Collars in coolant pass. between heads and block?

AZNEAL311

New Member
Sep 1, 2006
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Phoenix
I am replacing my head gaskets and on the drivers side there are a couple of collars that sit in the coolant passages but none on the passenger side. Could that be why i was leaking from the heads/block? My gaskets looked fine. Anyone know what they are or even what I am talking about lol. And if they are needed or not?
 
They are head dowls, they help line up the gasket with the head and block when you are installing it all. I don't think they are needed, you can use the head bolts to line up the gasket. As for the leak, I couldn't say, i've never had that problem.
 
i think they do more than just locate the gasket on the block. i would get some to put in there. look to see if they are stuck in the head that came off that side. if not, i would find some new ones and put them in. they hold in the right place. i dont think it would be wise to not have them
 
Those alignment dowels, as stated, may well be still in the head, so check that out. But although they're not critical, they are important. In the event your alignment is off on rebuild, or the head begins to lift (generally due to overpressurization of the cylinder, failed head gasket, or stretched / cracked / loose head bolts), your alignment is toast and you may end up with more damage than you may have had otherwise (i.e., 4 cylinders lose compression vice only one or two).
 
I checked the head and found one of the dowels. So I figure it might of fell to the floor or it is sitting on top of the k-member. Of course there might of only been one on that side to begin with but I will look around for it. Thanks for the info guys.
 
The cheap replacement is a piece of 1/2" copper pipe 1/2" long with a slit cut along the length. By varying the amount of material you remove when cutting the slit, you can make a perfect fit.