This is probably the best way to sand the block at home. Ive tried a few different ways and this is probably the only way one that gave me the flatness to seal the gasket. Biggest mistake I see in most DIY is using sander that is shorter than the block resulting in a concave surface. Thick glass and glass suction cups are spot on. Great video.
Keep in mind and always check the flat surface of the Tempered glass I have come to learn and appreciate the technical aspects in undertaking and Milling of an Engines block and attaining required engine specs. Sure I made errors the first time attempting to resurface the engine block and I would do it again. I honor this CZcams. I think it is ingenious but i can not stress how important it is to always check the flatness of the tempered glass.
I strongly suggest taking a straight edge and Looking at the flatbread/ trueness of the tempered glass. I thought it was a great idea come find out it was off 0.003mm. I just hope Everything works out cause, It is a tremendous amount of work and You want to get it rite the first time.
So interesting to see this. I was watching a young guy's video yesterday where he was resurfacing a block with sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wood. Yes, really. I suggested that he get a good size piece of either tempered glass ( thicker would be better ) or a scrap of granite from a kitchen counter shop and to do exactly what you are doing. Bravo !
I was having slow total coolant loss every 2000km. At first the was no leaking anywhere but eventually some hoses starter to leak. Tightened the hoses more but then the radiator gave up(leaked from top). So the problem was bad head gasket, it was my mistake( I drove the car 30minutes with thermostat clogged and high temperature). I changed head gasket and radiator and thought everything was fine. Then after 3000km coolant reservoir was toping with coolant and wouldn't go back to the system. in order for this to happen air must be in the system. And air without coolant loss can only be from combustion chamber. So another head gasket failure so soon. Everyone said don't mess with head gaskets and change the whole engine cause it's hit and miss. Well I believe that everything can be fixed if not totally broken. So the conclusion is that my mechanic and most mechanics didn't check the block surface not even bother clean it well. Just a little. I went myself to the shop and resurfaced the engine block with exactly the same method. A 6mm glass and sandpaper. I marked the whole surface with a sharpie and sanded A LOT until all sharpie was removed(it was uneven at a corner). Then the block was completely cleaned and straight. I have driven now 6000km from the second headgasket change and there is no coolant loss at all. So thank you for making the video which inspired me and gave confident to do the same to my car.
Glad it helped! This was my second time doing the head gasket for this car. The first time didn’t take because I didn’t sand down the block so it didn’t hold properly. It’s been a long time and the engine still runs awesome. Haven’t had to do anything to it since.
"Tightened the hoses more" do yourself a favour, get spring clamp pliers (remote ones if you feel like treating yourself) and ditch all the screw/worm clamps for spring clamps - typically standard parts on VWs and toyotas, some people give them shit, but in my experience the toyota ones are excellent quality and it's not uncommon to see 20 year old ones still holding strong. spring clamps are better in almost every way - they apply constant pressure no matter what, whether it be thermal expansion and contraction, or age of the hose...they always do their jobs properly. worm clamps can't apply constant pressure if the hose contracts, plus you have to deal with the trouble of a monkey overtightening them, causing the clamps to eat into the hose and sometimes even cause leaks.
@@ajcoolro18 hey, the car did another 80000km before failed again. But the damage was due to lost/no compression at 1 cylinder from a failed/damaged valve, and not due to head gasket failure, coolant loss or heat. So to answer your question, the fix held ok, ~90000km running on LPG. Fixing one thing(head gasket), restored the compressionand led to the failure of something else(valve). I could fix the valve issue but it would eventually led to another component failure. I decided to change the whole engine.
Same dude same! Except I’m still in due process. The head is getting resurfaced at the shop and I’m leaving the block in the car to do myself. The first time it lasted around 7k miles but I always had slow coolant loss. And I had a cheap aftermarket thermostat. This time, I’ll make sure I do it better
I can't afford a Sunnen but I can buy glass and sandpaper! I've got a 93 BMW 318is with a cracked head and a blown head gasket. I found a good head that's already been surfaced and rebuilt, but I have to check the block too. After 260k miles, it probably needs some resurfacing. Thanks for documenting this Ted, I'm gonna go for it.
Hi Ted, just finished using your system on my 2001 audi V6. Worked great! My block was also still attached. The angles were a little tricky but doable. Thanks again.
Great idea!! I did the same thing with my cylinder head. It came out flawless. This is the best idea and most effective way to get a great finish and true flat surface. I actually even went to the same business you got the glass from. Super cool guy. Thanks you. I appreciate it.
So resurface the actual head of the motor at a local machine shop and resurface the actual block of the motor by hand. Seems legit. Need to do this to my Honda ASAP
I DID THIS A FEW YRS AGO...JUST LIKE YOU FOUND OUT IF YOU START OUT WITH 80 GRIT THEN 120 TO 400 GRIT...BUT???....JUST LIKE YOU HAD THE BOARD TO BIG...YOU DO WANT IT TO BE LONG ENOUGH TO GO OVER THE BLOCK EVERY TIME YOU DO ONE STROKE...BUT I CUT BOARD IN HALF...THAT GAVE ME A FULL 2INCHES OF BACK AND FORTH...THE LENGTH NEEDS TO GO ACROSS THE WHOLE BLOCK SIDE TO SIDE BACK AND FORTH...IT TOOK ME ABOUT 38MIN...80/ 120/400...GRIT...ON BOTH SIDES..THE BACK OF THE V6...AND THE FRONT SIDE OF THE BLOCK...THE HEADS WAS DONE EXACTLY THE SAME WAY...THEN CLEAN EVERY THING OFF AS BEST YOU CAN..WIPE BACK UP..THEN WIPE BACK DOWN WITH OIL...USE COMMON SENCE..WHEN DEALING WITH FUNCTIONS OF A MOTOR
Hi I'm changing the head gasket now on my daughter's 2000 honda civic 1.6. Did your method of sanding the block work? No leaks after reassembly? Thx! - Phill
What'd you use for adhesive? That's about the only part that makes me paranoid using this method, other than thinking I'll set on a surface plate after I attach to the glass or maybe an in tolerance granite piece to use. Thinking might do for the head as well, if required, for my prius since is needing the head gasket changed. Seems more common than I expected. Thanks for sharing!
The idea that oil drains take the oil to the sump and that goes to the filter is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You are literally running sand through the oil pump and you are spashing it on the crank and cylinder walls, not to mention what the filter doesn't grab acts like a super fine abrasive and literally grinds the crankshaft journals while the engine is running. Simply order a Norton surfacing stone with 100/320 or 100/220 , they are 2" wide and 6 or 8" long. Spray WD40 on the deck surface and your stone, in a Circular pattern clean the surface Starting at one end and continously moving towards the opposite end. After each full pass wipe the deck off with a paper towel to pick up any debri. Clean the stone with wd40 between passes. This takes about 30 minutes but ensures a flat gasket ready surface that is clean.
im thinking that hot glue down the hole would seal it and be easy enough to remove. the cylinders should have been masked off with plastic and tape. after the sanding process is completed id vacuum everything then pull all the seals I made off.
This is the comment I was looking for. Grease around the piston rings works great to prevent filings or fine shavings from getting between the piston heads. An alternative is to use Play-Doh around the piston heads.
@@JustOneSmallExplorer And I was looking for THIS comment. PlayDoh or “Plumbers Putty” is what I’ve always used and have built numerous high-end motors. The last one I built is a Whipple supercharged LS7 putting 1638hp down and has 80,000 miles on it now with nothing more than a water pump replacement over all that time of abuse. People always cut corners….. and find out just how sensitive engines can be with tolerances and particulates.
So, seeing as how this video was posted 5 years ago…. Long-Term review? How long did the new gasket set hold up (or are still going strong)? Just curious, because most people always think they need to spend $3k on machinework on a $300 junkyard motor when stuff like this works perfectly well. Granted, I wouldn’t do this on say a $25k Hellcat motor…. But on a daily beater, it should work just fine. I’ve done a similar thing multiple times only I have a machinist’s block (perfectly flat with zero inconsistencies) that I use instead of glass. Same idea, different tool.
It still works great! The car has 275k on it now. I sold it to my neighbor across the alley (so I still see it all the time) and he hasn't had any issues with it since!
@@tedgianopulos That’s awesome! Glad to hear it worked out. Hope other people start learning to use elbow grease over credit cards and being more self-sufficient as well. Pretty easy to do with CZcams now. Thanks for the response my dude!
Wow, good idea! I know it's a bit over 6 years old, but did it work out? I have a 2.4 Ecotec in the same boat. Don't have the bucks for the (Stupid) Torque To Yield bolts to rebuild. It takes 20 tty bolts to hold the crank plus rod & head bolts. I'm thinking do it in frame like you did! Thanks again for sharing!
Just like Elmer’s glue stick from kinkos. It works best because it’s easy to replace the old paper with new stuff. And it washes off the glass with soap and water.
You showed us how to do this without taking the whole engine out of the car, but wouldn't you need to take it out to clean those oil and coolant passages? I'm assuming those got filled with metal shavings.
It's different for every engine. Sometimes there will be dimples that show how much extra material is left. Once the dimple has been machined away, no more material can be safely removed. The most important thing is to make sure the valves will never hit the pistons, and the pistons will never hit the cylinder head. You can check the clearances with silly putty, modeling clay, or something similar that's soft and easy to work with.
@@eddiesheeran5791Silly putty is an excellent idea. I ground beyond the limit and need to check if the quench will be within spec after shim and an MLS gasket or double MLS gaskets . Thanks!
So my question is what kind of head gasket did you put on, MLS or some kind of composite. I have heard that this method of resurfacing the block can get it within flatness spec but not smoothness and a MLS gasket requires it be very smooth. Sandpaper cannot get it smooth enough. I cannot find a "composite" head gasket for 6th gen Civics so I am curious if you did in fact use a MLS gasket and if it has held up.
I just used a Felpro head gasket. I don't know what MLS is. The metal sandpaper I used was able to get it perfectly flat in my case. If the block was warped though, I could see it not working as well, but the tempered glass was a perfectly flat sanding block for this job.
keep increasing grit...I did this same type of procedure and started out with 100 grit til I was almost flat....then 220 to 320 to 400 to 600 to 800 to 1000 to 1500 to 2000 to 2500 to 3000 to 5000. I ended up basically polishing the surface.
iyi iş çıkarmışsın. bravo. fakat o şekilde fazla çalışmamaya dikkat etmelisin, vücudunun bel bölgesine çok yük bindiriyorsun ve bel ağrısı çekebilirsin.
You're actually right. My back actually was hurting after, but mostly because I was using the wrong sand paper at first. It should have taken me about an hour to sand properly with the correct sand paper but I started out using wet-sand paper instead of metal sandpaper and it took way too long.
This is probably the best way to sand the block at home. Ive tried a few different ways and this is probably the only way one that gave me the flatness to seal the gasket. Biggest mistake I see in most DIY is using sander that is shorter than the block resulting in a concave surface. Thick glass and glass suction cups are spot on. Great video.
you should fill the cylinders with paper or something like this to avoid the metal parts to fall inside.
I suggest pulling the sand paper over the top of the glass and taping it in place. no glue to cause uneven parts
Keep in mind and always check the flat surface of the Tempered glass
I have come to learn and appreciate the technical aspects in undertaking and Milling of an Engines block and attaining required engine specs.
Sure I made errors the first time attempting to resurface the engine block and I would do it again. I honor this CZcams. I think it is ingenious but i can not stress how important it is to always check the flatness of the tempered glass.
I strongly suggest taking a straight edge and Looking at the flatbread/ trueness of the tempered glass. I thought it was a great idea come find out it was off 0.003mm. I just hope Everything works out cause, It is a tremendous amount of work and You want to get it rite the first time.
This was by far the most efficient version I’ve seen on CZcams so far, need to find where I can buy some glass like that..🤔Great video man thanks
So interesting to see this. I was watching a young guy's video yesterday where he was resurfacing a block with sandpaper wrapped around a piece of wood. Yes, really. I suggested that he get a good size piece of either tempered glass ( thicker would be better ) or a scrap of granite from a kitchen counter shop and to do exactly what you are doing. Bravo !
Thanks, Ted really good video... This should have 1 million views valuable information.
Thanks buddy!
I was having slow total coolant loss every 2000km. At first the was no leaking anywhere but eventually some hoses starter to leak. Tightened the hoses more but then the radiator gave up(leaked from top). So the problem was bad head gasket, it was my mistake( I drove the car 30minutes with thermostat clogged and high temperature). I changed head gasket and radiator and thought everything was fine. Then after 3000km coolant reservoir was toping with coolant and wouldn't go back to the system. in order for this to happen air must be in the system. And air without coolant loss can only be from combustion chamber. So another head gasket failure so soon. Everyone said don't mess with head gaskets and change the whole engine cause it's hit and miss. Well I believe that everything can be fixed if not totally broken. So the conclusion is that my mechanic and most mechanics didn't check the block surface not even bother clean it well. Just a little. I went myself to the shop and resurfaced the engine block with exactly the same method. A 6mm glass and sandpaper. I marked the whole surface with a sharpie and sanded A LOT until all sharpie was removed(it was uneven at a corner). Then the block was completely cleaned and straight. I have driven now 6000km from the second headgasket change and there is no coolant loss at all.
So thank you for making the video which inspired me and gave confident to do the same to my car.
Glad it helped! This was my second time doing the head gasket for this car. The first time didn’t take because I didn’t sand down the block so it didn’t hold properly. It’s been a long time and the engine still runs awesome. Haven’t had to do anything to it since.
"Tightened the hoses more"
do yourself a favour, get spring clamp pliers (remote ones if you feel like treating yourself) and ditch all the screw/worm clamps for spring clamps - typically standard parts on VWs and toyotas, some people give them shit, but in my experience the toyota ones are excellent quality and it's not uncommon to see 20 year old ones still holding strong.
spring clamps are better in almost every way - they apply constant pressure no matter what, whether it be thermal expansion and contraction, or age of the hose...they always do their jobs properly. worm clamps can't apply constant pressure if the hose contracts, plus you have to deal with the trouble of a monkey overtightening them, causing the clamps to eat into the hose and sometimes even cause leaks.
Is it still holding up?
@@ajcoolro18 hey, the car did another 80000km before failed again. But the damage was due to lost/no compression at 1 cylinder from a failed/damaged valve, and not due to head gasket failure, coolant loss or heat.
So to answer your question, the fix held ok, ~90000km running on LPG. Fixing one thing(head gasket), restored the compressionand led to the failure of something else(valve). I could fix the valve issue but it would eventually led to another component failure. I decided to change the whole engine.
Same dude same! Except I’m still in due process. The head is getting resurfaced at the shop and I’m leaving the block in the car to do myself. The first time it lasted around 7k miles but I always had slow coolant loss. And I had a cheap aftermarket thermostat. This time, I’ll make sure I do it better
I can't afford a Sunnen but I can buy glass and sandpaper! I've got a 93 BMW 318is with a cracked head and a blown head gasket. I found a good head that's already been surfaced and rebuilt, but I have to check the block too. After 260k miles, it probably needs some resurfacing. Thanks for documenting this Ted, I'm gonna go for it.
Hi Ted, just finished using your system on my 2001 audi V6. Worked great! My block was also still attached. The angles were a little tricky but doable. Thanks again.
Awesome! 👍👍
Nice!! Congrats buddy!
Great idea!! I did the same thing with my cylinder head. It came out flawless. This is the best idea and most effective way to get a great finish and true flat surface. I actually even went to the same business you got the glass from. Super cool guy. Thanks you. I appreciate it.
Nice!! Glad it worked!
How is it running til this day? Might just make the call and pick up same glass from same place lol I’m rebuilding my d15b7
So resurface the actual head of the motor at a local machine shop and resurface the actual block of the motor by hand. Seems legit. Need to do this to my Honda ASAP
This is the first I have seen this method. Very ingenious!
Ken Shoufer it’s been a year and mar is still running like new after this! Thank you!
I DID THIS A FEW YRS AGO...JUST LIKE YOU FOUND OUT IF YOU START OUT WITH 80 GRIT THEN 120 TO 400 GRIT...BUT???....JUST LIKE YOU HAD THE BOARD TO BIG...YOU DO WANT IT TO BE LONG ENOUGH TO GO OVER THE BLOCK EVERY TIME YOU DO ONE STROKE...BUT I CUT BOARD IN HALF...THAT GAVE ME A FULL 2INCHES OF BACK AND FORTH...THE LENGTH NEEDS TO GO ACROSS THE WHOLE BLOCK SIDE TO SIDE BACK AND FORTH...IT TOOK ME ABOUT 38MIN...80/ 120/400...GRIT...ON BOTH SIDES..THE BACK OF THE V6...AND THE FRONT SIDE OF THE BLOCK...THE HEADS WAS DONE EXACTLY THE SAME WAY...THEN CLEAN EVERY THING OFF AS BEST YOU CAN..WIPE BACK UP..THEN WIPE BACK DOWN WITH OIL...USE COMMON SENCE..WHEN DEALING WITH FUNCTIONS OF A MOTOR
Thanks Ted. Great idea
Thanks ted. Noticed mine warp too. About .004.
Thanks Ted! Needed this
Hi I'm changing the head gasket now on my daughter's 2000 honda civic 1.6. Did your method of sanding the block work? No leaks after reassembly? Thx! - Phill
20"x8" for glass size?
What'd you use for adhesive? That's about the only part that makes me paranoid using this method, other than thinking I'll set on a surface plate after I attach to the glass or maybe an in tolerance granite piece to use. Thinking might do for the head as well, if required, for my prius since is needing the head gasket changed. Seems more common than I expected. Thanks for sharing!
Very helpful!
Im about to try this do i not need to be paranoid about rhe grit getting everywhere?
Where did you get a giant sheet of sandpaper?
What glue did you use to attach the paper to the glass?
Couldn't help but notice that all of the oil return holes were open/left unplugged while you were sanding. As an engine builder I cringed. 😬
What would you use and how would you block those holes? I'm probably going to resurface the block on our van sometime this summer
Well, oil drains take oil to the sump where it would be taken to the filter
The idea that oil drains take the oil to the sump and that goes to the filter is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. You are literally running sand through the oil pump and you are spashing it on the crank and cylinder walls, not to mention what the filter doesn't grab acts like a super fine abrasive and literally grinds the crankshaft journals while the engine is running.
Simply order a Norton surfacing stone with 100/320 or 100/220 , they are 2" wide and 6 or 8" long. Spray WD40 on the deck surface and your stone, in a Circular pattern clean the surface Starting at one end and continously moving towards the opposite end. After each full pass wipe the deck off with a paper towel to pick up any debri. Clean the stone with wd40 between passes. This takes about 30 minutes but ensures a flat gasket ready surface that is clean.
im thinking that hot glue down the hole would seal it and be easy enough to remove. the cylinders should have been masked off with plastic and tape. after the sanding process is completed id vacuum everything then pull all the seals I made off.
I’m sure it’s in the comments but what were all the dimensions of the glass??
Te recomiendo poner grasa en los pistones para evitar arena de la lija en los anillos
This is the comment I was looking for. Grease around the piston rings works great to prevent filings or fine shavings from getting between the piston heads. An alternative is to use Play-Doh around the piston heads.
@@JustOneSmallExplorer And I was looking for THIS comment. PlayDoh or “Plumbers Putty” is what I’ve always used and have built numerous high-end motors. The last one I built is a Whipple supercharged LS7 putting 1638hp down and has 80,000 miles on it now with nothing more than a water pump replacement over all that time of abuse. People always cut corners….. and find out just how sensitive engines can be with tolerances and particulates.
So, seeing as how this video was posted 5 years ago…. Long-Term review? How long did the new gasket set hold up (or are still going strong)? Just curious, because most people always think they need to spend $3k on machinework on a $300 junkyard motor when stuff like this works perfectly well. Granted, I wouldn’t do this on say a $25k Hellcat motor…. But on a daily beater, it should work just fine. I’ve done a similar thing multiple times only I have a machinist’s block (perfectly flat with zero inconsistencies) that I use instead of glass. Same idea, different tool.
It still works great! The car has 275k on it now. I sold it to my neighbor across the alley (so I still see it all the time) and he hasn't had any issues with it since!
@@tedgianopulos That’s awesome! Glad to hear it worked out. Hope other people start learning to use elbow grease over credit cards and being more self-sufficient as well. Pretty easy to do with CZcams now. Thanks for the response my dude!
What was the measurents of the tempered glass ??
Wow, good idea!
I know it's a bit over 6 years old, but did it work out? I have a 2.4 Ecotec in the same boat. Don't have the bucks for the (Stupid) Torque To Yield bolts to rebuild. It takes 20 tty bolts to hold the crank plus rod & head bolts. I'm thinking do it in frame like you did!
Thanks again for sharing!
Where did you buy the sandpaper that big
They sell packs of large square pieces. I had to cut them so they didn't hang off the sides of the glass
Did one sheet of sand paper fit the whole glass or u had to use two sheets?
I had to use 1 and a half of another. just made sure I cut it so it was flush with the edge of the first piece.
what glue did you use to glue the sand paper to the glass ? im having a bad time finding one that even works decently
Just like Elmer’s glue stick from kinkos. It works best because it’s easy to replace the old paper with new stuff. And it washes off the glass with soap and water.
I used Super 77 spray, but Elmer's would save money and may work just as well. I also take a roller over the sand paper to smooth out the adhesive.
You showed us how to do this without taking the whole engine out of the car, but wouldn't you need to take it out to clean those oil and coolant passages? I'm assuming those got filled with metal shavings.
I cleaned it all out with a microfiber towel and some oil on it. Worked great.
What sand paper did you use bro
They sell these packs of Metal Sand Paper by 3M. They have 3 kinds in one pack. Coarse medium and fine. All in one pack.
How did you get your pistons to go all the way down like that
I turned the crankshaft until they were in the spots I needed.
@@tedgianopulos thank you bro!
You need an engine dye so when you sand you know the high and low spots
What’s the max amount you can take off the block or head?
It's different for every engine. Sometimes there will be dimples that show how much extra material is left. Once the dimple has been machined away, no more material can be safely removed. The most important thing is to make sure the valves will never hit the pistons, and the pistons will never hit the cylinder head. You can check the clearances with silly putty, modeling clay, or something similar that's soft and easy to work with.
@@eddiesheeran5791Silly putty is an excellent idea. I ground beyond the limit and need to check if the quench will be within spec after shim and an MLS gasket or double MLS gaskets . Thanks!
So my question is what kind of head gasket did you put on, MLS or some kind of composite. I have heard that this method of resurfacing the block can get it within flatness spec but not smoothness and a MLS gasket requires it be very smooth. Sandpaper cannot get it smooth enough. I cannot find a "composite" head gasket for 6th gen Civics so I am curious if you did in fact use a MLS gasket and if it has held up.
I just used a Felpro head gasket. I don't know what MLS is. The metal sandpaper I used was able to get it perfectly flat in my case. If the block was warped though, I could see it not working as well, but the tempered glass was a perfectly flat sanding block for this job.
@@tedgianopulos MLS is multi layer steel... I think the FelPro is an MLS gasket.
@@tedgianopulos MLS: multi layer steel. Consists of 3 layers of steel. A composite is the older conventional kind, feels more like organic material.
Yes it was an MLS one. 👍
keep increasing grit...I did this same type of procedure and started out with 100 grit til I was almost flat....then 220 to 320 to 400 to 600 to 800 to 1000 to 1500 to 2000 to 2500 to 3000 to 5000. I ended up basically polishing the surface.
What is the size of the tempered glass?
For this engine I used 20’ x 8’
@@waltersob2000 20'=20 feet. 20"=20 in. No pun intended
What about glass thickness anyone?
Trying to order from same place just wanna make sure what thickness I need. They quoted me 1/4 inch thick for about 15ish
ALL YOUR DUST GOING DOWN TO NEED IT THE ENGINE GOOD LUCK YOU GOING
id think paper towls soaked in wd40 placed in the cylinders would help catch almost all shavings,
iyi iş çıkarmışsın. bravo. fakat o şekilde fazla çalışmamaya dikkat etmelisin, vücudunun bel bölgesine çok yük bindiriyorsun ve bel ağrısı çekebilirsin.
You're actually right. My back actually was hurting after, but mostly because I was using the wrong sand paper at first. It should have taken me about an hour to sand properly with the correct sand paper but I started out using wet-sand paper instead of metal sandpaper and it took way too long.
What glue did you use?
I used Scotch Permanent glue stick. But it’s not really permanent. You can switch out the paper easily.
Do not do this ,That's stupid what are u gonna do when you get glass In the engine
🤣 I don’t see how glass is getting in the engine but ok