V2203 cylinder head interchange

[wildfan]

I have a 753 f series with a Kubota V2203 engine. I blew the head gaskets. I know these are notorious for cracking. I see there are a lot of options for a new head. My question though is that the ones I see for sale have the 10 bolt valve cover where maybe mine is 4 bolt and on the combustion surface, there are two small holes on the outside of the outboard cylinders where mine only has two holes between the cylinders. Is the head interchangeable from m the old to new style? Both are for indirect injection. Attached are some pictures of this difference. I would have the old style but will the new style work?

 

[Tazza]

I don't think you'll have any issues with the new style head. The missing two water holes don't move much coolant, the main ones are still there, just make sure you ensure you get the correct thickness head gasket, if you took a metal one off, put one back on, same if it was composite, top clearance is very important.

I work for a company that rebuilds diesels engines, we call the newer style head the B version, it has both styles of rocker cover holes so it's backwards compatible, the older style have the 4 studs in the middle to hold the rocker cover on, the newer ones have a rocker cover with bolts that go around the outside. This head also fits the 2403 (same bore size, but longer stroke) that i believe uses the later style rocker cover.

One thing to check before you put it on, is there is a grub screw in the thermostat housing mounting point, this seals the oil gallery, make sure it's tight or even remove it and put thread sealant on. Some came with grub screws, others have ball bearings pressed in, to ensure it doesn't pump oil into your cooling system.

Another note, if you do have a composite head gasket, ensure you re-tension it after 6-10 hrs of operation, they do compress, metal ones won't, they are set and forget.

 

[wildfan]

Just to follow-up on this one. I purchased a new cylinder head from an internet outfit for about $300 (no core required). The head ended up being the new style but there were taps for my valve cover design. I put everything together and it runs great. The only thing I noticed, and I haven't spent a lot of time on this, but the frost plug for the coolant heater seems to be a smaller diameter than the OEM. They look the same, but the OEM coolant heater would not work. Fortunately I don't operate this in the winter, but I had no issues starting it this spring at 20-30 degrees with just the glow plugs.