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Puking out coolant!

If he's already having the head gaskets done, it shouldn't cost any more to have them install ARP head studs. Unless he's got a dealer that likes to rip him off. Shaving the heads is kind of a moot point in this situation because it's warranty, but mine were both warped and had rings of corrosion at the cylinders. They told me they had to take off .006" to take care of it. Even if they had to take off .0079" I don't think I would worry about it. The newer design head gaskets are thicker.
As far as needing head studs, I may never have a need for them. But it makes me feel a lot better that they are there. It's always better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and need it.
 
Update

Just thought I'd give everyone an update...Dealer is replacing my head gaskets under warranty. All I have to pay is the $100 dollar deductible. :D 90k on the truck...man that's cutting it close!
 
Sparky8370 said:
If he's already having the head gaskets done, it shouldn't cost any more to have them install ARP head studs. Unless he's got a dealer that likes to rip him off. Shaving the heads is kind of a moot point in this situation because it's warranty, but mine were both warped and had rings of corrosion at the cylinders. They told me they had to take off .006" to take care of it. Even if they had to take off .0079" I don't think I would worry about it. The newer design head gaskets are thicker.
As far as needing head studs, I may never have a need for them. But it makes me feel a lot better that they are there. It's always better to have it and not need it, than to not have it and need it.
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the newer design gaskets are not thicker, there is just 3 designs available. most everyone i have ever used or seen used are the thickest ones.
head studs being installed by the dealer will net a larger charge as they are more work to install. unless your tech is working for free....my feelings on them are varied. i will be doing my head gaskets soon, i am not going to install them. i'd rather have the 700 bucks in my pocket. if they were needed gm would have put them on. the results from many people without them are just as good as the ones with them. personal opinion
 
CtChevy427 said:
Thats good news for your wallet. How long has the dealer had your truck?
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Seems like forever but they just looked at it either last Friday or Mon. It's been there for a while sitting in the parking lot because I couldn't get my programmer out. Finally figured out the issue and got it outta there! Last week Tuesday.
 
Max Attitude said:
It's been there for a while sitting in the parking lot because I couldn't get my programmer out. Finally figured out the issue and got it outta there! Last week Tuesday.
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Thats right I remember that. What did you do to fix that problem.
 
Well, I had an aftermarket radio in the truck at one point and didn't have a problem....that one got ripped off. Got a new one with a different door chime module...same brand module, different model. This one interferes with the programming. :icon_bs:
 
stacks04 said:
the newer design gaskets are not thicker, there is just 3 designs available. most everyone i have ever used or seen used are the thickest ones.
head studs being installed by the dealer will net a larger charge as they are more work to install. unless your tech is working for free....my feelings on them are varied. i will be doing my head gaskets soon, i am not going to install them. i'd rather have the 700 bucks in my pocket. if they were needed gm would have put them on. the results from many people without them are just as good as the ones with them. personal opinion
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I don't have the notes with that I took when I ordered them, but there was a thickness difference between the original head gaskets on my truck and the ones I bought. At least according to the parts guys computer. And these were OEM. As far as the head studs taking longer, well yeah they may take a little longer. But the amount of time it adds is pretty insignificant. And I'd say that even if they added an hour to the time, the tech would still get it done well under the book time.
I put them in just in case I ever do anything crazy. They only cost me $580 delivered.
 
no, head jobs on these dont get done under book time. book time is 11hrs. if your doing studs than engine removal is required and that pays 18 hrs alone. but you dont get that because your claiming head gaskets. and yes gm offers 3 choices for gaskets, but unless you had the thinnest one to begin with you cant machine much and add the thickest gasket.
 
The dealer says my heads are fine...no machining or replacement is needed. Does that sound right? I didn't run the truck very much after I noticed they were bad. I hear a lot of people replace or try machining them.
 
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stacks04 said:
no, head jobs on these dont get done under book time. book time is 11hrs. if your doing studs than engine removal is required and that pays 18 hrs alone. but you dont get that because your claiming head gaskets. and yes gm offers 3 choices for gaskets, but unless you had the thinnest one to begin with you cant machine much and add the thickest gasket.
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Huh, I was told the book called for 35 hours, are you sure you're not looking at warranty time? When I did my studs I didn't remove my motor. The only tricky part was the rear stud on the driver's side head. I just ran the nut all the way down the top of the stud and dropped it in the head as if I was using head bolts. (You would have to put that one in with bolts anyway) Then after I just spun the nut off and turned the stud in.

On edit, here's a post from another forum that I found when I searched duramax head gaskets book time.
We do them all with the body and front end still on. If we are going to do an engine we remove the body. Their is no easy way to do head gaskets. You have to do both sides at the same time. The book time on this is 34.8 hours. Its a complete pain in the ass and SHOULD NOT be peroformed by someone who has any doubts about doing it. Their is lots that can go wrong. You also need to remove the heads and then order the gaskets as per the thicknesses. They are different side to side and their is 3 different options.
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