Coolant spraying out

[TedO]

I have a M1008 . Today when I started it cold, I noticed a small puddle of coolant on the ground. When it was still cold, I removed the radiator cap. Lots of flkuid came gushing out, and bubbles. I also noticed the reservior was filled very high. What is going on?

 

[doghead]

Might be a head gasket.

Have you filled the radiator lately?

 

[Drock]

Can you tell where the coolant puddle was coming from?

 

[TedO]

I havent filled it recently. It was full. If it was the head gasket, wouldnt the engine be running rough?

 

[TedO]

I think a little dripped out from the cap

 

[dougco1]

I think doghead is right on, head gasket.

 

[TedO]

is that a big job

 

[doghead]

Sort of...

Start with a pressure test of the coolant system.

 

[cucvrus]

I drove one for 4-5 years with a bad head gasket. It would push the coolant over into the overflow and keep the coolant pressurized for days. The radiator hoses looked like inner tubes the next day. only in the winter did it become obvious that it was burning antifreeze and the left side looked like a steam pipe when it was cold out. Can not load pictures again. IDK.

 

[TedO]

yes, that sounds like what I have.

 

[cucvrus]

Not a real hard fix. I think that the thin metal ring in the head gasket just wears out with time. I never over heated mine it just went. It never over heated after it went. At this point most of the CUCV's should have the head gaskets changed just as part of the regular maintenance. I see them leaking minor compression where the heads meet the block on several unit when I spray soapy water near the 2 pieces. i noticed it while pressure washing a few engines. I posted pictures in my engine change thread . Today I am not allowed to load pictures. IDK why. Tried several times. Get new head bolts and have the heads checked out at an automotive machine shop. It is a good time to do the injection pump also. And do NOT use studs unless you plan on pulling the engine. You will hate life. I pulled my engine and still used new head bolts. It has been running great since. Good luck. It takes about 8 hours and can be done in 1 weekend. The thing that helped me was I have extra heads ready to go so I only need to pull the heads one day. and clean up the parts and put them back on the next day. It is a busy task but very easy to do. Happy Holidays.

 

[Drock]

Yeah head gasket.. I've come to the conclusion that ALL these trucks should have they're head gaskets replaced.

 

[Drock]

Not a real hard fix. I think that the thin metal ring in the head gasket just wears out with time. I never over heated mine it just went. It never over heated after it went. At this point most of the CUCV's should have the head gaskets changed just as part of the regular maintenance. I see them leaking minor compression where the heads meet the block on several unit when I spray soapy water near the 2 pieces. i noticed it while pressure washing a few engines. I posted pictures in my engine change thread . Today I am not allowed to load pictures. IDK why. Tried several times. Get new head bolts and have the heads checked out at an automotive machine shop. It is a good time to do the injection pump also. And do NOT use studs unless you plan on pulling the engine. You will hate life. I pulled my engine and still used new head bolts. It has been running great since. Good luck. It takes about 8 hours and can be done in 1 weekend. The thing that helped me was I have extra heads ready to go so I only need to pull the heads one day. and clean up the parts and put them back on the next day. It is a busy task but very easy to do. Happy Holidays.

Why not use the studs?

 

[cucvrus]

Studs with engine out. But if you want to give the studs a try with the engine in do it. I have heard that it is difficult to get the head on the left side on the studs. I am going to say it again. Bolts worked for 30 years and I am not going to have the truck 30 more years so I choose bolts again. The bolts never caused any problems. The head gaskets are just old and have been subjected to 30+ years of acidic coolant. And the cold and hot cycle a million times. Everything wears out. Do as you wish. Bolts in my camp. Thanks for asking. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.

 

[Drock]

Studs with engine out. But if you want to give the studs a try with the engine in do it. I have heard that it is difficult to get the head on the left side on the studs. I am going to say it again. Bolts worked for 30 years and I am not going to have the truck 30 more years so I choose bolts again. The bolts never caused any problems. The head gaskets are just old and have been subjected to 30+ years of acidic coolant. And the cold and hot cycle a million times. Everything wears out. Do as you wish. Bolts in my camp. Thanks for asking. Have a Holly Jolly Christmas.

Good point. But couldn't you just set the head in place, then install the studs? I assume the block has dowels right? The reason I ask is mine is turbo charged now. And I figure (ARP) went through all the trouble to make a set of studs for our oddball motors. So maybe they saw a reason,.. other then profit???

 

[richingalveston]

the arp studs are re-usable and actually torque to 90lbs instead of the 1/4 turn guess what torque you have now.

The heads have dowels. you put the heads on first, the studs screw in finger tight use good thread seal on threads because there is none under the washer and nut.

you then torque them in sequence.

If you carried a spare head gasket and tools, you can change a bad gasket in the field with ARP head studs. you don't have to buy another set of head bolts.

I just installed some on my GEP, you can go online and get the above instructions from ARP.

Rich

 

[ralbelt]

Mine was acting the same way, oil fill cap was milky, steam out the exhaust. Have the heads checked when you have them off ,one of mine was cracked. Really not a bad job I did mine outside in 20 degrees. take a piece of cardboard with holes to keep track of the pushrods and get them back in original position, I also believe there is a up and down on the push rods. New head bolts, New gaskets on everything and its a job well done.

 

[Drock]

Mine was acting the same way, oil fill cap was milky, steam out the exhaust. Have the heads checked when you have them off ,one of mine was cracked. Really not a bad job I did mine outside in 20 degrees. take a piece of cardboard with holes to keep track of the pushrods and get them back in original position, I also believe there is a up and down on the push rods. New head bolts, New gaskets on everything and its a job well done.

Yes the push rods have a top & bottom...Here's a cool Video I found ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=20FBN3tdJUg

 

[cucvrus]

On the same note. Do NOT just change 1 head gasket. Change both. I have seen guys change just 1 head gasket. IDK why. And getting the heads checked and re-done as needed is 99.9% of the job. Bolts are just easier and as effective. I stick by my old saying. Bolts lasted 30 years. And turning them a 1/4 turn past torque is really just that simple. Do as you wish. Even back in the days when I was doing warranty work on GM diesels we used bolts. Have a great Holiday season. I think if you redo your head gaskets and have the heads checked and corrected as needed you will be good for many years to come. I just started pulling the engines and going over everything I could and taking care of all the external seals and gaskets. I have Easter find M1008 engine on the floor now and am going to go over everything on that as well. That is coming spring 2017.

 

[cucvrus]

WOW. The pictures posted. This is what several head gaskets I removed looked like. IMHO that is a weak wear out point. It was running fine for years and never over heated. It just pressurized the cooling system and blew the coolant into the over flow bottle. I just kept putting it back every other day and it went just fine. I had no heat when I drove in the city and it was always holding pressure and you could only start to see steam on the left side in damp cold weather. that is when I stopped running it and tore it down. Good Luck it is an easy task and not very expensive using stock replacement parts. It is a 135 HP engine not much to it. It's an antique and easy to work on. Happy Holidays.