GSTROM99(at)aol.com wrote:
> You're probably right in the gasket or weld problem. You won't know for sure
> until it comes apart. The smoke out the tail pipe is a give away, it should
> have a semi-sweet smell to it too.
>
> You could also try pressurizing the system with a radiator tester/pump thingy
> first. Take a spark plug out and see if the cylinder fills up... Betcha it
> will. Sorry.
>
> gary strom
Hello Gary & Everyone:
It's definitely the head gasket. I got a good look at it using a mirror, as was
suggested, and the coolant is seeping out through the gasket just under that
metal boss at the back (firewall end) of the head.
As a desperation move, and at the suggestion of a couple of people, I tried a
bottle of Prestone stop leak (supposed to seal head gaskets). When the motor is
cold and first started, the foamy stuff sploops out the offending head gasket
crack. As it warms up, though, the seepage pretty much stops. According to a
mechanic friend of mine, this is safe to proceed with (allowing me to drive back
and forth the two and a half miles each way to work every day) as a temporary
measure until the head comes off in about two weeks (I check coolant level before
both trips). He feels the likely scenario is that a water passage weld (from the
re-build) failed and put pressure on the head gasket which finally blew. The
smoke out the tail pipe, before the gasket went, was probably an indication of
the weld failure.
Amazingly, since my head bolt retorque session a couple of days ago, and
re-checking valve clearances and setting them much more precisely (I'm getting
expert at this, having now done it so many times), the Alpine is running, and
accelerating better and smoother and any time since the rebuild. I'm more and
more convinced that precise valve setting (and consequently valve timing) is
critical to getting the most out of my engine.
Thanks for all the help and suggestions, as usual, and I'll report on the results
when the head is removed. ) It looks like I'll be installing my new (used)
overdrive at the same time, so maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
Steve Sage
'67 Series V
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