I was going to advance my timing 3* but when I check it already is advanced a little but I noticed a little bit of water under the intake manifold on the passenger side right along the head near the front. Haven't seen any white smoke until today when I reved it once I saw a little white smoke in my rear view mirror but not when I was going down the road. I've been meaning to replace the gaskets anyway with new ones but It looks like it may be mandatory. How long should I drive like that if it is just leaking outside of the engine and not getting into the cylinders? I have been checking the water level to make sure it has enough.

Oh yeah how hard is it to change the gasket and what is needed besides the gaskets themselves? Do i need some RTV?

do yourself a favor and buy new head bolts , i didn't and i wish i would have. don't forget intake and exhaust manifold gaskets.

Get a head gasket kit - it has all the gaskets you need EXCEPT the head gaskets themselves. Makes it easy. You will need high temp RTV at least for the valve covers, and some recommend it for the exhaust manifold instead of a gasket. I have no opinion on that. No RTV goes on the head gasket itself.

farmer0_1 is right about new head bolts. As I understand it head bolts need replacing because they stretch when they are installed and using already-stretched bolts is a bad thing.

What do I do about the injector lines and such?

Get a head gasket kit - it has all the gaskets you need EXCEPT the head gaskets themselves. Makes it easy. You will need high temp RTV at least for the valve covers, and some recommend it for the exhaust manifold instead of a gasket. I have no opinion on that. No RTV goes on the head gasket itself.

farmer0_1 is right about new head bolts. As I understand it head bolts need replacing because they stretch when they are installed and using already-stretched bolts is a bad thing.

I just bought a gasket set from Corteco, came with everything but the plenum gaskets and valve seals.

If your using the stock cast iron exhaust manifolds, don't use a gasket. If your really paranoid, just use some high temp copper rtv.

This job I am doing tomorrow, will be using studs, weren't that expensive really.

What do I do about the injector lines and such?

Remove them. I left the injection pump in place.

in my opinion, considering the size of the job, it is worth it spending a few extra bucks for quality FelPro gaskets... their intake gaskets are special plastic, exhaust are nice graphite with easy-tabs for installation, and if you get the head gasket for 6.5L those have metal rings around cylinders... true on head bolts, must be replaced every time they are TTY (torque to yield) - you torque them to 20 lbs, then 50 lbs, then 90 degrees is the tty spec... valve covers work best with silicone instead of gaskets, my preference is permatex ultra copper... injector lines are reuseable, just dont forget some anti-seize when re-installing... injectors and glow plugs could get looked at to see if replacement needed... also expect about 50-50 percent chance of at least one of your heads being cracked either between the valves or into the cooling passages... i strongly suggest pressure washing them and then using some wet 200 grit paper to clean the gasket surfaces and inspect for cracking

excuse my ignorance but what is wrong with the exhaust gaskets? I have used the fel-pro gaskets in two of my diesels and I have never had them leak. Am I just lucky?

in my opinion, considering the size of the job, it is worth it spending a few extra bucks for quality FelPro gaskets... their intake gaskets are special plastic, exhaust are nice graphite with easy-tabs for installation, and if you get the head gasket for 6.5L those have metal rings around cylinders... true on head bolts, must be replaced every time they are TTY (torque to yield) - you torque them to 20 lbs, then 50 lbs, then 90 degrees is the tty spec... valve covers work best with silicone instead of gaskets, my preference is permatex ultra copper... injector lines are reuseable, just dont forget some anti-seize when re-installing... injectors and glow plugs could get looked at to see if replacement needed... also expect about 50-50 percent chance of at least one of your heads being cracked either between the valves or into the cooling passages... i strongly suggest pressure washing them and then using some wet 200 grit paper to clean the gasket surfaces and inspect for cracking

Fel-Pro are ok, I prefer Corteco, they don't use Graphite for head gaskets which is pure garbage.

excuse my ignorance but what is wrong with the exhaust gaskets? I have used the fel-pro gaskets in two of my diesels and I have never had them leak. Am I just lucky?

The cast iron manifolds are very rigid as are the heads, when tightened up, they form a nice seal. If the flanges are pitted, then yeah but I have found that for stock applications, no gaskets are needed and are a weak point for leaks later on.

I did this about three years ago on my Van. Yes get the Felpro set and new Bolts do everything folks have said here about the high temp on the Valve cover gaskets. Make sure you have the head decked. Mine was a slight leak inside but the head wasn't warped had it cleaned up. Might be a good time to have your valves looked at have the head cleaned up real good. Bolts are a real need here though. I have always used the Gaskets on the exhaust and have had no problem but yes the ones with the Metal around them are the best. While you have it opened clean the top of the pistons and sidewalls and vacum it out real good then give the walls a light coat of 90wt before firing it up. Gonna have to bleed the system also. Goodluck. You don't have to do both Like I said I did this one in2004 and have driven it about 15,000 miles across the country with no problems.:)