okay.. this is my second head gasket in less than a year. i have a gsr motor. ARP headstuds. before i removed the head this time i checked if the studs were torqued down to spec. specs all checked out. the head gasket looks pretty good. i crossed the head and the block. that also checks out. spotted for cracks and what not. looks good. the problem was... it would get very hot, build pressure, and push coolant back into the reserve. i had a loss of coolant, and someone told me my car smelled like it was burning coolant. i also have a tad of oil in the coolant but Not vice versa. i have 2 main questions. 1- do you think there is a different problem? the hoses are in the correct locations. 2- can i put a sealer on the block before i lay down the gasket? would it hurt or just help insure the headgasket isn't my problem? the water pump doesn't make any noises and doesn't leak through the rear holes. i also replaced the thermostat. it seems to run okay when i keep it filled with coolant, but when it gets down it starts to overheat then push into the reserve. my fan works. it is nec for me to crank the heat, but it is getting too hot to withstand these temps. whats your input? i have a new head gasket on order for tomorrow.

 

sounds to me like a leaky head gasket. You should always have the head checked out at a machine shop anytime you blow a head gasket, since its all aluminum it warps easily and also can crack, sometime the cracks are so small you cant see them when the head is cold cause they contract, but when it heats up it expands. just pull the head and send it too a shop. its not too expensive to have checked out. good luck

 

i'd do a leakdown next time before you take it apart.

also, about the treatment for the HG - you can use a product called hylomar; its hard to find nowadays but it's available. it's superior to copper spray. i learned about it several years ago from Ben Ma at AEBS. he used it exclusively; i had to order mine from valco cincinnati last time, but i see it's avail on ebay - http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWD1V

 

cool. i don't have the time to send it over to the machine shop this time. im working on my back-up car as well at the same time.. uhh.

Thanks for the info about the spray can. i will order one and have it sit on the shelf. just in case this may go to a 3rd head gasket. i will then send it over to the machine shop as well. But not before i would use a leak-down tester.

Thanks guys for your thoughts.

 

well if you don't take it to a shop I can assure that you will be changing another in the future. As that seems to be what your problem is. If you find the right shop they can do it for you in a day. I dropped mine off at night and picked it up the next day plus they cleaned the crap out of it for $30!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ballinboosi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">well if you don't take it to a shop I can assure that you will be changing another in the future.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Agreed. Notice a trend? You're not going to suddenly install the magic head gasket to fix your problems. There's likely warpage of the head and/or the block that's causing your problem.

 

Yeah, if there is alot of bulit up solids in the water passages that can create heat build-up and displace coolant, which can make it worse. Def get a leakdown test and check out the water passages