05 GMC Sierra head gasket replacement

[Vinny Guthrie]

I have a 05 GMC Sierra 1500 with the 5.3 with 220k miles and am replacing the head gasket and valve cover gaskets soon. I have a small oil leak and I'm losing some coolant. I'm newish to working on my own vehicles and this is the first time I will have done a maintenance item this big (my experience is limited to breaks, engine and differential oil changes and other minor cosmetic fixes). Is there anything else I should look at fixing/replacing while I do this while I have everything taken apart? Really just trying to extend the life of the truck as long as possible. Thanks for any and all tips! 

[CamGTP]

While you are doing the work I would look at your cylinder heads and see if they are Castech heads, those were known to cause coolant loss problems. You can google what to look for.

 

Otherwise, just replace what you think should be done. You are already doing head gaskets, intake gaskets, valve cover gaskets. Check your hoses and what not.

 

My suggestion is to pull the lifter trays out and check all the lifter rollers, make sure they are all smooth. Also check each lobe on the camshaft. Some of those engines will have worn lobes and it's best to catch it now. Also check how loose the lifters fit in the lifter trays, if they seem loose, replace the trays.