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Re: Blown Head Gasket?

To: td214@cam.ac.uk, spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Blown Head Gasket?
From: Tburke4@aol.com
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 2000 10:36:23 EDT
Hi Tim,

These are probably unrelated and not necessarily bad news. Water is a natural 
by-product of internal combustion engines and departs as steam or droplets 
depending on the ambient temp and exhaust system heat. The flow of gas 
through a carb creates a cooling effect that will lead to condensation that 
will collect wherever it can inside the carb. (You don't, by any chance, live 
in a country with a damp climate?) ;-) The new exhaust may cause your exhaust 
to run hotter by reducing restriction and causing less heat to be absorbed by 
the manifold (which, by the way, also lets the intake manifold/carb run 
cooler). 

If you have a blown head gasket, the more usual symptoms are milky brown 
deposits in the cooling system or water on the dipstick/oil. Water blowing 
into the combustion chamber will also make the engine run really sick and you 
will get a massive blowout of water from the tailpipe after the car sits 
overnight because water leaks down into the combustion chamber and leaves all 
at once on start-up.

Good luck

Tom Burke
80 Spit

In a message dated 10/13/2000 12:54:41 AM Pacific Daylight Time, 
td214@cam.ac.uk writes:

<< Hi All,
 I had just finished fitting a free-flow stainless manifold to sophie...
 Started her up, lovely noise form the silencer, and no lower manifold
 gasket to leak...
 Then after warming her up I noticed more steam then normal coming from
 the exhaust, even when she was fully warmed?
 Pulled the carbs(don't ask why?) (dual HS4) and found water, not much,
 but enough to know its not oil or petrol in the back of the front carb?
 what does it mean?
 Leaking head gasket?
 Theres no bubbles in the radiator, and the oil isn't emulsified...
 Leaking water jacket on the inlet manifold?
 How could water get into the carbs?
 Thanks for any help
 Cheers
 Tim
  >>

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