Headgasket Phase 2, Help and Advise Requested.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 299
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From: Virginia Beach VA
Headgasket Phase 2, Help and Advise Requested.
For those that didnt' see my first thread I have been tearing down to the heads with a suspected head gasket leak. I have finally gotten down to the passenger side head. Pictures below. I drained the oil/coolant, however, forgot to pull the knock sensors, so there is still coolant in the engine. However, upon pulling the passenger side head off I do not see any cracks in the head gasket itself. Is it possible that the driver's side head gasket could be cracked and leak coolant to the other side? Also, how do I remove the alternator and serpentine belt for the next side? Thanks.
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
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From: altered state
St. Jude Donor '05
Almost impossible to get the heads off without getting a touch of coolant spilled somewhere, just dry it out. Try the other side...Make sure the deck surface is nice and clean befoire the new gaskets go on and dont gouge the surface i between cylinders. Keep up the good work.
Sometimes the gaskets just seep slightly and its difficult to find out where.
Sometimes the gaskets just seep slightly and its difficult to find out where.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 299
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From: Virginia Beach VA
Well, when I took of that head coolant spilled out of the cylinder compartments, thats whats left over. I am wondering though if that gasket didn't have a crack and the other side did, does coolant transfer from that side to the uncracked side anyway?
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: The Top of Utah
Originally Posted by rap87
forgot to pull the knock sensors, so there is still coolant in the engine. However, upon pulling the passenger side head off I do not see any cracks in the head gasket itself. Is it possible that the driver's side head gasket could be cracked and leak coolant to the other side?
Originally Posted by rap87
Also, how do I remove the alternator and serpentine belt for the next side? Thanks.
Be sure to have a machine shop check your heads for flat and true, before you bolt them back on.
RACE ON!!!
Large Impressive Member
Joined: Jul 2003
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From: Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die
St. Jude Donor '04-'05-'06-'07
And while you're at it, have them check them for cracks too. I'd also advise showing your gaskets to a good tech for analysis. They can likely tell for sure when looking at them in real life if there are any suspect or obvious problem area(s).
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Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: The Top of Utah
Your block has two coolant drain holes, one on each side of the block, down low, just above the oil pan rail, very close to the center of the block, lengthwise. If you are working on an '87 as your screen name suggests, the hole in the left side of the block is plugged by a pipe plug. The right side drain hole has the knock sensor installed. If you care about checking the water in the cylinders for signs of leakage, you will have to drain that side of the block for any meaningful signs. Otherwise, it isn't important. Just clean up the water right away to keep it out of the pan.
RACE ON!!!
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2006
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From: MA
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 299
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From: Virginia Beach VA
I'm working on a 96, the 87 is my birth year lol. As far as the cylinders, do they look clean to you, someone was telling me that I could tell where it leaked by looking at the cylinder to see if it had been cleaned, indicating that coolant got in there and basically steam cleaned it.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 7,839
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From: San Diego, Ca
Agree that looking at in person is better, but I don't see any evidence of head gasket failure - nor is there any way for the left side to get to the right or vice versa.
Removing the knock sensor and oil cooler line will drain the block, but you want to get the heads drained too. To accomplish that, remove the gage sender on the right head between 6 & 8.
Vacuum all that coolant out with a shop vac and then lube those cylinders with some 30 wt before they rust. Crank the engine over by hand to put each cylinder at BDC to make sure you coat everything you can with oil. Drain the pan.
Removing the knock sensor and oil cooler line will drain the block, but you want to get the heads drained too. To accomplish that, remove the gage sender on the right head between 6 & 8.
Vacuum all that coolant out with a shop vac and then lube those cylinders with some 30 wt before they rust. Crank the engine over by hand to put each cylinder at BDC to make sure you coat everything you can with oil. Drain the pan.
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 3,696
Likes: 1
From: MA
Agree that looking at in person is better, but I don't see any evidence of head gasket failure - nor is there any way for the left side to get to the right or vice versa.
Removing the knock sensor and oil cooler line will drain the block, but you want to get the heads drained too. To accomplish that, remove the gage sender on the right head between 6 & 8.
Vacuum all that coolant out with a shop vac and then lube those cylinders with some 30 wt before they rust. Crank the engine over by hand to put each cylinder at BDC to make sure you coat everything you can with oil. Drain the pan.
Removing the knock sensor and oil cooler line will drain the block, but you want to get the heads drained too. To accomplish that, remove the gage sender on the right head between 6 & 8.
Vacuum all that coolant out with a shop vac and then lube those cylinders with some 30 wt before they rust. Crank the engine over by hand to put each cylinder at BDC to make sure you coat everything you can with oil. Drain the pan.
Oil those suckers up..They are starting to rust already
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 5,141
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From: Metairie Louisiana
You have gone this far. Why not have those heads professionally ported and throw a new cam in there? Good post here. This shows me how much my 2k bought me at the dealership when my head gasket went. 
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
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From: Orlando FL
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
It doesn't need to be obviously cracked to leak.
My recent replacement took my buddy and I a good 10 mins each of inspecting my head gasket before we found what looked to be a spot just slightly "not normal" and on further inspection, once we pulled the gasket off, we found the slightest discoloration where coolant had seeped in. It was SOOOO small that you could barely find it, but it was there.
The gasket itself was not cracked at all, just a little more worn looking around one of the holes than anywhere else.
I see a few spots on yours that could have possibilities to do just that.
My recent replacement took my buddy and I a good 10 mins each of inspecting my head gasket before we found what looked to be a spot just slightly "not normal" and on further inspection, once we pulled the gasket off, we found the slightest discoloration where coolant had seeped in. It was SOOOO small that you could barely find it, but it was there.
The gasket itself was not cracked at all, just a little more worn looking around one of the holes than anywhere else.
I see a few spots on yours that could have possibilities to do just that.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 299
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From: Virginia Beach VA
Gotcha, however the thing that is bugging me when my low coolant light went on I put 2 jugs of coolant in the radiator. After 30 mins I went outside to make sure I didn't have a leak and noticed that coolant was dripping from one of the hoses. Thats when I started it up and drove it home within 2 miles I was home. However, I had the white smoke and all of that going on. But upon draining the engine and seeing all the green anti-freeze in both the oil and the head I am wondering if it may be more serious than a head gasket leak...I mean would that much coolant get in over alil seepage? I sure hope its just that and I will pull the other head within this week and post...thanks for all the help guys couldn't do it without you and this book here lol.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 26,196
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From: Orlando FL
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Having just recently went through all this, I can say my experience was about the same.
Mine wasn't AS bad though, so I still drove mine for another month or so until it started getting really bad (it took me a while to figure this out). Anyway... my water pump died, thus causing it to overheat a lot, thus blowing the head gasket.
I didnt have anything dripping out, but when I drained the oil, it was full of water also.
When I pulled my head off, one cyl was full of water. (Same thing 3-4 years prior as well)
As long as you make sure the oil is drained and all is empty of water/coolant, you should be ok. Just leave the drain plug off the whole time you work on it to make sure it ALL drips out.
Here are a few pics of my head gasket replacement several months ago:
Nothing looked cracked either, but from the discoloration we noticed something wasn't right:
.JPG)
See the little rough spot? That's all it took to weaken it enought to where the water seeped under the gasket and into the cyl:
.JPG)
here's the cyl with coolant in it:
.JPG)
The other cyl's had some coolant/water in them, but it was just from when we pulled the head off and it dripped in. The main one with all the coolant in it was the "bad" one.
Mine wasn't AS bad though, so I still drove mine for another month or so until it started getting really bad (it took me a while to figure this out). Anyway... my water pump died, thus causing it to overheat a lot, thus blowing the head gasket.
I didnt have anything dripping out, but when I drained the oil, it was full of water also.
When I pulled my head off, one cyl was full of water. (Same thing 3-4 years prior as well)
As long as you make sure the oil is drained and all is empty of water/coolant, you should be ok. Just leave the drain plug off the whole time you work on it to make sure it ALL drips out.
Here are a few pics of my head gasket replacement several months ago:
Nothing looked cracked either, but from the discoloration we noticed something wasn't right:
See the little rough spot? That's all it took to weaken it enought to where the water seeped under the gasket and into the cyl:
here's the cyl with coolant in it:
The other cyl's had some coolant/water in them, but it was just from when we pulled the head off and it dripped in. The main one with all the coolant in it was the "bad" one.