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Re: Cracked head question

To: mgs@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Cracked head question
From: Glenn Schnittke <glenns@edge.ercnet.com>
Date: Thu, 28 Dec 1995 11:59:04 -0600
On Wed, 27 Dec 1995 Eric L. Van Iderstinewrote:

>What were the symptoms, how was the engine running, and can the head be 
>welded for a short term fix????
>
>I ask because 2/3 of the way to my grandparents I figured I'd check under 
>the hood to see if the engine was still there......it was, but there had 
>been a leak around the head gasket between......yep, 2 and 3.  I haven't 
>experienced any overheating, and I'm not sure on this one, but the DPO 
>claimed the car hadn't been used in several years.  
>
>I'm hoping that the head gasket set (UPS overnight!!!PLEASE come this 
>morning!!!) will be the solution.......

Eric,

When the head on the maroon went (gee, notice the similarities between the
word maroon and moron...) there was a small puddle of coolant at the bottom
of the #2 plug well. I couldn''t find where the heck it was coming from
until it got worse. then I noticed a light seepage of coolant just OVER the
#2 plug and it turned into a vertical line. Until that line showed up I
thought maybe the radiator cap was leaking and the fan was blowing the
vapors back. As it turned out, the head gasket was a goner, too, and there
WAS some warping but that was in between the cylinders. If yours is just
showing at the gasket and not gathering at the plug well, I'd bet on the
gasket. I WOULD suggest getting the face of the head milled flat before
putting the new gasket in. While the head may not have cracked it's very
likely it warped a little. And as long as you're getting the head milled,
I'd get it magna-fluxed just to make sure.

The engine ran fine, though. It always had a slight glitch right at 3500
rpm, but that didn't go away with the new head, so that wasn't it. If
anything, the new head gave me an increase in low end torque, so my guess is
that the warpage or bad rings was what was killing the low end.

Hope this helps.

Glenn
-----------------------------------------
Joyful Driving

Glenn Schnittke                    Recovering Musician
Nashville TN                       615-385-2800
glenns@edge.ercnet.com             72147.3635@compuserve.com
-----------------------------------------


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