How to replace your head and head gasket pt. 1- 1992 Mazda B2600i

Here is how I changed the head and gasket on my 1992 Mazda B2600i pickup truck. This was the first time I have ever done a head gasket repair, and I have to say that most everything went according to plan. It was actually a lot easier than I anticipated. Total work time was about 14 hours, plus 2 weeks waiting for parts to arrive, that was the hardest part, haha. I am not especially mechanically trained or inclined, just interested in mechanics and the way they work, and that has helped me tremendously through procedures like this. I have found that since I want to learn about the way these parts connect, disconnect, and cooperate together, I have been able to do things to my cars and trucks that I never thought I could.

Taking care of your own vehicles is definitely a rewarding activity, for many reasons. Obviously you save a lot of money, you can rely on yourself to get your truck running in a jam, and are rarely stranded on the side of the road for long. Also, with more people doing their own work on their cars, mechanic services will be devalued, thus making it more affordable for everyone ($100 per labor hour, can you believe that?!?) Also, there is definitely a sense of satisfaction which comes from a job well done, being an interested and capable and competent individual, and helping out your friends with their problems. I like to learn, I like to be handy and useful to others, I like to save money, and I like to get dirty, so whenever I can I wrench on my own trucks and motorcycles.

A special thanks to the fine folks at the Mazdatruckin.com forum for all the technical articles. Hopefully you all can use this series of videos to help guide you through a similar procedure, really it is not that hard, and totally worth it.

My expenses:
head gasket $44
reman head $251
jug oil $12
jug coolant $14
manifold gasket set $14
TOTAL $335

That is about $1000 less than a mechanic would charge. Be brave, and do it yourself!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• repair
• replace
• replacement
• fix
• change
• mazda
• 2600
• b2200
• b3000
• b4000
• b2000
• b1600
• pickup
• head
• gasket
• crack
• leak
• warp
• warped
• procedure
• mechanic
• be
• brave
• and
• take
• care
• of
• your
• own
• vehicles
• machines
• they
• will
• you

[64Albere]

Informative video.. I got simple car engine knowledge from this. Just be careful when opening the radiator; I have read a hot radiator cap opened at the wrong time could have permitted hot radiator fluid to explosively escape which could have burned your face / eyes . I could be wrong; what do you think ?

[mrmaxstorey]

@64Albere If the cap is hot to the touch, its probably not safe to remove. However if the vehicle is still warming up then you can remove it without any chance of exploding steam

[zeros5262]

was also woundering sence its 4x4. does it got a solid front axle or is it independent?

[mrmaxstorey]

@zeros5262 Im sure its independent but I sold the truck over a year ago to buy a bigger GMC so I dont really know 

[Karburatorix]

great video dude, nicely explained, great to see people working on their cars, who actually document what they do.

[mrmaxstorey]

@Karburatorix Thanks man it was half a selfish endeavor, wanted to make sure I had a record of how it all went back together haha

[zeros5262]

lmao! i was looking at this cuz i might have 2 replace the head and gasket on my step dads B2000.

[mrmaxstorey]

@RoC1909 Good luc man as you can see, the repair really isnt that difficult

[RoC1909]

What a fantastic video! My 1995 Mustang LX just blew a head gasket. Instead of getting it fixed, I just bought a new car :) Let me tell you, it's not because I am rich...far from it. It was long overdue that I had a new vehicle. Anyway, one of my co-workers might delve into this repair and try and fix it ourselves. Since I know pretty much ZERO about cars, this would be a fantastic job to learn. Thanks again!

[mrmaxstorey]

@madwonderland Lol thanks yeah one thing I dont like about expertvilliage is you gotta watcha million videos to get thru the thing. They are a lot more professional than I am tho...they teach me stuff too