Any where else to check for a possible "blown" head gasket?

[mike96]

OK I just picked up a 96 Eclipse about a week ago and started tearing into the engine. The guy I bought the car from had the engine torn halfway down then had started putting it back together again. People kept asking him to see it together while he was trying to sell it so they could see that all the parts were there. So this was the story i got from him. He had some mods done to the car to include a larger turbo, He was out driving around one day and decided to turn up the boost a little. Apparently the guy that was helping him mod the car warned him not to turn up the pressure to much or he was going to blow the head gasket, but he did anyway. After he turned up the pressure he said something went "POP" and coolant went everywhere. The calmed boost at that point was a supposed 16.

So I took the guy's word and started taking it down. After i got the head off i started looking. The gasket it's self is fine, no evidence of any blow by or damage at all. It doesn't even look like there was a gasket stuck to the head or the block. There is no evidence of coolant in the oil, and what little coolant was in the engine doesn't look like there was ever any oil in it either. The head has a small crack in one corner but someone did that trying to drill out an exhaust manifold stud. I will try to get pictures of that later when i get a photo account set up. Other than that i cant see anything wrong with the engine.

So i am thinking one of two things. Either the he some how hit just a high enough boost pressure to let the head bolts stretched and to let the gasket quit doing its job. Which i doubt because there is no damage to the gasket. Or he just happened to decide to crank up the pressure at about the same time the radiator or a coolant hose decided to go, and panicked when it did and thought the head gasket was the problem.

But just to be on the safe side i thought i would ask to see if maybe there might be something that could be a possibility. Something that someone else might have had a problem with. Any and all suggestions are welcome. I currently have the engine out of the car and am checking everything over, and doing a full rebuild.

thanks
mike

 

[1992awdlaser]

A bad head gasket couuld letcompression from the cylinders into the cooling system without mixing the coolantand oil. If that happened the coolant could have came out from the over flow or could have blown one of the hoses if they were old. I highly doubt the gasket would have blown from 16psi, but it could have went because of other reasons.

 

[64_Frankenstein]

When you said coolant was every where, what do you mean by that? You mean all over the engine bay?

 

[mike96]

A bad head gasket could let compression from the cylinders into the cooling system without mixing the coolant and oil. If that happened the coolant could have came out from the over flow or could have blown one of the hoses if they were old. I highly doubt the gasket would have blown from 16psi, but it could have went because of other reasons.

But even it that happened you would think that the gasket would have some evidence of damage....

And from what i was told, yes the engine bay was soaked with coolant.

 

[1992awdlaser]

But even it that happened you would think that the gasket would have some evidence of damage....

I have had to do head gaskets on a 3.1 gm that had the probolem I said and you couldn't tell by looking at the gaskets. But it is unlikely for you to not be able to tell.

And from what i was told, yes the engine bay was soaked with coolant.

I have only seen head gaskets that have drops of coolant going into the engine bay. I have never seen one that would spray. So it is unlikely that the gasket caused the coolant to get there.

 

[silver bullit]

Compression test if you can if not, feeler gauge the surface on both head and block. Coolant all over the engine bay could have been from a busted hose.

 

[mike96]

With head gaskets it always been my experience that they are usually trashed and so badly rotted that it is painfully obvious what the problem is.

I was leaning more toward a bad radiator or hose, but i plan on checking the block and head to make sure they aren't warped.

 

[Daaan]

I was leaning more toward a bad radiator or hose, but i plan on checking the block and head to make sure they aren't warped.

Good idea, if the guy didnt know the removal pattern he most likly just unscrewed random bolts causing it to slightly warp the head.

 

[Daaan]

ps. check the block, but its cast iron. probly wont have any deflection in it.

 

[TSI95FWD]

bump

 

[mike96]

Well i got it all apart and cleaned, and as far as i can tell there is nothing wrong with the engine its self. cant find any bad freeze plugs, no visible cracks, block is flat, head is flat..... must be something else, so i am going to put in an order for some parts and start looking at other things like the radiator and hoses and see what turns up.

 

[gordy3683]

check your hoses, i blew one 2day im so pissed this is my first dsm and ive only had it since friday and already something goes bad. its got 75k so i figured it would be awhile before something broke but i should have known better with the luck i have