Head Gasket replacement question.

phiebert

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I finally got my car up on the hoist this afternoon and had good news and bad news. The good news is that the excessive smell of coolant I was having was a result of a serious leaking from both hoses that connect to the thermostat housing. The hoses were fine, for some reason both of the clamps on the hoses were completely loose. Just fixed the clamp problem and the coolant pressure tested fine. Jon B, add this one to your list of why you might smell coolant! And thanks for telling me what to look for.

However, while under there we also noticed that there are slight drip marks down the head showing signs of minor leakage at some point past the head gasket. It didn't leak when we had a lot of pressure on the system but I'm still considering replacing the gasket anyway.

My question is, since the Gen I cars were notorious for head gasket leaks, is there a certain gasket I should get so I don't have to replace it again? Are the factory ones you order from Chrysler good now or is there an after market one that is better?
 
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