Hey guys, I am about to pick up a 1995 5.7L Sierra that needs a new head gasket. Can anyone shed some light on this job? How much should it cost at a shop, and how difficult is it to do yourself. I have moderate to pretty good skill working on cars, but never worked on this motor before. Are there any online resources such as DIYs for this job?

Thanks,

-Dan

 

well its not too hard of a job if you know what your doing
first you need to get the new gasket
then remove the nessisary bolts on the exsaust
then remove the valve cover
get new valve cover gasket
then remove the bolts that hold the head on
remove head then
also might want to drain the oil
then clean the head surfaces to remove old gasket put new gasket on
then replace the parts and torque to manufacture specs
also depending on which side needs the gasket youll have to remove a vacum line from the throttle body

i suggested the oil drain as the head gasket is bad there maybe antifreeze mixed in with the oil and thats not good at all

i hope this helps
i havent done any on a 95 yet but i have done them on several other vehicals

 

o forgot as far as the shop prices go
there gonna charge you whatever they charge for labor and trust me they can get the job done in less then 4 hours but they most likely wont
and then how ever much the parts cost then do the math add all that up plus tax theres how much your gonna pay if your wanting to know what you may have to pay call around to some shops first compare prices and what not
but again they are not that difficult to do just sometimes teadious and time consuming depending on factors like stuck bolts and cleaning process

 

you also may have to remove your intake manifold as well

 

Hey guys thanks for all the answers. I am pretty sure I can tackle this myself. It sounds like taking the heads off is no big deal. I am used to my buddies with fancy european cars where the heads are a PITA to remove and you have to be really careful about cam/vanos systems. Thanks again.

 

lol yes imported fancy cars can be a pita