what do you think

[87pony]

well i thought i blew a head gasket about 3 weeks ago, i took both intakes off and the gaskets were really coroded in front and back. my buddy is convinced that this is my problem and not my head gaskets. he does a lot more mechanic work than i do so i figure we would just try new gaskets. what would you guys do?


when it happend i lost all power, white smoke what pouring out the back, of course, when i pulled in onto the trailor to tow it home it puked oil and antifreeze all over the ground.

 

[payupsucka]

does you oil pan look like a milkshake? sounds like a head gasket to me .

 

[87pony]

i havent even draind the oil yet. but the lifter valley and that, all the oil is good. no mixed has been tossed around in there.

 

[Mustang5L5]

Possible...but if you have it torn down already why not just pull the heads, check things out and slap some new HG's on anyway?? Not really a whole lot more work and $$ from where you are now. Then clean up the lower intake, reseal it properly and then you will know everything is nice and fresh.

 

[87pony]

ya i guess thats true. i figure its a lot less work if i dont have to take the heads off.

 

[fastford91]

If your getting white smoke pouring out the exhaust like you said then its definitely a head gasket! coolant is getting into the cylinder somehow!! otherwise there wouldn't be white smoke coming from the exhaust!

 

[86bluecobra]

Your friend could be correct. Watter could be entering through the intake into the combustion chamber. But I would still remove the heads if you are that close anyways. Odds are its a HG. Usally when the intake gasket goes it leaks externally not internally. But wonders never cease to amaze.

 

[jrichker]

Do a compression test. It is very rare that an engine with a blown head gasket will give good compression test numbers.

[Only use a compression tester with a screw in adapter for the spark plug hole. The other type leaks too much to get an accurate reading. Your local auto parts store may have a compression tester to rent. If you do mechanic work on your own car on a regular basis, it would be a good tool to add to your collection.

With the engine warmed up, remove all spark plugs and prop the throttle wide open, crank the engine until it the gage reading stops increasing. On a cold engine, it will be hard to tell what's good & what's not. Some of the recent posts have numbers ranging from 140-170 PSI. If the compression is low, squirt some oil in the cylinder and do it again – if it comes up, the rings are worn. There should be no more than 10% difference between cylinders. Use a blow down leak test (puts compressed air inside cylinders) on cylinders that have more than 10% difference.

I generally use a big screwdriver handle stuck in the TB between the butterfly and the TB to prop the throttle open. The plastic is soft enough that it won't damage anything and won't get sucked down the intake either.

A battery charger (not the trickle type) is a good thing to have if you haven't driven the car lately or if you have any doubts about the battery's health. Connect it up while you are cranking the engine and it will help keep the starter cranking at a consistent speed from the first cylinder tested to the last cylinder.

 

[87pony]

ok so i put the motor back together. now if it sits for a day or so, first startup it blows white smoke for about 2 minutes,and dies. then when i get it out on the road, has hesitation for about 5 minutes, after that it runs just fine. intake no seal? head gasket leak?

 

[ninety15.0]

Coolant is a horrible lubricant. HORRIBLE! Before you wind up having to pull the motor and replace a spun bearing...you might just want to take the heads off and replace the HG's.

It shouldnt take you more than 4 hours to get the heads off and all mating surfaces all cleaned up and ready for install. Should only take you another 3-4 hours to put if back together.

Should have done that in the first place when you had the intakes off!

 

[fastford91]

i said it once before and ill say it again ! HEAD GASKETS!!!! why wouldn't you replace them in the first place while you had it takin apart? now go out there take it back apart put new head gaskets in and what do you know??? no more white smoke!!

 

[87pony]

no coolant in the oil. oil still looks brand new. didnt replace them because its a lot more work than not doing it. not a big deal to try the intakes first and see.

 

[fastford91]

might not be a big enough leak for there to be coolant in the oil yet! could be a small leak and its getting burnt in the cylinder! hence no coolant in the oil! once its get bigger it'll be a milkshake in your oil! as for no big deal doing the intake gaskets I'm just wondering why would you go through the procedure to do that when 99% of the time its a head gasket !! like you've been told in here about 12 times now! just would have made more sense to me and others that you would do that while you were already there and not have to tear it down again to do it right this time! why do it twice? unless your bored and would rather look at your ride then drive it!!!! just doesn't make sense to some of us! we give advice and some people just dont take it! its your car and you can do what you want but i would rather do it right and drive it! then sit on the bench and watch!