Possible head gasket leak? Please help.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
From: Knoxville Tennessee
Possible head gasket leak? Please help.
I just did a head/cam swap about a week ago, and ever since noticed a faint sweet smell (obviously anti-freeze). Today I noticed water dripping out from where the x-pipe meets the rear pipes.t. I switched from a graphite gasket to MLS, is it possible I didn't get the surface entirely clean, and it's leaking down the cylinder into the exhaust?
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 6,979
Likes: 31
From: Wichita KS
I just did a head/cam swap about a week ago, and ever since noticed a faint sweet smell (obviously anti-freeze). Today I noticed water dripping out from where the x-pipe meets the rear pipes.t. I switched from a graphite gasket to MLS, is it possible I didn't get the surface entirely clean, and it's leaking down the cylinder into the exhaust?
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
What heads? There was a gasket change and depending on the heads and year of block you may not be able to use the MLS gaskets. Also, there is a write-up by Patches on use of Cometics with certain heads, that might be worth reviewing also.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 16,477
Likes: 26
From: Gone
CI 6-7-8-9-10 Veteran
St. Jude Donor '03
Has your coolant level dropped at all?
Have you checked the oil for any signs of milkyness?
Have you looked at your plugs? (if coolant is getting in the combustion chamber, the plug will be very clean/white appearing).
It is normal to have some smell like you describe right after such engine work. You say you did the job a week ago, but how much have you actually driven it?
Also, condensation dripping from exhaust connections is very normal. If you were loosing coolant so much as to cause that, your overflow tank would have to be empty by now.
Have you checked the oil for any signs of milkyness?
Have you looked at your plugs? (if coolant is getting in the combustion chamber, the plug will be very clean/white appearing).
It is normal to have some smell like you describe right after such engine work. You say you did the job a week ago, but how much have you actually driven it?
Also, condensation dripping from exhaust connections is very normal. If you were loosing coolant so much as to cause that, your overflow tank would have to be empty by now.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 3,559
Likes: 739
From: panama city beach florida USA
St. Jude Donor '09
Has your coolant level dropped at all?
Have you checked the oil for any signs of milkyness?
Have you looked at your plugs? (if coolant is getting in the combustion chamber, the plug will be very clean/white appearing).
It is normal to have some smell like you describe right after such engine work. You say you did the job a week ago, but how much have you actually driven it?
Also, condensation dripping from exhaust connections is very normal. If you were loosing coolant so much as to cause that, your overflow tank would have to be empty by now.
Have you checked the oil for any signs of milkyness?
Have you looked at your plugs? (if coolant is getting in the combustion chamber, the plug will be very clean/white appearing).
It is normal to have some smell like you describe right after such engine work. You say you did the job a week ago, but how much have you actually driven it?
Also, condensation dripping from exhaust connections is very normal. If you were loosing coolant so much as to cause that, your overflow tank would have to be empty by now.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
From: Knoxville Tennessee
They were! I've driven it to work all week since I did it, so 5 days, plus 2 Saturdays and 1 Sunday, so 8 days total. I just check my coolant tank it's it's not dropped on ounce. I don't know how to check the level, but it's right even with the little cross in the tank. I pulled 1,2,7,8 and the plugs were clean, but they don't have many miles on them, however none looked "steam cleaned" though. Also, nothing milky looking on the dipstick.
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Drifting
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 1,621
Likes: 0
From: Fort Worth Texas
St. Jude Donor '07
I had a coolant leak after my heads/cam swap and my coolant tank would run dry after a couple of days. If you're not having to refill your coolant tank at all after a weeks worth of driving, then it might be something else?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 380
Likes: 0
From: Knoxville Tennessee
Yes, I did it myself. I cleaned the block with a plastic ice scraper and my dad went back over with a thin metal scraper. I don't believe the heads were milled any, just ported. I've been driving it over a week though and haven't lost any thing out of my tank.
Tech Contributor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 10,962
Likes: 29
From: Van Buren Arkansas
Wounded Warrior Escort '11
There is coolant in the small cross-over tubes on top of the valley pan/knock sensor cover. If those weren't carefully cleaned, you could be leaking from them.
