Losing coolant even after new headgasket

[superorange]

So my car was loosing coolant. I built a head on the side then swapped it onto my car as well as a new mls 4 layer head gasket and new arp's for safe measure. Well cars been back on the road for 2 weeks and its loosing coolant faster than ever now. The head was toured down in the right order and to the right specs and was also machined and resurfaced before the install. The car has still yet to see over 190 degrees. So it doesn't make any sense to me. What could it be? I don't see coolant or anything in my driveway ever either. any advice will be greatly appreciated.

 

[arrowhead]

Check the cap.

 

[LandoAWD]

Did you properly surface the head for the MLS? Torque on the ARPs? Leakdown/compression test?

 

[Boomdeeze]

Was it losing coolant right away or did it just start after the two weeks?

 

[superorange]

It was pretty much losing it right away. Just wasn't going into the overflow tank. Now it is. And the head was 100% torqed down properly. And I'm assuming the machine shop surfaced the head properly.


And it has a new 24 psi cap.

 

[LandoAWD]

"Properly", especially combined with "assumed", will not help.

 

[92AWDHX40]

Sounds like you'll be pulling the head soon. Was the block properly prepared.

 

[WRXkiller92]

that happened to me, turned out my block wasn't decked well enough and the MLS never sealed up right.

 

[Boomdeeze]

How did you prep the surfaces before you installed the hg? What did you torque the head studs to?

 

[superorange]

The block wasn't removed. The only prep for the block was I cleaned it by hand.


And I am not a machinist so all I can do is "assume" the head was resurfaced properly by the reputable place I took it.

 

[phunny]

Did you recently do an oil change?

 

[LandoAWD]

The block wasn't removed. The only prep for the block was I cleaned it by hand.

Both surfaces need to have the proper RA. Sounds like bad prep, even in advance of determining simple things like stud torque, etc.

This is why I didn't go MLS when the Talon had the head off, and it's doing very well with the organic HG.

 

[superorange]

What if I go with a flatoutracing hg. They have like a rubber coating

 

[BogusSVO]

Yep... I would guess the machine shop "belt surfaced" the head...

Have I ever said I hate belt surfacers on here before????

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/cyl...0613-why-not-let-your-head-belt-surfaced.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/new...face-4g63t-cylinder-head-mls-head-gasket.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/cyl...how-measure-4g63-cylinder-head-thickness.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/341028-4g63t-head-oil-port-mod.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/new...r-how-clean-block-deck-pistons-installed.html

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/cyl...-deck-4g63-cast-iron-block.html#post152790451


You should have a better understanding and be better informed on what to look for and ask the machine shop to do to your head now.

 

[fede]

Hi guys. The block was prep properly and the head was torqued propertly as well. On the block there wasn't much to prep since he had a mls gasket already however I cleaned with one of those really soft green pads and it was smooth. Also I noticed that the head wasn't that much of a smooth surface. So I'm assuming that it could be the problem.

 

[LandoAWD]

What was the surface RA? What the HELL does "properly" translate to in ft/lb?

FFS, people...

 

[fede]

95ft/lb into 3 steps 30,60,95

 

[BogusSVO]

lando... alot of shops will not have a "RA gauge".... Hell I have been looking to get one, but hard to find a decent one for under a $1000

fede.... did your surface look like the ones I posted in the links?

 

[PieEyedPiper]

It was pretty much losing it right away. Just wasn't going into the overflow tank. Now it is. And the head was 100% torqed down properly. And I'm assuming the machine shop surfaced the head properly.


And it has a new 24 psi cap.

That cap is nearly double the rating for our cooling systems. OEM is 0.9 bar or ~13.xx psi or ~1 atmosphere.

 

[dalesmitsu]

You can check block for flatness. Remove head take a straightedge and use a feeler gauge. Forgot what size gauge to but someone could give more info.

 

[fede]

No, the head wasn't. Resuface on a belt. I know the shopand they use the high speed rotor I think is call . They done my head and other friends. I was running 36 psi and it was good. But like I said someone else did his head that time and it wasn't the old guy the does them all the times. His head had some little marks. I think we should try to resurface again and try it.

 

[donniekak]

Before you rip your engine apart, do a coolant pressure test.

 

[bryanwheat]

Hi guys. The block was prep properly and the head was torqued propertly as well. On the block there wasn't much to prep since he had a mls gasket already however I cleaned with one of those really soft green pads and it was smooth. Also I noticed that the head wasn't that much of a smooth surface. So I'm assuming that it could be the problem.

So you are saying that the block was properly prepped, but it wasn't resurfaced? You are making assumptions on what it takes to seal a mls gasket. Do a leakdown test with the coolant cap off and you will know exactly what is going on.

 

[fede]

So you are saying that the block was properly prepped, but it wasn't resurfaced? You are making assumptions on what it takes to seal a mls gasket. Do a leakdown test with the coolant cap off and you will know exactly what is going on.

Alright letme tell you a little about the block. The block is fully built and it was resurface when it got built. The engine already was running a mls gasket( cometic) but started to push coolant not much but it was getting worse. When we pulled the head the block surface was pretty good. Now the question is... does we need to take out the block apart everytime we blew a head gasket?

 

[bryanwheat]

Alright letme tell you a little about the block. The block is fully built and it was resurface when it got built. The engine already was running a mls gasket( cometic) but started to push coolant not much but it was getting worse. When we pulled the head the block surface was pretty good. Now the question is... does we need to take out the block apart everytime we blew a head gasket?

IT all depends on how it was surfaced originally with. The surface should look almost like a mirror to properly seal a mls gasket. There was an underlying problem to start because you were pushing coolant with the original mls gasket. Cleaning it with anything abrasive could of made it even worse.