1989 Buick Century head gasket

MOSVALVE

MEMBER
1989 BUICK CENTURY
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
722,000 MILES

My '89 Century will not start. It pours out white smoke and "coughs" up from the intake when I try. The far left spark plug looks greasy around the gap andThe radiator water level has also gone down substantially. This leads me to belive the head gasket has blown. Since I cannot get anyone interested in fixing it, I am going to try it on my own. I have gotten to the head bolts; is there a specific method to untorque them and pull the head off?

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BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

FIG. 3

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Friday, September 4th, 2009 AT 12:34 AM

MOSVALVE

MEMBER
6 POSTS

Much for the help. The tops of 3 of the 4 pistons are pretty dirty looking - should I clean them up, and if so, what should I use?

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Monday, September 7th, 2009 AT 2:50 PM

BLUELIGHTNIN6

MECHANIC
16,542 POSTS

To clean up the carbon build-up off of the pistons, you can use a brass brush and some solvent. Brass won't scratch steel and does a great job at removing carbon deposits on the piston crowns. Solvents such as "Simple Green" are great for basic degreasing.

If you want to get it looking like new again, you can use a harsh solvent such as Acetone, Paint Thinner, or Kerosene. This requires removing the pistons and letting them soak in the solvent of choice over night.

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Monday, September 7th, 2009 AT 4:34 PM