Extreme coolant seepage but no warpage!

[Risstanomak]

Im having coolant leak into the chambers so I tore the head off and found the entire gasket was soaked all around. I checked and double checked the head and block surfaces for level. The head looks like it has a possible slight gap of a 1/2 sheet of paper. I really don't think there is any warpage. How bad does a gap have to be to cause leakage? I had just installed a remanufactured head with a new fel-pro MLS HG. What gives? I torqued everything down to spec too. I'm in the process of putting a new HG on again. Help!

 

[Blitzeclips]

Im having coolant leak into the chambers so I tore the head off and found the entire gasket was soaked all around. I checked and double checked the head and block surfaces for level. The head looks like it has a possible slight gap of a 1/2 sheet of paper. I really don't think there is any warpage. How bad does a gap have to be to cause leakage? I had just installed a remanufactured head with a new fel-pro MLS HG. What gives? I torqued everything down to spec too. I'm in the process of putting a new HG on again. Help!

Did you have the head re-surfaced and decked BEFORE you put it back on? If not, it's probably your problem. If there was any warpage to the head, you may not even notice it, because the degrees can vary. Whether it's .0002 mm or .02 inches, it's still going to allow coolant passage.

I'd deck and re-surface the head this time(assuming you didn't, of course). It's worth the extra $50, $60..

 

[Risstanomak]

I bought a refurbished head. Its completely flat. One thing I did, due to noobishness, was put the head on and reassemble the engine with out torquing down the head bolt because at the time I didnt have a torque wrench. So the engine was moving up and down and shifting due to lift it etc. I'm thinking the gasket lost its seal. When I removed the head after I found the coolant leak the gasket was completely soaked top and bottom on every square inch.

 

[Locke]

Half a sheet of paper is a pretty large gap for a head. The tolerance off flat is 0.004". My mics are in the garage, and its cold.. Ill measure the thickness of a peice of paper tomarrow if you care to know. Buy a set of feelers at the autoparts store. (get the kind with some brass blades, they are helpful working on small engines ie..lawnmower) A good set is ~$10.

Buy the feelers and check for flatness, if it is outside 0.004" you should get it machined, and check the block deck also.

Make sure you use a torque wrench and tighten in the proper sequence.

 

[Risstanomak]

So on further inspection there is no gap anywhere. There are lots of small scratches here and there from when I put the head on by myself. Could that cause leakage? I'm getting it resurfaced regardless. What's the difference between decking and re-surfacing?

Thanks

 

[Locke]

Small little scratches should not matter alot, although it would depend on the severety of the scratch.

There is no difference between decking and re-surfacing. "Decking" implies resurfacing the deck of the block (the top that the head mounts to).

 

[VelocitàPaola]

I think the fact that you didn't use a torque wrench was the cause of your headgasket failing. You don't really realize just how tight those headbolts need to be until you torque them properly with a torque wrench.

Also, did you re-use the TTY (OE) headbolts? That could be another problem since TTY stands for torque-to-yield... they stretch when you apply torque, meaning they're a one-time-use item. You should either replace the headbolts every time you re-install the head, or buy ARP headstuds.

Finally, the tightening order is very important too. If you didn't tighten them in the proper sequence before, make sure you do this time.

 

[Risstanomak]

Crap. That damn manual said it was ok to reuse them if they didnt look stretched. Ok I'll get new bolts. What is the best way to check for gaps? I'm using my drafting ruler and feelers. Abnormalities are apparent, right? I'm not seeing any gaps any where. I'm getting the head resurfaced due to the scratches but I'd really love to not pull the block.

Thanks guys.

Also, I need a new clutch. Any recommendations for around $300?