problem one
first bike 1997 400l 6x6 after unsuccessful topend rebuild {ill take the blame but i am sure i did it right :-) } warped head --- had head and cylinder machined -- no more head gaskets blowing but the gasket weeps and leaks fluid out and down the front of the engine is there any thing i should coat head gaskets with before install or was it poor machine work ???

problem two
2003 6x6 ranger when shifting from reverse, neutral, or low to high the trans never engaged correctly and the driver must pull it in and out of gear several time to catch it just right is this an adjustment or just worn out ??? thanks scott

 

Main cause of warped heads and cylinders on the 350 and 400 engine other than running low on coolant,fan sensors,etc is that when you install a new top end even if it's right, a lot of people forget to bleed the air out of the cooling system. 10 mm drain bolt at rear of heat next to the temp sensor must be opened to purge all air or engines will over heat quickly and warp heads and cylinders. Have had this happen several times on customers that have done most of their own work! Some have even seized up a new piston because of this. If the head gasket is leaking then you need to have the head/cylinder checked out again. NO coating on the gasket as it may get into cooling ports and may not work any way!As far as shifting you can try to adjust the linkage:just place in neutral remove linkage from shift box,loosen linkage ends to where you can adjust them in or out and adjust to where they fall straight into the shift box levers,then tighten the lock nuts and 10 mm nuts on shift linkage ends. Sometimes this helps,but a lot of times it's because of worn out shift boxes! When you have the linkage ends off the shift box check for a lot of slack on the shift lever back and forth while in neutral. If it does then adjustment may not solve the problem! OPT

 

thank you for the quick response -- on the drain plug, best technique for bleeding ? what have done before is to fill engine with coolant start the bike let it idle add more cooolant till it is full and warm turn off bike check drain plug { always coolant present at plug } replace plug top off coolant replace radiator cap add 1/2 reservoir to overflow start and idle for 15 - 20 minutes repeat --- iam starting to doubt my old crusty torque wrench though !!

 

Simple procedure on the 400,just fill the radiator to the top,loosen the 10mm bleed bolt on the head,when all bubbles are gone and just coolant flowing out,tighten the bolt and that's it. You don't even have to crank the engine! You can now crank it and top off radiator and the overflow bottle. It's not like a four stroke engine with a thermostat that has to open to allow air to bleed!OPT