turbotime

Ok I am experiencing some very strange symptoms. I have a built turbo engine and basically under full boost its blowing coolant into the overflow tank and eventually filling the tank and blowing coolant all over the engine bay.

I have a fluidyne radiator and a brand new (i think) fluidyne 16lb cap. I am using a premixed 50/50 coolant. My car does not overheat at all.

After hard driving if i check the engine bay there will be coolant spash markes on some charge pipes. If i crack the radiator cap open right after driving bubbles will come out the coolant resevoir like when you blow through a straw in a cup.

There is no coolant leaking like from the water pump or anything, and i just replaced the tstat. There is no coolant in the oil at all, and no oil in the coolant...

Im trying to figure out if this is HG related or something else? I heard sometimes a bad rad cap can cause these symptoms? But what are the chances this cap is bad? Then I thought maybe it was the HG but it doesnt overheat, coolant and oil are clean, current HG isnt that old (although it is copper) and the compression is spot on @ 150psi across all cylinders..

Any Ideas? Any Insight? Im pretty stumped and dont want to waste the time and $$ to do teh HG if that isnt it..

help!

0BoostedJeff

I had this problem on my old motor.

most likely, your headgasket is giving way, and boost is getting into your water jackets, over pressuring your coolant system, and spewing coolant out of your overflow. i changed my HG, and it was good as new.

gritsak

the head might be lifting under boost...do you have arp's?

turbotime

yeah i just put in arps last week cause i thought that might be the cause, torqued to 78ft/lbs, still spewing

Damn if its the headgasket how big of an issue do you think it is, there is no fluid mixing or anything, cant i hydrocarbon test the coolant to see if thats the cause?

0BoostedJeff

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbotime &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">yeah i just put in arps last week cause i thought that might be the cause, torqued to 78ft/lbs, still spewing

Damn if its the headgasket how big of an issue do you think it is, there is no fluid mixing or anything, cant i hydrocarbon test the coolant to see if thats the cause?</TD></TR></TABLE>

is your motor sleeved? head been milled? What HG you using?

GSlowR

kno anyone else with the same radiator that you can exchange radiator caps with?? my car was blowing coolant into the overflow and i replaced the radiator cap and now it's perfect.. it's a longshot but it'd suck going thru all that trouble if it turns out it's the radiator cap..

JINX'D

when you installed arps.... did you replace the headgasket aswell? you can't just pull out the old studs and throw in new ones if the head has been lifting.

turbotime

the motor is sleeved and built, and oringed. Using a ??mm gasket, copper.

When I put the arps in i did not change the headgasket (gasket was replaced &lt; 1000miles ago)

turbotypeR@SPEC

use a stock head gasket

0BoostedJeff

check to make sure your sleeves didnt move/drop, that was my problem

mike1114

iTrader: (1)

Its cause you re-used your headgasket.

Replace and you'll be fine.

Only other problem could be block/head is not flat.

turbotime

i cant use a stock headgasket- my block is oringed.

I reused my gasket but i never released the pressure off of it uncompressing it. I installed the arps one by one, so that the gasket never got fully uncompressed.

Damnit i guess its blown, must be a tiny tiny leak tho.

Sucks cause i have no idea the bore or thickness of the gasket so ill have to pull the head, take measurements, and then order a gasket and itll take no &lt; 2 weeks to get it.

BAH

thanks for the help anyway guys

alpha

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbotime &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i cant use a stock headgasket- my block is oringed.</TD></TR></TABLE>

My old block was o-ringed by Golden Eagle Mfg. and it used/uses an OEM 84mm head gasket. Golden Eagle Mfg. asked me not to use a Cometic MLS head gasket with their o-ring.

turbotime

really? working good for you using the stock gasket??

alpha

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbotime &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">really? working good for you using the stock gasket??</TD></TR></TABLE>

What Cometic gasket are you using specifically? And yes it worked fine. It's running hard at 400whp after about a year or two with the new owner(s).

turbotime

im not sure if its a cometic gasket or not- the guy i bought the engine from was a tool and couldnt give me any info as to the type of gasket.

I know its copper cause i can see the edges and its not the silver kind of copper is the goldish copper....

I think its still stock bore though, can stock sleeves be oringed? I was told they CANT so im assuming its sleeved...

alpha

I have never seen stock sleeves o-ringed. I have seen heads o-ringed. That's about it.

W C L

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbotime &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i cant use a stock headgasket- my block is oringed.

I reused my gasket but i never released the pressure off of it uncompressing it. I installed the arps one by one, so that the gasket never got fully uncompressed.

Damnit i guess its blown, must be a tiny tiny leak tho.

Sucks cause i have no idea the bore or thickness of the gasket so ill have to pull the head, take measurements, and then order a gasket and itll take no &lt; 2 weeks to get it.

BAH

thanks for the help anyway guys </TD></TR></TABLE>


thats ur prob right there!!!!! reusing ur old headgaset and not taking the bolts out in right sequence, there is a proper way or loosing and tighten when removing the head, which can lead into warping the head if the pressure is not released/tightened evenly on aluminum heads...

turbotime

i know the proper way to loosen tighten headbolts, and i did it the proper way.

just to replace them i did them, IN ORDER, pulled the stock headbolt, inserted stud, tightened to 60ft/lb (torque of stock headbolts. Then once all the bolts were replaced i stepped them to 78ft/lbs

W C L

well u stated that u never took the pressure off the headgasket, well if u removed the headgasket the correct way how is that possible????

also going straight to 60ft lbs on first step then 78ftlbs is asking for problems also, try the factory specs 22ft lbs-1st step and then 78ft lbs-2nd, i have used this method on many of my customers motor and never had a problem...

turbotypeR@SPEC

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbotime &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i cant use a stock headgasket- my block is oringed.

</TD></TR></TABLE>
i have been using a stock head gasket for three years now with my golden eagle sleeves w/o-rings and no problems.i had the same problem you are having before when i had the stock radiator.i switched to a pwr and it went away.i don't think swapping to studs without changing the gasket is the problem,especially since you said it did it before.i have seen alot of people have problems with copper gaskets.that is why i have always used stock,and never had a problem.if you have a bigger bore than 81mm,golden eagle sells some that are punched out

turbotime

i didnt remove the HG.

I did one bolt at a time in order. I know when you take them ALL out and then put them ALL back in your supposed to toque them in 3 steps.

All my OEM bolts were torqued to 61ft/lbs (spec). I removed ONE bolt, and replaced it with a stud, torquing that stud to the torque of all the other bolts (equalizing pressure).

once all the studs were in (@61 ft/lbs) i went over them in a 2nd step. If I had torqued them only to 22ft/lbs that would create a discrepency between the OEM bolts and the studs, possibly warping the head.

Also I didint have another HG sot hats why i didint do it the traditional way.

Anyway, im not trying to argue just trying to say i know correct procedure and followed it as close as possible given the circumstances.

Thats all besides the point, this issue was present both BEFORE and AFTER the headbolt replacement... so its not like that ruined the seal or anything cause it was happening before and after

W C L

....<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbotime &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i didnt remove the HG.

I did one bolt at a time in order. I know when you take them ALL out and then put them ALL back in your supposed to toque them in 3 steps.

All my OEM bolts were torqued to 61ft/lbs (spec). I removed ONE bolt, and replaced it with a stud, torquing that stud to the torque of all the other bolts (equalizing pressure).

once all the studs were in (@61 ft/lbs) i went over them in a 2nd step. If I had torqued them only to 22ft/lbs that would create a discrepency between the OEM bolts and the studs, possibly warping the head.

Also I didint have another HG sot hats why i didint do it the traditional way.

Anyway, im not trying to argue just trying to say i know correct procedure and followed it as close as possible given the circumstances.

Thats all besides the point, this issue was present both BEFORE and AFTER the headbolt replacement... so its not like that ruined the seal or anything cause it was happening before and after </TD></TR></TABLE>


just trying to help ya out here..... but u still relieved the pressure of that area of the gasket when taking each bolt out 1 at a time....

the discrepency is installing head bolts/ studs in this fashion due to the weird circumstances get a new gasket and install them right so u wont have to go through things like this by eliminating the fact they where installed correctly... dont take short cuts, lil down down time and money never killed anyone

turbotime

ok but im still confused on the type of gasket to get. I have a copper now but would prefer to go OEM if i can. Im not sure if its my block thats oringed or my head, can i use an oem HG with either?

W C L

yea get an oem.... i have ran them with o-ringed heads and block never have probs....jsut not a oringed block and oring head at the same time if it makes sense

yea but i'll be fine with OEM!!!!