Blown Head Gasket? Help please

[Philby]

Hi Guys,

I have just gone to do my first oil change and it looks like I have a blown head gasket.  

I've not had a blown head gasket before so I'm not 100% sure.  

Can any of you guys confirm my diagnosis or send me back to moto-school with some other possibilities?

Below are some photos which should help you understand what I have found.



Drained Oil - seems to have a milky substance in it.


Oil Cap - white creamy sludge around the rim of the rocker cover and here on the cap.


Radiator - was running low so I put in some fluid and it appears hazy.


Any feedback or guidance would be apprecaiated.

Cheers,

Phil

[Burnsy]

Phil, it looks like you are on the money with your diagnosis, try running the motor with the radiator cap off and see if the motor blows bubbles through the coolant.  Just another little tell tale sign.

You can go to far wrong pulling the head off and having a look though.

Cheers,
mike

[gp]

Ooooh Bugger!
Dosen't look good Phil..........slight chance it may be a bad case of condensation. Burnsy's right, did you try running the engine with the radiator cap off? Did the car use any water on the trip home from Sydney?

I might give you a ring.

Cheers,

GP

[fe hotrod]

 ;)dont asume anything until all avenues are reserched!!!before getting to exited and pulling the head off,there are two small welsh plugs behind the side plate cover check these  as ive had them rust out before and if the motor is running sweet, this could be the problem,other things to look for is different colored spark plugs,running hotter than normal,has the car been sitting around for a while then you have given it a good drive??if the motor is running well and idles well id be checking those welsh plugs before anything,hope this helps,let us know how you go or give us some more info!!cheers jamie

[FE_225]

Hi Phil
Also check for porous (rusted out) intake and exhaust ports on the grey. Drop the manifolds and have a look for rusty ports, valve stems and rust in the manifolds.
The motor will run fine (except for using a bit more water), but  on shut down, the water seeping  thru the port walls will drain into the cylinders, then past the rings and into the sump.
Hope this helps

Cheers

Tony

[Philby]

Thanks Guys,

The car had only done about 400 miles in the two years before I bought it, and it drove well (apart from the clutch) from Syd. to Cbr. and I've driven it about four times a week for the past three months.

It has used heaps of water over the past two weeks but I really noticed it in the middle of last week.  I also noticed there was more moisture coming out of the exhaust.

I'll check the welsh plugs, spark plugs, radiator for bubbles and exhaust ports and take it from there.

The engine is a 138 Grey with an unknown history, but has been running well until now.

I'll let you know how I go.

Cheers,

Phil

[Philby]

GP was nice enough to come over and have a quick look the other day and sure enough, there were plenty of bubbles in the radiator.

Time to get on that learning curve.....

[Philby]

The head finally came off last night and as I haven't had to diagnose a blown head gasket before, I'm not sure if this is damaged enough to cause the problem? Or if there is something more.

What I refer to as the #6 cylinder (at the back end of the block), seems to be the most likely culprit but I'm not sure.  Check out the gunk in the water system!

Any ideas from you guys?

Here are a couple of shots to show you what I have found:

All block with gasket



# 5 & 6 with gasket:



Full Block without gasket


# 6 head

[colt]

Phil, in the shot with gasket, I don't like the look of 2,4 or 6.
Make sure your new gasket is a quality one & has a seal around the water jackets. I used a gasket the same as yours once & it didn't last long, having the same result as yours.
I had to buy a gasket separate from the gasket kit as the head gasket in the kit was crap.
Colin

[Philby]

G'day all,

The learning curve has been a long but good one.

I had the head skimmed, new gaskets, manifolds dipped and put it all back together.

Over the weekend had a few problems getting her started, then GP gave me a hand and she started in a flash (thanks GP).

I'm now concerned about the oil I drained after running it for 1/2 hour.  The first lot was understandably full of crud and probably clearing out remaining water, but the second round (another 1/2 hour) was milky as well.  I filled her up again and there are no bubbles in the radiator and I don't seem to be losing any water.  The water is cloudy but seems to be just flushing the remaining crud, no evidence of new oil entering the cooling system.

Does anyone know if this is a normal part of the flushing out process or could it be something more serious?

Cheers,

Phil