Just finished installing a y8 headgasket on my d15b7. Engine started right up but white smoke is coming from the engine around the header I believe. I have not let the car warm up enough to see if the temp gauge in the car goes up at all. I also do not think there is any noticeable smoke coming from the tailpipe.

Also, my coolant does not seem to be circulating through the system. The engine gets very hot quickly and both radiator hoses are cold.

Anything I should check for before I begin to tear it down again?

 

Let the engine come up to operating temp first before you condemn something else. A lot of times, there will be some coolant/oil residue on the manifold/header that is burning off. Let the engine come up to temp and make sure temp doesn't overheat. It may take a while or more sometimes before manifold burns off any fluids spilled on it before it quits smoking. Just watch your temp and any coolant or oil usage before tearing it apart, thinking you have a problem when you may not.

Good luck,

 

Ok so I've warmed it up to "operating temp" and the smoke seems to be diminishing a little at a time. I bled the coolant until it came out of the bleeder bolt, but I used a whole gallon and it still looks like its consuming it. Plus I'm getting the typical scenario where the top radiator hose is very hot and the lower is cold. Is this a thermostat problem? Also, the fan is not turning on.

 

tha fan won't come on until it reaches about 191 degrees. It may take it a very long time for it to reach this temp just idling. Also, if it is taking a bit more coolant than just a gallon, which it probably will, I wouldn't be real concerned with it unless it drinks like, say, 2-2 1/2 gallons. Then, I'd worry.

As far as bottom hose feeling cold and upper hose hot, I wouldn't worry about it as the t-stat more than likely hasn't opened yet, again due to the fact that it hasn't really gotten to operating temp yet because it's idling. The guage will read up to temp but in reality, the coolant is about 20 degrees or more from being where it needs to be for t-stat to open or for fans to come on.

Try holding the revs at about 3000 rpm for about 2-4 minutes and see if this helps the t-stat to open and possibly longer for fan to come on.

Let me know if this helps or you need anything else.

 

Update: Tstat is opening because after driving around the block a few times and letting the car idle in teh driveway, bottom hose was very warm, upper hose was hot. Fan was not turning on still but the temp gauge was just below the halfway mark while it was sitting in the driveway.

When I popped the hood, I was getting a bit of light white smoke which indicates to me that oil is still burning off around the header. I'm not sure if its still remaining oil that is burning of if there is a small leak around the head/block that is continuously dripping. I'm going to check next weekend when I change my header.

Car runs alot stronger than it did with the previous blown headgasket, I'm just nervous about seeing the light white smoke after the driving the car for a bit.

 

dont worry about... just all the oil and grease u left on the header by touching it..