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How to tell if a motor needs a head gasket or the block is cracked?The radiator went dry so it broke down and I had a mechanic have the head shaved and re-worked and within 100 miles the exhaust is blowing out water again- what did the mechanic do wrong? how to tell if the block is cracked? Thank you-
[quote=”Dukester”]How to tell if a motor needs a head gasket or the block is cracked?The radiator went dry so it broke down and I had a mechanic have the head shaved and re-worked and within 100 miles the exhaust is blowing out water again- what did the mechanic do wrong? how to tell if the block is cracked? Thank you-[/quote]
Since it went about 100 miles before the water returned i would think the mechanic didn’t get the head gasket properly installed. Didn’t bolt the head down properly,used the wrong gasket, didn’t prepare the block properly for the head installation..Or the head needed to be retorqued after a few miles and wasn’t. Or the the head was shaved so much that the compression was increased to much and caused the gasket to fail.
Does the oil look a milky brown? Are you sure it wasn’t low on fluid when you got it back and caused failure that way? Give us the vehicle name and spec’s etc.I would also go to a car forum for that particular vehicle and get info there from a gear head that knows you car inside and out. Might be something particular to this car and not the mechanics fault. I know from years ago that a 1974 Jeep Cherokee with the v8 engine will throw/break the #7 connecting rod right at 105,000 miles
[quote=”Versatile”] I would also go to a car forum for that particular vehicle and get info there from a gear head that knows you car inside and out.[/quote]
Part of the problem I have found is getting the proper parts for vehicles brought down from the States, particularly older models.
I brought a 1980 Datsun pickup with a 1982cc motor and have had to get a starter rewound and install an electric fuel pump.I ha a though this morning. You need to check out your radiator. Is it the original one? You could have a very small pressure leak that is draining the radiator. The leak can be so small you will never notice it unless you have a very sharp eye at the right time.
A cylinder compression test followed by a cylinder leak down test. Chances are if it was overheated,even just once, you blew a head gasket. It might not have blown at the time it over heated but enough stress was put on the gasket that it eventually will blow. Over heating can also cause a warped and cracked head and block. The block can be visually checked but the head needs to be pressure tested. Also just shaving the head will not tell you if it has an internal crack all that does is insure a flat surface for the gasket to seat to. There is no way a bad radiator can leak water into the oil or exhaust. Any good mechanic will tell you the same thing. Good Luck.
[quote=”Barbed1″]A cylinder compression test followed by a cylinder leak down test. Chances are if it was overheated,even just once, you blew a head gasket. It might not have blown at the time it over heated but enough stress was put on the gasket that it eventually will blow. Over heating can also cause a warped and cracked head and block. The block can be visually checked but the head needs to be pressure tested. Also just shaving the head will not tell you if it has an internal crack all that does is insure a flat surface for the gasket to seat to. There is no way a bad radiator can leak water into the oil. Any good mechanic will tell you the same thing. Good Luck.[/quote]
I never said a leaky radiator would get water in the oil.I said it might be the radiator.(scenario)Were the radiator to had a pinhole leak that is very hard to detect and possibly was not. Then the radiator could be at fault. Mechanic reassembles the engine and fills up the radiator. Mechanic doesn’t know about the leak . He just filled it up properly and checked for any leaks while it idled. Most likely the leak wouldn’t start until the vehicle was being used under a load. Thus within 100 miles the radiator fluid was gone causing once gain the head gasket to blow. That is how it could be the radiator.
I have also found out that even though there is no leak in the radiator those old radiators just seem to quit cooling as well, because the fins for some reason do not give off the heast as well as when new.
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