I Start Changing Out Head Gaskets Today

[patracy]

Strange that it blew inward like that...

 

[JasonS]

I still have no idea which gasket is the new and which is the old, seems there isn't a straight answer for that one.

The gasket that M35-tom sells is made by victor. According to VR literature, this part number was released in 2005. I suspect that this is the newest design available.

 

[dabtl]

We got the heads off and decked about a week ago. This thread was most helpful in doing the job http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/48620-head-gasket-repair-walk-through.html

I got the idea for making a tool for torquing the driver side of the heads from this thread http://www.steelsoldiers.com/deuce/11295-all-freeze-plug.html

I made the tool from an old ten inch extension I had and an old 7/8" box end wrench. We also used a Snap On torqu3e adapter. The made tool had a center to center distance of 1.5 inches from the center of the wrench to the center of the extension. This is important when using an offset wrench because the torque values change. See this site for the formula Torque Wrench Adapter Calculator - CNCexpo.com

Thanks to the many members who have contributed to the threads that made this job so much easier. We got the heads on and torqued last evening and I expect to have it running again by the weekend.

 

[off_sho_cajun]

Great information and thanks for the link postings.

 

[dabtl]

Pics of the homemade tool and the Snap On Torque Adapter. You can see visually the differences and the homemade tool is essential at the front of the engine.

 

[off_sho_cajun]

Like the tool set-up, home fabbin at its finest!! work smarter not harder.
Are the fishin poles for when you get so aggravated u just say screw the motor, im going fishing?

 

[dabtl]

Got it running now. Seems to be fine and dandy.

A few bobbles along the way, the bolt holding the injector lines to the air compressor got left out causing some leakage of oil, replaced, the usual leaks on the hoses got taken care of quickly.

A couple of wish I had known and done that before suggestions. First disconnect the battery. A burned exhaust flex pipe needs replacing after temporary fixing with JB Weld. Second a small length of chain will help with the removal and replacement of the heads individually.

Other than those minor problems the removal and replacement are very straightforward old time wrench turning hours.

 

[dabtl]

OK, I am resurrecting this old thread to bring things up to date.

We changed head gaskets three times. The first repair worked until it blew the head gasket completely out of the rear most cylinder. We figured perhaps we had not torqued the head properly. We put on a new head gasket. Started the engine. It did not sound right. We removed the rear fuel injector, turned the engine and watched AF squirt out.

At that point we decided we had a cracked head in the intake ports or a broken block, perhaps.

I got a new head from TNJ Murray. We put it on. I figured if it was a low pressure leak around the cylinders Bars Leak would hopefully solve the problem. Put the Bars Leak in.

I drove it a few miles. Seemed OK. My secretary had an affair at her ranch with lots of kids. I drove the deuce into the pond on many loops around the pasture with lots of kids. It did not over heat.

I left it a month or so at her place and went out to get it today in 94 degree heat. I drove it about ten miles home at 45 mph and it did not over heat or otherwise act up.

I think the problem is solved. A cracked head in the intake port seems to have been the problem. A new head solved the problem.

Quite happy with my experience.

 

[jatonka]

It's good that you cured it, and thank you for the update. I do quite a few head gasket repair jobs and I know you had to get tired of it on the 3rd round. John T

 

[dabtl]

We did it in the sun at about 84 degrees so it was not too bad. Yesterday the high was about 101. But it is Summer in Texas and you get to check the radiators out to prepare for winter.

The real problem with these motors, I think, is no one knows what causes problems because they were all sent back for re-manufacturing rather than being repaired on site. But, we learn, post and add to the knowledge.

 

[dabtl]

Drove the #2 deuce in the Fourth of July Parade in 90 degree heat and low range. Temp stayed normal. No unusual smoke from the stack. Checked the oil and it is clear of AF and starting to darken. The thing is fixed for the moment! A great relief to me and many thanks to TNJ Murray for the new head.

 

[Valence]

Yes, I believe so. There are two o-rings in it. Mine were discolored and there was some AF in the oil. We changed it out and I drove it for a few months. Then in early November, when it cooled off around here I drove it and noticed what appeared to be some small amount of steam coming from the slobber tube.

I waited till it warmed up to worry about it because it is just too cold to fool with here. In Texas if it is below 50 it is called 'chilly.'

I changed the oil last week, started it a couple of times to check the pressuring of the radiator. Yesterday I noticed that even with the engine cold the pressure was causing a drip around the new radiator cap. Today I drove it to the garage to change the head gaskets, about four miles which allowed the engine to warm to the 200+ range. When we looked under the hood the slobber pipe was puffing like a locomotive. I pulled the dip stick and it puffed steam also.

I suspect the gaskets were weak, and perhaps leaking a bit earlier, but they finally gave it up now.

In my digging around, this thread here described what I thought I saw. When I was backing my deuce into my garage yesterday (20 mile drive, running around 2200 RPM, ~86 F outside, engine temperature seemed to be a constant 180 F) I could SEE (from the driver's seat) what appeared to be exhaust coming up from underneath the truck. When I got out and looked it was coming from the slobber tube or crank case breather, and - as highlighted above - that was exactly my thought that it looked like it was puffing like a train.

About 1 hour later I decided I should have videoed it, so here's a short video (I suggest watching it in the highest resolution that you can). Keep in mind, what you can see in the video is much less "puffing" than I saw earlier.

https://youtu.be/8WB0GOUX6FY

Is this an early indication of a head gasket replacement needing to be done?

I checked the oil dipstick and I could not discern any unusual colorings to indicate fuel or coolant. I use the orange colored coolant in my truck though.

I was wearing a bright red shirt, so that's the reflection you see on the lower edge of the dipstick. If anything, I was perhaps 1 quart low on oil.


Perhaps unrelated? The truck was still fairly warm, and I started to unscrew the radiator cap but a hiss of air and then coolant started leaking long before I got the cap off so I tightened it back down, and a little coolant flowed out the overflow drain:

 

[theeDIZ]

Mine does like the video sometimes after sitting until it warms up .

 

[cattlerepairman]

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?130059-Blow-by-assessment-opinions-needed!

Had considerable blow-by for a long, long time. Progressed to major engine defect (not yet diagnosed).

 

[Valence]

Thanks, both of you, for replying back!

http://www.steelsoldiers.com/showthread.php?130059-Blow-by-assessment-opinions-needed!

Had considerable blow-by for a long, long time. Progressed to major engine defect (not yet diagnosed).

Your blow-by progressed, as in the issue got worse, or something else caused engine needing to be replaced? Or you don't know if the issues were related?


When I was parking yesterday (backing up) I thought I had an exhaust leak because from the driver's seat I could see all the smoke coming out from under the engine. The video is just to get a general idea of what I'm talking about. It's not heavy black smoke, but white, just like the video or in the video in the thread linked by cattlerepairman (but there was a lot of it).

 

[Valence]

I forced forum member red into looking at the blow-by on my truck last Saturday. Re-checked the dip stick for oil color and content (still looked normal), and then added about 2 quarts of motor oil.

The engine still started easily and ran fine with all indicators (temp, air, oil) all in the normal. red also agreed that the exhaust looked and smelled normal. However, red's very first comment was how much louder my air compressor was than either the single or dual piston air compressors he has had. I've never been around, in person, other deuces when they've been running, or rather, when their air compressor has been running. As far as I recall, my air compressor has always sounded the way it has. But mine is audible even inside the cab when moving down the road.

After a 10-15 minute drive around town to get dinner, we inspected the blow-by out of the slobber port. It could be seen puffing a little more than back home, but after the air compressor shut off the amount of "exhaust looking" puffs appeared to steadily decrease.

Our current prognosis is that the air compressor is causing the puffing. It may be worn and allowing compressed air into the crankcase. This would explain the "puffing" out of the slobber port, the slight low reading on the dipstick (expelled vaporized oil), and why more puffing is seen when the oil is hot and more easily vaporized.

When I daily drain my air tanks, out of the "wet" air tank I would always see a drop or two of oil with the water, but never thought anything of it (not sure if this last part was right or wrong).

I am going to try replacing the air compressor and will report back findings.

 

[Tracer]

I forced forum member red into looking at the blow-by on my truck last Saturday. Re-checked the dip stick for oil color and content (still looked normal), and then added about 2 quarts of motor oil.

The engine still started easily and ran fine with all indicators (temp, air, oil) all in the normal. red also agreed that the exhaust looked and smelled normal. However, red's very first comment was how much louder my air compressor was than either the single or dual piston air compressors he has had. I've never been around, in person, other deuces when they've been running, or rather, when their air compressor has been running. As far as I recall, my air compressor has always sounded the way it has. But mine is audible even inside the cab when moving down the road.

After a 10-15 minute drive around town to get dinner, we inspected the blow-by out of the slobber port. It could be seen puffing a little more than back home, but after the air compressor shut off the amount of "exhaust looking" puffs appeared to steadily decrease.

Our current prognosis is that the air compressor is causing the puffing. It may be worn and allowing compressed air into the crankcase. This would explain the "puffing" out of the slobber port, the slight low reading on the dipstick (expelled vaporized oil), and why more puffing is seen when the oil is hot and more easily vaporized.

When I daily drain my air tanks, out of the "wet" air tank I would always see a drop or two of oil with the water, but never thought anything of it (not sure if this last part was right or wrong).

I am going to try replacing the air compressor and will report back findings.

Looking forward to your report. My air compressor is also noisy, and my main concern was if the air compressor is going bad, is the engine oil becoming contaminated with metal shavings from the air compressor?

 

[Valence]

Looking forward to your report. My air compressor is also noisy, and my main concern was if the air compressor is going bad, is the engine oil becoming contaminated with metal shavings from the air compressor?

That's a darn good question. I have only changed my oil 3 times in the 5 years I've owned it (I change it in the spring of the even numbered years). So last oil change was spring of last year (2014). I have not stuck my hand in the drained oil and felt around, but there has not been any metal shavings to speak of on the magnetic drain plug.

 

[Valence]

Here's a poorly lit, and poorly aimed picture of my current air compressor. It sure appears a lot more oily than I've ever noticed before (in better light). It looks like oil is leaking around the air intake and even out through the air intake, and dripping down all over the base of the air compressor.

At initial inspection, this does seem to support that oil is getting past the piston ring and being pushed out on the intake stroke and then on the compression stroke air is getting blown past the piston ring into the crank case.

Also if the air intake is breathing oil this explains why I'm seeing oil in the "wet" air tank drain. Though, given the way the outside of this air compressor looks, I'm surprised I'm only seeing a couple drops of oil come out of the air tank.

 

[bonedoc]

Here's a poorly lit, and poorly aimed picture of my current air compressor. It sure appears a lot more oily than I've ever noticed before (in better light). It looks like oil is leaking around the air intake and even out through the air intake, and dripping down all over the base of the air compressor.

At initial inspection, this does seem to support that oil is getting past the piston ring and being pushed out on the intake stroke and then on the compression stroke air is getting blown past the piston ring into the crank case.

Also if the air intake is breathing oil this explains why I'm seeing oil in the "wet" air tank drain. Though, given the way the outside of this air compressor looks, I'm surprised I'm only seeing a couple drops of oil come out of the air tank.

View attachment 586396

Mine is the same way Valence. I have often wondered if mine is pressurizing the crankcase as well. I have no real noticeable oil loss but do get some rear main seal seepage. SS member Cattlerepairman told me to check for smoke coming out of the oil filler cap when it is removed. Also told me to put my hand over the opening and see if I can feel any pressure building. Mine also is very loud especially when the truck first starts. when the truck is idling and running you can hear it kick on very easily. I too don't have any reference to compare it to.
I have a new compressor as well as the base gasket and the compressor mount gasket as well. Think I'm going to go ahead and replace them all.