Did I blow a gasket ?

R

Ray@VSK

New Member

Aug 27, 2004

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Dec 6, 2004

#1

• Dec 6, 2004

• #1

Hey guys I am allittle worried about this possible problem I might have right now, the problem is I am loosing coolant somehow "I think" as I just finished my motor & Kenne Bell super charger install & I keep getting the low coolant light come on & I have filled the rad & reserve 2 or 3 times but it keeps emptying the resevoir, I have burped it a few times since while warm & lost allittle fluid as I took the cap off & tapped it off a few times aswell but the confusing thing is I don't see no leaks & I have seen moisture bulding up on the ground & spitting out my tailpipes, not alot but it's there, I meen I know when you first start your car in the morning it should spit out some moisture but the weird thing is I can drive it for a few hours come back let it sit for allittle while then go back out & start it & let it run for awhile I get 1 foot round circles of moisture on the rocks & can even put my hand in front of the pipes & it gets wet, I immediatly thought blown gasket (right) but why no smoke & why no water in my oil, could this be, any suggestions or opinions would be appreciated ?

 

Michael Yount

Mustang Master

Apr 10, 2002

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Charlotte, NC

Dec 6, 2004

#2

• Dec 6, 2004

• #2

Does it smell like antifreeze ray - I mean the condensation? If it's a leaky head gasket, you can usually smell the antifreeze in the exhaust. If you keep filling it, it's not leaking on the ground, and it's not getting in the oil, then it's definitely making it's way out the combustion chamber. If you haven't gone to the dyno yet, I'd try to get this figured out before I cut it loose on the dyno.

 

R

Ray@VSK

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Aug 27, 2004

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Dec 6, 2004

#3

• Dec 6, 2004

• #3

Ya I'm gonna try filling the rad with straight antifreeze cause I can't tell right now.

I'll tell ya though I notice no difference in power or performance though

 

GroverDill

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Aug 18, 1999

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Dec 6, 2004

#4

• Dec 6, 2004

• #4

drain the oil, see if it looks like a milkshake.

remeber, bearings dont get along with antifreeze.

 

morrisracing

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Nov 30, 2004

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AR.

Dec 6, 2004

#5

• Dec 6, 2004

• #5

Try using a cylinder leakdown tester. It will show you if it is a blown head gasket.

 

R

Ray@VSK

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Aug 27, 2004

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Dec 7, 2004

#6

• Dec 7, 2004

• #6

morrisracing said:

Try using a cylinder leakdown tester. It will show you if it is a blown head gasket.

Click to expand...

You meen a compression tester in the sparkplugs holes right, it's still loosing coolant I can't taste antifreeze out the exhaust either, btw what's the correct procedure to test compression I forge, unplug the coil & have someone turn it over right ?

 

Michael Yount

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Apr 10, 2002

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Dec 7, 2004

#7

• Dec 7, 2004

• #7

Not a compression tester Ray - a leak down test. It involves placing the cylinder right at TDC (for obvious reasons) and then pressurizing the cylinder with compressed air to see if you can determine if the cylinder will hold pressure, and which cylinder might be leaking. I think before I tried that though, I might get someone to run a cooling system pressurization leak test. See if you can pinpoint it with 15-17 psi on the radiator and the car not running. Oh, and we didn't want you TASTING the exhaust, just sniffing it.

 

R

Ray@VSK

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Aug 27, 2004

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Dec 7, 2004

#8

• Dec 7, 2004

• #8

lol I know but I couldn't smell anything or atleast I don't think I could anyways, I will look for someone to do that radiator compression test in the meentime is it ok to drive or will I warp my heads, I meen aslong as it ain't over heating it should not warp anything right ?

 

shttygtstang

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Jun 2, 2004

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Dec 7, 2004

#9

• Dec 7, 2004

• #9

when u blow your motor i got dibs on the kb sc

dont drive it till you figuer out whats going on for many reasons

 

Michael Yount

Mustang Master

Apr 10, 2002

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Dec 7, 2004

#10

• Dec 7, 2004

• #10

If it's not overheating, and you're sure there's no coolant in the oil - you're probably not gonna hurt anything with those conditions. I certainly wouldn't push it hard. The problem is if it's a gasket that's slowly leaking, or a hairline crack (heaven forbid) that only leaks under pressure (I've had one of those before) it could get worse at any time. And if that happens when you're driving it, you could do more damage. Only you can decide....

 

NKau

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Dec 15, 2001

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Dec 7, 2004

#11

• Dec 7, 2004

• #11

It's hard to miss coolant in your exhaust; you will get a really distinctly "sweet" smell. I would get the problem figured out before I drove it anymore.

 

R

Ray@VSK

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Aug 27, 2004

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Dec 8, 2004

#12

• Dec 8, 2004

• #12

OK Guys I'm fairly confident there blown, either the dyno shop did it or I don't know but I am spitting so much liquid out my tailpipes it's rediculous now my question is I need to know what head gaskets to use on these GT-40 Y303 heads ? I ordered the ford o-ring ones last time think they were felpros I don't remember

 

Michael Yount

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Apr 10, 2002

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Dec 8, 2004

#13

• Dec 8, 2004

• #13

Of course, it's the time of year when we're all spitting more water out of the exhaust because of the colder weather/condensation in the exhaust system. If the gasket's are blown, you can almost always smell it. Try this - run it around and get it good and warmed up. Pop the hood and pull all the plugs. Let it cool completely back down, then turn it over and see if you get any coolant blowing out of the spark plug holes.

Have you tried leak down or cranking compression checks yet? If it's a gasket, it may be just on one side unless you just want to pull them both. You may also want to consider a switch to studs if you were running bolts.

 

R

Ray@VSK

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Aug 27, 2004

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Dec 8, 2004

#14

• Dec 8, 2004

• #14

Ya I just noticed after driving it up to autozone & letting it run when I came out there was no more water coming out, I'm gonna have to try some of that stuff you meantioned first but just incase I still would like to know a good set of gaskets ?

 

Michael Yount

Mustang Master

Apr 10, 2002

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Charlotte, NC

Dec 8, 2004

#15

• Dec 8, 2004

• #15

I'd get into one of the 'boost oriented' forums and ask there.

In the winter, the exhaust system when cold acts like a big condenser. Combustion basically turns oxygen and hydrocarbon fuel (gasoline) into CO2 and water. That water in the exhaust condenses into liquid when the system's cold - and it's VERY common for cars to spit a fair amount of water out the tail pipe until they've warmed up enough to evaporate it all. Can take 10-15-20 minutes depending on the car and the outside temp. If you've got at least 50/50 antifreeze in the car, if you've blown a head gasket you can smell the antifreeze in the exhaust.