Rep Power: 0

So I am new to anything other than jeeps.

I am replacing my headgasket.

I opened up my motor and took off the gasket.

There is a space around the cylinders I have never seen before and its filled with a combanation of oil and a very thin fluid what belongs in that passage.

Coolant? or Oil?? hoping no rain got in there.

 
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Rep Power: 210

Is called the coolant jacket and during normal operation it's filled with coolant to help cool the block/cylinders. There's a 17mm drain plug on the firewall side of the block and near the knock sensor. Put the car on front jack stands, remove that drain plug and pour distilled water into the coolant jacket to help wash out old fluid and debri.

If, you haven't drained the oil yet.. it's good to do so because there will be some coolant in the oil pan with a blown head gasket (per Ezone) With the oil drain bolt out (better to remove entire oil pain and clean it) pour some new oil through the block's oil drain passages to flush out old oil and coolant. Do this a couple times or more using a half quart each time. When you get everything back together flush out your coolant system with distilled water: first with 17mm block drain bolt out and second with block drain bolt in. Add 50/50 antifreeze when you're sure the coolant system is clean.

Great vid on head gasket replacement:

 
Rep Power: 517

Water jacket. Coolant, not oil.
This is an "open deck" block, meaning the cylinders are standing alone with no casting or webbing supporting the tops of the cylinders.


Don't forget to have the head checked for flatness and milled if necessary.



Not because of the blown head gasket itself.
This happens when one does not drain the block of coolant prior to removing the head.

 
Rep Power: 210

When I did mine a while ago I removed the petcock (hehe) and drained coolant but, I didn't remove the block drain. The fluid in his water jacket looks brown..oil/coolant mix or maybe it was just running on water and no coolant at all?

 
Rep Power: 517

Politically Correct: Pet Chicken
There is a bunch of oil held in the cylinder head that dumps all over when you lift and tilt it. That's where the oil mess came from.