not again overheating tell me not a head gasket?

[65stang289]

ok dont know why but some reason it has been getting hot like up to 250 for no reason. One day after work I started her to let her warm up for 5mins at the most and my buddy says your car is smoken I look over I see white smoke come out the cowl hood every where. I thought the car caught fire then one other time I was driven fine doing 45mph and the temp is at 180 and all of a sudden water come through the cowl onto my window. I checked the t-stat it works good but I pulled it and I am not running one now and it is doing the same
Iam going to change the water pump out to see if that does it. But I blew a head gasket last fall and it did the same thing now as it did then. Iam trying to get some new heads but they need some work done to them befor I can use them.

 

[D.Hearne]

Sounds like you installed at least one head gasket backwards.

 

[65stang289]

No I did that and fixed it a week later because the car would backfire and shoot flames out the header just on that side. I think I might just have warped the head is there a way to check this.

 

[D.Hearne]

Never seen a backwards installed head gasket cause a backfire. Only overheating due to blocked passages or the coolant short-cutting back into the intake. Your description sounds exactly like a backwards head gasket.

 

[mustangman70]

Where was the water coming from when it was leaking? On a side note, can u put intake gaskets backwords? like does a specific side affect the seal?

 

[D.Hearne]

Intake gaskets fit either way.

 

[67coupestang]

On head gaskets... would it hurt anything to cup the other end open so you have open coolant passages on both ends???

 

[WORTH]

first you have to establish what is happening first, is it leaking and low on coolant before it overheats? Is it actually overheating or just running hot? where is the water coming from when it blows off?

 

[65stang289]

The first time around when it did this a few months ago I but a 67 rad in it and it ran fine. I have put two new caps on one was 13lbs and then I went up to 16lbs still the same. One time it blew the over flow tube out the over flow. I put a hose clamp on that and now it is leaking from under the cap on the left side. IT wont shoot anything out the over flow just keeps shooting it under the cap on the left side. I can feel it up and then in no time it will shot water out.
For the head gasket when I put it on backwards it had a bad oil leak out the back I thought I had a bad rear main. what it was is it was covering some of the holes where the oil needed to go. And it was running hot that way.

 

[WORTH]

well, you have a downflow radiator, so when it is cool, take the cap off, fill it with water, start it and watch the flow, with the t-stat out it should be circulating like gang busters as soon as you fire it up. Let it idle and tell me what happens.

DO you have a straight fan with a shrowd?

 

[D.Hearne]

The first time around when it did this a few months ago I but a 67 rad in it and it ran fine. I have put two new caps on one was 13lbs and then I went up to 16lbs still the same. One time it blew the over flow tube out the over flow. I put a hose clamp on that and now it is leaking from under the cap on the left side. IT wont shoot anything out the over flow just keeps shooting it under the cap on the left side. I can feel it up and then in no time it will shot water out.
For the head gasket when I put it on backwards it had a bad oil leak out the back I thought I had a bad rear main. what it was is it was covering some of the holes where the oil needed to go. And it was running hot that way.

Still sounds like you have the head gasket on backwards. And the only oil passage thru the gasket is the oil drainback from the head to the lifter valley. There's no pressure in that passage to cause a leak. This passage is open whether the head gasket is backwards or not. There's two drain back holes per head, one at each end. Trust me, I know what you're going thru, but one of your head gaskets is backwards.

 

[ratio411]

Just for giggles... what condition is your bottom radiator hose in?
I blew 3 head gaskets before I noticed that my lower hose would suck shut at higher rpms. At idle it was fine, so it never crossed my mind.
Another thing: your car will over heat from not having a thermostat. Even if there are no other issues.
Good luck
Dave

 

[65stang289]

It is full of water and it flows good right now. Lastnight after work I drove to my buddys work and asked him about it and showed him what it was doing. I have one of the rad caps with the pressure thing. OK it was fine not even a drop of water any where as soon as I lifted the pressure switch smoke started coming from under the cap and so I put it back down but it would not stop for 5 mins smoke and water was coming out from under the cap.

The bottom hose there looked at that.

 

[WORTH]

do what I asked you to do and tell me what happens.

 

[ForceFed70]

Why not do a compression test? That'll at least tell you if the headgasket is good or not.. tho it won't tell you if it's on upsidedown.

 

[65stang289]

I did it flows like you said nice and fast. When I give it gas it shots at me
lol but yeah it is going good

 

[WORTH]

I did it flows like you said nice and fast. When I give it gas it shots at me
lol but yeah it is going good

just leave it idleing and tell me if it overheats or is fine, oh and you never told me what you have for a fan setup and shrowd.

 

[65stang289]

I have a 14in fan on the back side of the rad pulling. I did have a 10inch in front of my trans cooler pushing but I took that off. I have a radiator out of a 68 mustang in my car so it is a little longer.

 

[pabear89]

No thermostat allows the coolant to rush thru the rad without cooling down.
Or I will have to agree with DH, the gasket is on wrong.
Darn easy thing to do if your not paying attention.

Been there,

PB