Head gasket

[leon]

 :-/Hi gang as most of you know about my Fe standard I  recently  restored, the engine I had reconditioned, I did about 600 km so far but since I had it on the road I noticed a slight leak along the head gasket line manafold side. So I drove the car to the engine reconditioners, and they said  Its common that the anti-freeze I'm using can seep through between the gasket fiber.  He also said I must be using a strong anti-freeze solution.
The one I'm using is Castrol Radi Cool which contains 33% Ethylene glycol what ever that means He also said when I bring the car back for the 800km service they will tighten the head bolts and this also may stop the leaking :-/ So can anyone out there have an answer to the slight leakage problem.
                               Regards Leon.

[graham_fuller]

Hi Leon
Any leakage from the head gasket in my experience is bad.Keep a good eye on it and get the KM's up as soon as possible so you can get the head retightened.You could also ring the NRMA technical help line on 132132 they could tell you definately.
Cheers,Graham

[craiga]

Hi Leon,

It is possible to carry out a number of tests to confirm the problem.

Most good mechanics will have a radiator pressure test unit (http://www.mityvac.com/kits.html#universalcoolingsystemtestkit) - this device screws on to the top of the radiator in place of the cap and allows the mechanic to pressurize the cooling system to the desired level. By using this tool when the engine is cold, and again when the engine is hot, will enable the mechanic to determine the extent of the leak. If it is only a minor leak, that is, only when the engine is hot and the radiator pressure level is high, then its not a worry and the scheduled retighten will most likely correct it.

However if it is possible to create the leak when the engine is cold and pressure is applied to the cooling system then he should address the problem now as the head gasket will get worse very quickly.

If all appears OK using this test then it is possible that the cylinder compression pressure is forcing its way past the head gasket and over a water jacket to the outside of the engine. Again if this is the case tightening may correct the problem but it should be done straight away rather than waiting for the problem to get worse and the head gasket having to be replaced. There are also tools available for testing for this type of problem (cylinder leakage tester) which allow the mechanic to pressurize each cylinder using compressed air.

Hope some of this helps.

Cheers,

Craig.

[Rod]

It may be the coolant. I spoke with a mechanic friend only last week about coolant. He was replacing coolant in a late model Ford. He said that Ford had problems with their original coolant (red in color). After a period of time the coolant would seep out of the rubber hoses and gave a read appearance to the surface. They have since change to a different coolant.

Also in regards to head retensioning. I have just finish a reco of a grey. It was suggested to me to retighten after 300 miles and then again at 1000 miles. Maybe you might want to clarify this as well.

Hope this helps

Rod

[ACE]

 ;)HI LEON
  MOST MECHANICAL REPAIR SHOPS THESE DAYS DON'T PUT THE COOLANT IN UNTIL THE RECONDITIONED ENGINE COMES BACK IN FOR CYLINDER HEAD RETENSIONING 1000KMS THIS SEEMS TO STOP THE HEAD GASKET SEEPAGE YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT (THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO AREAS OF AUSTRALIA WHERE WATER CAN FREEZE IN ENGINE BLOCK)
HOPE THIS HELPS
REGARDS ACE  

[leon]

  Thanks guys for all your help. While the engine is running there is no difference in the amount of fluid leaking, the car has been in the garage now for two weeks not used and although I've wipped any fluid off the floor two weeks ago there is a least a tablespoon of fluid on the floor when I looked today. I'll be going to the all holden day with the car as is and maybe if your there you can see the problem. When I come back from the all holden day I'm going to retension the head myself rather than taking it back to the engine reconditioners, as this is not the first problem I have had with the engine. :-/
regards, leon.