Well blew another head gasket :(

[Drock]

New optimizer heads, ARP studs, Felpro gaskets, Permatex copper spray. I got off the highway the other day and it pushed a bunch of coolant out of the recovery tank. And now it won't get up to temperature, and won't recover the displaced coolant. I'm thinking this must be a defective head rather then a gasket sense I used studs. But maybe I'll be lucky. Is there a head gasket that's better then another? Perhaps ones for a 6.5?

 

[frank8003]

Coolant wipes ot main bearing material in a short time

 

[cucvrus]

Did you have the heads checked at a machine shop? It is possible to have cracked / warped heads. I know you know that. I went thru 3 sets of heads I removed from perfect running engines till I got a good set. I am about to start the entire process over on my current build. I use Felpro head gasket's and torque to yield Felpro head bolts. Never had any problems after getting the heads checked out and machined. I always put head gaskets on dry. Am I missing something here with copper spray.

 

[richingalveston]

permatex is a gasket sealer but I don't think it is used on head gaskets. Head gaskets normally go on dry.
The spray on the gasket could have caused a failure.

I could be wrong but I hope I am right for your sake since those were brand new heads.

Rich

 

[Drock]

Did you have the heads checked at a machine shop? It is possible to have cracked / warped heads. I know you know that. I went thru 3 sets of heads I removed from perfect running engines till I got a good set. I am about to start the entire process over on my current build. I use Felpro head gasket's and torque to yield Felpro head bolts. Never had any problems after getting the heads checked out and machined. I always put head gaskets on dry. Am I missing something here with copper spray.

These were NEW 6.5 optimizer heads. I bought them from a company on Ebay in April. This is the copper spray I used..... https://www.ridersdomain.com/motorc...MI6MSK5KX51wIV1IKzCh3WtA6bEAQYAiABEgJBu_D_BwE

 

[porkysplace]

Don't use sealer with Fel-Pro gaskets

From their website;

Fel-Pro head gaskets are also designed so that no additional sealers are needed. Modern facing materials and their pre-applied coatings, along with the proprietary coatings found on PermaTorque[SUP]®[/SUP] MLS head gaskets, will compensate for minor surface imperfections, resist scrubbing, and provide the proper amount of torque retention to create a true no-retorque head gasket. Use no sealers, adhesives or other additives with these gaskets.

http://www.felpro.com/technical/tecblogs/clean-dry.html

 

[Chaski]

You pressure test it?

 

[Drock]

You pressure test it?

I pressure tested the cooling system with the engine cold & the glow plugs removed, It held pressure up to 20PSI perfectly? So I figure it either must have to be hot, or 20PSI isn't enough pressure to cause the leak?

 

[911joeblow]

Drock, it could be a cracked block too. A cylinder could be cracked and be pushing combustion into the block cooling jacket.

 

[911joeblow]

Before going any further though I am not sure you have a blown head gasket. Are you sure you did not lose a water pump impeller?

 

[Chaski]

From experience I’d go slow diagnosing the problem. I tore the head off an engine in a skid steer I owned that had less than 100 hours on a rebuild because I convinced myself that the engine had failed in some sort of thermonuclear fashion. Turned out it was a stuck injector...

If it was me I would go buy one of those $60 combustion gas in coolant test kits, and or murder an old glow plug and weld a air quick coupler to it. You could go cylinder by cylinder (with valves closed) and hook them up to 100 psi compressed air. If your coolant gains any pressure you know your fate. Same thing with the combustion gas chemical test.

 

[Drock]

Before going any further though I am not sure you have a blown head gasket. Are you sure you did not lose a water pump impeller?[/QUOTE Although it is the original water pump, I'm positive it's not the pump. It takes forever to warm up to 190 degrees. And when I push the truck HARD!, it barely gets up to operating temperature 205 degrees. Then quickly settles down to 190 again once I let off the go pedal.

 

[Drock]

Drock, it could be a cracked block too. A cylinder could be cracked and be pushing combustion into the block cooling jacket.

Yeah I thought this possibly as well. I'm not sure of the water jacket configuration of these engines? But I know on gassers a cracked cylinder ends with coolant in the oil sooo?

 

[Drock]

Well as of this morning the recovery tank is slap full, and the radiator is low. So I'm confident it's a cylinder pressure leak of some sort. So I'm going to tare it apart ASAP while I have the time. But before I do, I need to order head gaskets. I originally installed 6.2 gaskets, but sense I'm running 6.5 heads and a Banks turbo should I go ahead and order 6.5 gaskets?

 

[Chaski]

How much have you driven it since you put the new heads on? Are you confident that all the air is purged out of the cooling system? How about the health of your thermostat and radiator cap? Since your coolant system holds pressure with a pressure test I don’t understand what is leading you down the engine tear down path.

Maybe scale back your thermonuclear engine attack until you have proof positive what is wrong? The radiator not drawing fluid back from the tank could be something as simple as a cracked dip tube in the remote tank or a bad radiator cap. The initial coolant spew could have been from a bad airlock.

That being said, yeah... you might have Head, gasket or block issues.

 

[snowtrac nome]

I would replace the thermostat first if they stick it can do the same thing, right now it sounds like its stuck open.

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

How much have you driven it since you put the new heads on? Are you confident that all the air is purged out of the cooling system? How about the health of your thermostat and radiator cap? Since your coolant system holds pressure with a pressure test I don’t understand what is leading you down the engine tear down path.

Maybe scale back your thermonuclear engine attack until you have proof positive what is wrong? The radiator not drawing fluid back from the tank could be something as simple as a cracked dip tube in the remote tank or a bad radiator cap. The initial coolant spew could have been from a bad airlock.

That being said, yeah... you might have Head, gasket or block issues.

 

[Chaski]

That is the hardest I have laughed in a while!

 

[MarcusOReallyus]

That is the hardest I have laughed in a while!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44QwJsfT4eg

 

[Dave Kay]

M1008: Just thought I'd second that motion to check the T-stat because I installed the ACDELCO website recommended one, it had that rubber skirt or whatever, and on the hottest day of the year I was stuck in a long fast food order line when my temps suddenly started rising. Engine was making kind of a strange surging and burping-bellowing sound at idle. Turned engine off and on to move thru the line until I was out in the parking area clear of traffic. Found that the overflow was also almost full. Waited about 30 mins, topped up radiator and fired up again hurrying home... praying I won't overheat.

The following day The Great Wisdom of Wrenchdom came over me and I first checking the obvious, drained the radiator and I pulled the t-stat to find my NEW ACDELCO t-stat's 'rubber skirt' was riding up over it's head and twisted sideways. Looks like it blocked the flow pretty well too but some fluid must have passed thru anyway.

Long story longer--- I replaced the ACDELCO with my stock t-stat and everything went back to normal. Still wondered what made that happen but I never used the AC's t-stat again.