Coolant part 2

[Monza Harry]

I mentioned this before and Cammerjeff has pointed this out and your picture shows weld at the bottom of the water jacket, that is the place to look. Did you say there is welding done to the head too? The paint trick isn't necessarily for immediate disassembly, it is for a clean disass'y allowing inspection of gaskets with or without sealant, track side with no fear of material falling somewhere it shouldn't to get back in the race. Weld and aluminum aren't friends I am afraid your bock isn't long for this world, and welded heads are fearful at best. I hope something else is the problem, but I'm not optimistic here. I think you should do the tests outlined in the above posts and eliminate or confirm the block and head as the problem. Harry

[dindin]

I think I may have found it...I looked into the bolt holes and one of them had water in it..the hole next to it is the drain back into the pan..looks like this is where the gasket failed..

leak bolt.jpg

block new2.jpg

[dindin]

I mentioned this before and Cammerjeff has pointed this out and your picture shows weld at the bottom of the water jacket, that is the place to look. Did you say there is welding done to the head too? The paint trick isn't necessarily for immediate disassembly, it is for a clean disass'y allowing inspection of gaskets with or without sealant, track side with no fear of material falling somewhere it shouldn't to get back in the race. Weld and aluminum aren't friends I am afraid your bock isn't long for this world, and welded heads are fearful at best. I hope something else is the problem, but I'm not optimistic here. I think you should do the tests outlined in the above posts and eliminate or confirm the block and head as the problem. Harry

I was wondering if someone would pick up that repair Harry, its where a rod went through the block back in the 80's, I can see where it was patched from inside, not a big deal..I see what you mean about the gaskets now, this is my first time doing this..the head was just welded on the surface to repair some pitting, nothing major..

I did do some tests to check for combustion gasses in the radiator and it was clean, I also used a dripless funnel to burp the radiator, it ran without any bubbles showing and it sat for a few days without losing water.

The 2 weak links in this are me cause I never did anything like this before and the gasket cause its not realy been used much.

hopefully I found the issue and I won't need to call the grim smelter

Thanks Al

[dindin]

There is a way to pressure the coolant jacket, the area around the cylinders. Use the old head gasket, out the head on and torque it down. (This a great reason to have studs!) Then fab up a plate to cover the water pump spot. On the plate, weld up a air inlet to allow you to use pressurized air. Then pressurize it with an air compressor. (Think like you are blowing up a tire). Get it to about 70-80 psi, and let it sit overnight. Then check the pressure in the morning. If it has dropped, there is a crack in the block sonewhere. A little easier method is to put a solid plate over the waterpump hole, and just fill the waterjacket to the lip of the cylinders and let it sit for about 6-10 hours. Check it, and see if the water level dropped. If it did, you have a cracked block. A cracked block somewhere in the waterjacket would make some sense, since the coolant got into the oil, and not in the combustion chamber. I am still puzzled by the no white smoke part though.I am sure you are like me, you want to know the issue before reassembling, other wise you are looking at possibly the same outcome. (If you don't mind, can you send me some pictures via email of your car and specificly the engine running stand? I have been contemplating making one and have an idea in my head, but seeing one in pictures would be nice.)

As I wrote to Harry I did do a combustion check for gasses and also I had the dripless funnel sit filled halfway for a few days...anyways I think think maybe I'll just use a vega gasket ..do you recommend and sealer like hylomar or copper??

I will take some shots when I get a chance and email them..car is in pieces at the moment for what started out as an oil leak fix

Thanks Al

[buddyleejjc2]

I still am a little concerned, assuming the head gasket failed. But if you are confident, go with it. I recommend putting head gaskets on dry, no sealer, etc. Some people recommend a light coating if you are using a used head gasket, but I have never done that. Replacing head gaskets is not cheap, and or fun! Good luck, let us know your progress, and if there is anything else we can try and help with.
P.S. Well done putting a rod through the side of the block! Been there, done that myself, Now that will make the engine smoke!

John J.

[dindin]

Whats your concern?? Im not that confident! Just looking for a way out.

Al

[hammerdown7]

If you use a regular Vega gasket, just remember to put an oil restrictor in the small oil passage hole in the head.

Dick

[dindin]

Thanks Dick will do,

I just got 5 nos head gaskests on ebay, hopefully I will only be needing one of them for this build.


Al