Possible headgasket failure...

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps..It seems that ever since i changed the inlet manifold i have been losing water somewhere..There is none in the oil..No sweet water coming out of the exhaust...No wet patches on the floor or white marks around or near anything..I did use some gasket seal on the gaskets, Not loads..I have re-tightened the bolts on the manifold as they needed a tweak..I am losing around a third to a half of a header tank each time i drive it..I will get a hydrocarbon test done on the coolant this week and check the plugs...This did happen before but then i had the radiator recored and tested the thermostat which was new and fitted a new thermostat housing..Which seemed to cure it?..But now its happening again..Surely a head gasket would not start failing and then be ok and then start failing again..Although saying that it did on a V6 camry that i had..Typical, I have an MOT in a couple of weeks and the BBWF is getting ever closer..All suggestions welcome..Cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Cheers for the info chaps..
Chris..I didnt have any skimming as it was concluded that it wasnt the head gasket at fault..Then..
Beario..Im hoping that this could be the case, I only used green hermatite and only a thin smear, I should of got myself some good quality RTV sealant as this was also suggested by the ford guy..I dont really want to dismantle it all again but will if i have to..
Checked the temperature and the thermostat is opening at the correct temp, The fan is switching on and off..The plugs look normal..There was a little bit of sooty deposit around the top of the neck on the rad but only a light rusty colour on the inside of the expansion tank..Just waiting for it to cool a little so i can squeeze the top hose and release the expansion cap to see if it bubbles over..If not it should be ok..Cheers..Ziga


UPDATE:

Squeezed the top radiator pipe and undid the reservoir cap..No bubbling over or champagne bubbles/Foam visible..Going to take it for a little drive to see..(As its a gorgeous day)..Cheers.

Edited by mrzigazaga on Sunday 25th March 14:05

[mrzigazaga]

RCK974X said:

on my '82 V6, there is a pipe connected to the overflow bottle which goes out neatly down though chassis almost to the road, and I found my loss of water was the rad cap on the overflow bottle.

Hi Mate..I have a catch tank connected to my overflow pipe from the expansion tank to catch any water loss and i have replaced both the radiator cap and the expansion cap..The water doesnt seem to be going into the catch tank..I went out for a drive earlier and when i got back i checked it and i hadnt lost a drop?..Im hoping that the tweaking of the inlet bolts done the trick..I will keep an eye on it...I do need to replace all the anchillary and coolant hoses, They dont leak but a couple have some cracking of the outer layer..However the kits are not cheap and i was thinking of only buying the pipes that are pre-shaped and the rest in straight silicone..Cheers for the help...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks Andy.."Nice and shiny"..Ive put a bid in for a £1..It might just finish the car off..Literally..
I will do a bit of research into it as well..But i will need to keep an eye on my water levels as i had a 3.0ltr toyota camry that had a head gasket failure but it was intermittent..Although it happened in the space of 4 months and mine has only played up for a short time last year and then now and i do drive it qutie hard so i should imagine it would of popped by now?..
If i do fit a supercharger will mine be classed as a 280iSX?..Or a 280SXi...Or just a Supercharged 280i...

[mrzigazaga]

Cheers chaps..Will get it pressure tested..Andy im already on my second tube of autosol this month, Ive now got a trade discount at Howlfords..Especially on a box of 100.....
Apparently the supercharger will give me 40% "More power Mr Zulu"..Which should push it to over 200 bhp..So if i let car clinic rebuild my engine with a 2.9 long stroke crank..A rebore..Ported and flow matched heads and exhaust manifolds..Bigger valves..And a CO2 cold air injection into the air box should push it nearer 240bhp..I think i will be very happy with that!!.....

[mrzigazaga]

Well the last read out i had was last may when i had only 5 cylinders working and a leaky fuel system and a pre-Airbox mod..It was 118bhp so divide that by the number of cylinders = 5 = 23.6 then times that by 6 working cylinders = 141.6bhp X 40% = 56.64bhp then add it to 141.6bhp = 198.24bhp plus the Airbox mod .3bhp = 201.24bhp..Then car clinic said they could squeeze around 25-30bhp out which would put it over 220bhp...It will be interesting or disappointing to see what it is on the RR at BBWF..Either with or without the supercharger.

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Peeps..Well i went to see the ford guy and he had a sniff in the header tank and said it does smell a little bit like fumes in there..Ok..Its not conclusive but then i got to my mums house which was on the way back and when i pulled up i thought i should check the coolant level..I then noticed smoke/steam coming out of the oil filler cap and when i took it off i could plainly see water on the underside of the cap and the neck of the rocker had some creamy sludge around the inside,I can also see creamy oil on the rockers!!..I checked the dipstick and sure enough there is creamy ste on that as well and when i blew the steam away in the neck of the rocker it came out of the dipstick tube like a mini kettle..I was hopimg that it could of been a bit that i spilt when i was doing the inlet but i have checked it since i fitted it and only now its materialised..Now the other ste news!!..I have an MOT on the 11/04/12 so i wont be able to take it for that and i have no spare money until the end of april so im stuck!!..Whats it worth with a blown head gasket??..£1000-1500?..I might just have to call it a day on the wedge and buy a cheap ste battered up pile of that i severely hate?.."Why why why".."You slag"! Cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Cheers for the support chaps..They say every cloud has a silver linning..Especially david essex....Anyway i have asked a couple of friends and they are able to loan me the money to sort the head gasket out...I would attempt it myself but i dont have all the tools i need or the space as its street mechanics!!...Hopefully should be done by friday..So none of this lovely weather will go to waste....Delilah you are a little teaser..Ill give her a good thrashing once she is back on her feet..Chhers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Leigh..Thanks for the offer..Apparently a failing inlet manifold gasket wouldnt allow gases into the header tank and it does smell a bit like there are fumes in there..It certainly doesnt smell anything like the coolant in the bottle!!..If it is just the inlet manifold gasket it will get spotted as it gets removed so it might not be as bad as thought, But to be honest i would rather have the peace of mind that the head gasket is fine even by replacement..Especially if i get a supercharger fitted later..But above all else i can rest assured if i want to travel some miles that there wont be an issue with a head gasket blowing, I would hate it if it gave up on me half way to this years BBWF!!..Cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Hi Mate..Its going into the ford garage tomorrow morning and hopefully it should be done by friday..I would attempt it but i dont have the correct tools, I also would have to do it out in the street and there is nowhere local to get the heads skimmed..Plus its my only car at the moment so its a bit awkward!!..I hope i caught it early as it was overheating this time last year but the recored rad and new thermostat seemed to do the trick..This is the first time i have seen water in the oil and it will be transported there as i dont want to risk driving it..I was going to have an unleaded conversion and port matching and polishing, Also porting of the inlet done but its more money than i have at the moment so it will get done another time...Im considering a rebuild later for peace of mind..Getting the cam gear changed to steel or ally was one of the options but i will ue the car for a while longer..If i get a supercharger fitted it will have a detrimental effect on any work done to the crank or Cam and only beneficial if i have some porting done for more airflow..But thats a different story..Fingers crossed for friday..Cheers for all the help..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Cheers chaps...Hopefully it is just the inlet then..But im anticipating a head gasket..It does seem to of only happened after my incompetent effort of changing the inlet manifold!!..If it is then i will know next time to use plenty of good quality sealant..Cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

TVRleigh_BBWR said:

Hi Mark,

Also you may want to get your temp gauge working correctly. plus make sure it's always got water in it.

Hi Leigh..The problem with that is that i didnt replace the sender that is calibrated to the stuart warner gauge..I have searched and searched for one but cannot find one..My gauge reads 210 and doesnt go above that, I have used a probe thermometer and it gets to 88 degrees and the thermostat opens.(As it should do)..And shortly after the fan comes on and then goes off..I was told how to calibrate the gauge with a resistor but cant remember??..I have kind of got used to it as is...It obviously is not that hot as suggested..If you know a way of re-setting the gauge please tell..I was going to replace the gauge with another that comes with the sender...

I have had a conversation with the ford garage and he said what might be happening is the inlet gasket has failed and i might have a crack on one of the heads as this would explain why i had hydrocarbons in the header last year and no creamy oil..The leaking inlet gasket could be the cause of the creamy oil..He is investigating it now and has spare heads if need be..No unleaded ones though!!..But that can be addressed later..Fingers crossed...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

RCK974X said:

For an experiment, I know that a Triumph 2000 Mk1 (NOT mk2 !!) sender will fit into the Ford block, and it's calibrated for the Smiths guages so has higher resistance than the Ford ones. It might work better ?

Hi Mate..I think you told me that before and i fitted one and it took it down from 280 on the gauge to 210 so it had some effect..The secondhand heads will be from one of the many spare engines he has lying about and he will inspect them for wear and im hoping they will be ok..I will have an engine re-build later probably at the end of the year and either go for a sprintex supercharger or a turbo set up..Either way its a bag full of cash but im intending on keeping it for quite a while afterwards..Cheers for the info...Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks leigh but i really dont have that kind of money at the moment, Maybe later in the year..For now though it seems to be ok..Just got an email from the garage and this is the result..

Heads are off, the headgasket on the drivers side, middle cylinder has been leaking, not badly, but enough to burn some water and contaminate the cooling and oil systems. The exhaust valve on that cylinder is completely different colour to the others, because of the water. No cracks in heads. Heads are still flat. Just old age on the gaskets. Cylinder bores are very healthy – good. Minor valve seat recession, but not much. All good to start reassembling. 2 pics – note brown exhaust valve – WATER.

[mrzigazaga]

TOPTON said:

Seems the only head that is cracked is the one on your shoulders

........

Looks healthier than i expected too, Not bad for a 30 year old car!!..cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

plushuit said:

you speak of losing a 1/3 to 1/2 of the header tank. How full are you filling it?

Hi Mate..It normally levels just below where the plastic marker is..Pretty much where it should be..And if i do over-fill it always finds the same level..Up until the discovery of a leaky head gasket it was losing a good half sometimes all of the header tank..I know what you mean about the top hose being a bubble maker, At one point i was going to fit the cooling fan thermo switch into the bottom hose so i can set it just after the thermostat opens up..But it does work ok when i dont lose water..Hopefully those problems are history as from tomorrow..Cheers..Ziga

Edited by mrzigazaga on Thursday 29th March 23:23

[mrzigazaga]

Its all good info but in reality i have looked at most of the options..Burton do a triple carb inlet manifold..Price....3 X Carbs...Price......Engine rebuild...Same price as a fitted turbo and its one or the other, Both come to..£5K..on an engine.....How much for a mustang V6 5.0....Gearbox...Prop and driveshafts..Ignition and anchillaries......The turbo option is more affordable and it can run on stock parts up to 200bhp..There was an "Ultimax" 2.8i that was 3.7ltr but that wernt cheap to build..I think if anything the turbo is a good option..The supercharger would be better for constant power but the fuel will go through the roof....I think i will just enjoy as is for now.....Cheers..Ziga

[mrzigazaga]

RCK974X said:

I'll always remember that little scene in Mad Max where Mel Gibson switches in the supercharger and the 'whoosh' sound, (even though it was all fake !!).

Wasnt that the NOS?...."Take a week off max, Grow a beard"..All of the mad max films were awesome..Just how life should be!!..Competing with road scag...
A clutch on a supercharger, Now thats a brilliant idea..You could have a clutch type lever on the gearstick so that in normal operation no supercharger is engaged..Foot clutch in...Hand clutch in..Change down..Or up..Foot down..supercharger on.."I want..I want"...

[mrzigazaga]

Thanks for that mate..It seems to have been around for a fair amount of time..
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=c...