Head Gasket help from the Gurus

darthcual

Member
Mar 31, 2005
985
19
18
Arlington, TX
Okay I am smelling coolant but I have looked at all the usual suspects; hoses, heater core, water pump, etc. Can the head gasket leak to the outside of the block? Their is no smoke, no milky oil, no bubbling radiator. Any help is appreciated.

Z
 
I had some failed intake gaskets that I just fixed as a matter of fact, crap Fel-Pro 1250's. I was noticing a small amount of coolant on top of the timing chain cover. I could also smell coolant while the motor was running. That could be a place to check.

New intake gaskets no more coolant leak or smell now and no more vaccume leak either.
 
The lower head bolts thread directly into the water jacket. They are supposed to be coated with ARP sealant or Teflon pipe dope to prevent coolant from seeping out past the threads. You can remove and coat them one at a time if necessary. Just be sure to have a good torque wrench and re-torque them to the proper value.