Head Gasket is Blown

[mrledee]

I will try and post a video within the next few days. I am not familiar with the valve stem seal. Where is it located and how much work would it be to check or replace it?

[gnaunited]

Where did you order the gasket from? Did you flush the oil out to make sure you got rid of the coolant?

[mrledee]

Ok, I posted a video of me running the car. At first (before the video started) there wasn't any smoke coming out. I started the video after the car was running for about 5 minutes. That's when the smoke started to come out. When I rev the engine, you can really see a lot of smoke coming out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_DD2vgcIg4

Let me know what you guys think.

Thanks and Happy Easter!

[gnaunited]

Mine smoked white when first started, so probably not the same issue.

[mrledee]

Yea, its pretty constant. I'm not sure if it will get worse over time. Where is the valve stem seal located? Would it require removing the cylinder head to replace?

Do you think maybe I would have to tighten the cylinder head bolts some more?

[gnaunited]

The valve stem seals are in the top portion of the head, any machine shop / mechanic should be able to replace them. What torquing specs did you follow?

[mrledee]

I looked it up online, I'm trying to remember exactly. I believe it said to initially tighten them down to 55 lbs, then loosen them all, then tighten them to 15 lbs, then 1/4 turn, then another 1/4 turn.

[gnaunited]

Ok, that is exactly what I did any so far so good. Right now my only advice would be to drive it a long distance, check for any leaks, and see what fluid it is burning, be it oil or coolant.

Mine was burning oil but came out white.

This might sound stupid but does the exhaust have a certain smell? Like sweet or maybe like burning oil?

[mrledee]

I forgot to mention regarding the valve stem seal, when I had the cylinder head pressure checked at the machine shop before the reinstall, they said everything checked out. Does that also include the valve stem seal?

[gnaunited]

Probably.

What exactly did the car do to make you suspect that the head gasket blew? Did you find evidence that it was damaged when you pulled the head?

[mrledee]

When the car initially died, the owner took it to a mechanic and they told him that they cylinder head blew. When I took it apart, the pistons were filled with water.

[gnaunited]

My next guess is going to be piston rings, unless someone wants to jump in. Usually water in the pistons is a bad thing.

[gnaunited]

Where do you live by the way?

[mrledee]

Piston rings? Wow that would suck. I'm in San Antonio, TX. I'm thinking its something to do with burning coolant.

I was thinking about it and when I first start the car, there is no white smoke. It only starts to smoke after the car runs for about 5 mins. Maybe that's when the water starts to circulate in the engine once the thermostat opens up. I've noticed that the coolant levels are lower after I run the car for a while, and there are no external leaks I can see. However, there is mostly water (not antifreeze) in the engine, so some of it may be steaming out or evaporating.

[gnaunited]

Did you completely flush out the coolant and oil? It is possible that there is still coolant in the engine oil and it is burning off. You can try giving it another oil change, but I think at this point I am out of ideas.

[mrledee]

Yes, before I removed the cylinder head, I removed the thermostat and flushed the engine with a hose for about 5-10 mins, then drained all of the coolant. I also drained the oil and left the drain plug off for a few days. When I put everything back together, I put new coolant and oil.

[gnaunited]

Try draining some oil and see what color it is.

[mrledee]

Will do, thanks again for all of your help. I think over the weekend I will drain the oil and remove the valve cover and check the torque specs on the bolts just to make sure.

I will keep you updated!

[mrledee]

Today I drained the oil and removed the valve cover. Considering the oil was brand new, it looks kind of milky. It was about the color of chocolate, maybe a little darker. I checked the head bolts and I found that they weren't as tight as they needed to be. I thought back to when I put the cylinder head on the first time, and I remember torquing the bolts to the 15 lbs but I don't think I did the 2 additional 90 degree turns. So I tightened all the bolts down another 90 degrees in order, and another 90 degrees as specified. I added the oil back and proceeded to run the car.

At first, the car sounded like it had a little more power than before (maybe a little more compression since I tightened down the bolts. But after a few minutes of idling, it started to smoke again. I noticed the engine running a little rough too, it was shaking a little but it didn't die. I let it run for about 5-7 minutes and shut it off.

I was talking to a guy at O'reilly's and he suggested that the intake manifold gasket could be the problem. I remembered that I had to reuse the original because the one I ordered from online didn't fit and I was pressed for time so I reused the original metal one. A new gasket is like $10, so I might try and change that out next weekend.

Any other suggestions?

[gnaunited]

Considering the car hasn't been driven anywhere I would be very suspicious of milky oil. Try changing out the gasket but I am not sure that would cause the smoke.