Head Gasket Again!!!

[Bax]

You'd still have to bleed the system exactly the same way.. Exactly the same motor, just that the radiator is lower in the vl. Which leaves the pocket of air in the plenum/head area.

The skylines didn't have problems with cracking heads but thats because the radiator was higher and they didn't have any problems with air pockets. But on the same note we can ditch the airpockets by bleeding the system, as stated above.

You should be able to pick up an entire engine for 2-300 dollars. Unsure of condition of course, thats the only problem with it.

Depends how much cash you've got to throw at this thing, i wouldn't bother changing engines. But if you get a new head put on professionally, and bled and you take care of it and it still cracks you may have a more serious problem.

There was a particular car on calaisturbo that had consistent problems, happened to the poor guy heaps. With many a trip to the mechanics to help him out and find a cause. I think he gave up in the end.

 

[tripodum]

When you have checked and cleaned very carefully, put the new one on with Hylomar. It's the answer to a virgin's prayer.

 

[Bucket]

thats just a spray on goo onto the gasket.


Mark do you know if the head that went back onto your car was pressure tested. Also, did you put the head on yourself, if so did you use the correct tightening sequence?

Bex, i owned an 87 Skyline which cracked the head but i think i was running around with low water for a while, it was yonks ago now.

 

[My Car Pwns]

i put the entire engine myself.. so i didnt change the head or anything like that.. jus put it all in.. do u think i can raise the radiator a bit..? ? i dont have too much money to throw at my project.. but im earnin minimum 300 a week..

 

[Bax]

You don't have to raise the radiator, just bleed the system like I've mentioned above and it will be fine.

 

[Bucket]

ok so you put the entire motor in at once, was the oil looking fine afterwards, as if it was running ok?

Secondly, was the temp running below half the whole time?

Every time i bleed my system, i drive it down the road cause where i live is heaps hilly, and then i turn around and flog the crap out of it all the way up the hill, it gets the car up to operating temp and forces the air to the bleeder if it wasnt done properly so i can bleed it again.

If your car is going to overheat, it will always do it under maximum load. Dont be a goose about it too much but give it some close to home and watch the temp gauge, have a little spanner on hand ready to bleed.

 

[harry3]

I carry a spanner for the bleeder bolts and a length of rubber hose that fits in the radiator cap to increase the water pressure in case I get a radiator leak when out in the middle of nowhere
its best to remove the thermostat when flushing the cooling system
as mentioned the VL 6 is I think unique in that the top of the water cooling passages in the engine are higher than the top of the radiator, due to holdens having to shoehorn an engine into the commodore that was never designed for it

 

[Rhino Racing]

It's time to KISS...... and make up guys.

Interesting reading guys. and congrats to all for some wothwhile infomation.... good to see a forum working well for someone in need. :thumbsup:
But dont forget to KISS.... (Keep It Simple Stupid!) :embarrass

All of the things mentioned are definite possibilities for your reoccuring problem.. but you have also got to go back to basics and start again.

1)The original problem might have been caused by a stuck thermostat or blocked radiator........ You said that the whole engine was changed but you did it yourself.......... did you throw a new themostat in it.....If not, does the new engine have a thermostat in it at all( this can cause issues with coolant not flowing to the back of the head properly). Or did you use the old thermostat..... Maybe it is seized partially and not allowing adequate flow through the engine.Even when fitting a new thermostat it is a good practice to test its operation before installing it. This is done quite simply..... put a saucepan full of water on top of the stove.......use a piece of wire to lower the thermostat into the water.... watch the valve open fully and you can watch it close again when it cools down, You can verify the temp that it opens if you have a thermometer to monitor the water temp.
The thermostat is basically a valve that is tempreture sensitive and will open and close to regulate engine tempreture by allowing more or less cooler water from the radiator through it.

2)Did you flush out the radiator properly or have it tested for restrictions? Years of sludge and especially after doing a head gasket the build up of carbon etc from exhaust gass is quite common and overlooked when looking for a cause.

3)When the car overheated the second time..... did it just read hot on the temp gauge or did it actaully overheat ..... did you see a loss of coolant , steam etc when you pulled up?
Cause it could be coincidental that the new engine has a temp sender unit in it that is stuffed...... and it just read high on your gauge, withiout actually cooking the donk.

4)If all of the above are o.k. then you could just be unfortunate enough to have picked up another donk with a problem in the same area.
Then you have to ask the question. Why was it removed from the car that it came out of.

5)Lastly another thing to keep in mind......... engines that have been removed from cars and sit in sheds etc for a long period of time.... are sitting there without coolant in them........ all of the seals etc on head gaskets (and around cylinder sleeves, high performance and diesel applications) will dry out and perish.... when subjected to heat and stress of normal engine operation they can fail.

Sorry for the long reply but you didnt clarify all of this in your thread.... :shutup: ..:ranting: ..... it pays to take a step back some time and start from scratch.

Look forward to hearing back from you about all of this.

 

[My Car Pwns]

thx for help you guys..
i didnt buy a new thermostat.. i flushed the radiator, but didnt have it tested, the car did overheat, since i put new engine in it heats up quick but jus stays exactly on half.. maybe jus a lil bit ova.. but i woz told that wos normal.
the car woz running fine up till then.. bit of rough idling but otherwise fine...
i dont know what u guys mean by bleed the system..

 

[rattattack1313]

By bleed the system, we mean for you to follow the top radiator hose towards the top of the motor...there should be a bleed valve there.......warm the motor...then loosen the bleed valve.....let all the air out of it.....