderful stuff. i've used it many times for intake manifold gasket removal.

so, the 88-89 turbo gasket set, but that won't give me the lower carb gasket, right? i can get that seperately i guess - everything else i need will be covered with that set i assume, meaning the intake and exhaust mani gaskets.



thanks!

EDIT: somehow i already have a new fel pro valve cover gasket and exhaust manifold gasket. no clue, but i have them in the garage. i was going to get the dana vic reinz gasket just because, but no need, esp since add'l shipping for it from wherever would've added another 10 bucks atop everything else. here is the rest of the stuff