possible head gasket help

[safarijeepjim]

so i have been having a slight over heating problem..usually runs normal temp on highway, but once i hit town if i dont have the heater on it gets up to 3/4 on the gauge and trips the CEL which is set at 228f. i checked the oil and bottom of cap, and radiator fluid for contamination / mixing..all was good. no sweet smell from the exhaust, and no loss of power that i notice. went to the easy stuff first. replaced radiator cap and thermostat. still having same issue. upon further examination i found a wet spot at the front corner of the motor on the passenger side up front by the exhaust manifold. just a weeping spot. im curious if you guys think im in for an overhaul? or do u think i can pop the valve cover and check the tourqe of the arp head studs? i also have a 3 layer headgasket on there as well. or is this something where i have to pull the head off and do the whole deal? how involved is this repair to the average shade tree mechanic? All i have is the basic tools and not a lot of money.

 

[BogusSVO]

Are you sure the fans are cycling on when they should?

The rad may need to be flushed. Since it is low speed driving when you start to run warm, make sure air is forced thu the rad.

 

[Outdorsman]

If your worried about tools for a HG job, don't be. I'm 18 and I did my first HG job by following the instructions you can find around here


Anyway, check over basic stuff, you could always go straight to a block test or pressure test the cooling system for possible leaks. For me it was obvious because I had no power . I also conducted a compression test and after that it was clear as day. Check for any leaks, is your coolant level dropping? Check your thermostat, if you are running one, whens the last time it was replaced? Make sure your radiator cap is in fine condition, if those go bad it will cause overheating. Recently my friends toyota pickup experienced overheating issues and I fixed it with a new thermostat and radiator cap

 

[safarijeepjim]

thermostat and radiator cap were both replaced a few days ago. as far as the fans cycling, after i replaced the thermostat i ran the motor with radiator cap off filling the coolant as necessary till it was full and car was at operating temp, with heater on. during this process the passenger side fan was cycling on and off, and turns on when i test it through the dsm link, the other fan didnt run but i was told it was the a/c fan. how do i go about doing a coolant pressure test or block test? as far as coolant level, i havent had to add any other than the time i changed the thermostat. and the radiator is aftermarket aluminum, not very old and the coolant as well. maybe 20k miles tops. do you guys think one of the headstuds might have loosened up and could all be re tourqed in the proper sequence with out having to remove everythng to replace the head gasket? sorry if that sounds like a dumb noob question

 

[Outdorsman]

Well the damage to the headgasket can certainly have been to the point of needing replacement. A block test you can rent at your local parts store for like 30 bucks, it will tell you if combustion gases are being released into your cooling system, this points to a blown headgasket or leaky headgasket. Its a test that takes all of 5 minutes to do. They also rent out pressure testing tools that allow you to check for leaks in your cooling system.

Also, how recent is your intercooler? I've heard that they can sometimes cause overheating issues? I doubt thats the issue but its just a suggestion haha.

 

[safarijeepjim]

well the motor was rebuilt at 100k with the head gasket and head studs and a mess of other stuff, water pump, timing belt balance shaft all that stuff was done at 130k thats about when i did the fmic. im sittin at 152k now

 

[JustinP10]

Have you bled the cooling system, since swapping out those parts? Also, how does the radiator look, when you try and look through it? Are the fins all gunked up with sludge and dirt, or can you see through it ok?

 

[safarijeepjim]

Well I did bleed the system. However today I checked and saw 3 tiny little oil floaters when I popped the cap so I guess for sure it's my head gasket. I did a little research on fel-pro composite vs the multi layer, I ordered the full fel-pro kit. I run 24lb boost with professional tune and have had no issues. I haven't overheated the car at all so I hope the head isn't warped. It's my dd and don't really beat on it too much. If u guys think this gasket kit is a bad idea lemme know ASAP! Lol hopefully I'll be workin on it this weekend. Any special tools u guys can think of that ill need for the timing or anything? Lemme know. Thanks guys

Also... I want to do this right the first time. Other than cleaning it good what should I do or look for? What should I tourqe the arp head studs to on a fel-pro composite headgasket? Do I apply any type of gasket material to the gasket? I know what pattern to use for tightening already....

 

[90_1geclipse]

i would use a oem metal gasket with a oem timing kit if your parts are questionable. def would get the head checked before you throw a gasket back on

 

[safarijeepjim]

Timing parts are good. Less than 20k on all that sstuff. What's the o-ring guys talk about with running the composite head gaskets?

 

[BogusSVO]

The fel-pro Composite 9627 PT has been proven over the 500 mark with ARP studs

Make sure the proper surface finish is on the head.

You are no where the level to need O rings in the head/block.

With 3 littler floaters of oil in the coolant, doubt it is a HG issue
More common would be coolant in the oil.

Before you rip the head off, do a leak down test.

 

[safarijeepjim]

Will do a leak down test. I know for a fact there's no other signs of a gasket failure... Smokey exhaust, bad oil ect... Not even loss of power. Car still pulls like a bat outta hell! I dunno. Maybe I caught it just at the beginning?

 

[BogusSVO]

Check the duct work to the rad, and the fan to the rad.

I think that is where your issue lays.

If you were overheating, it would do it all the time.

I had about the same issue with my car, perfect temps on the Hwy, wanted to over heat in town.

I had a weak fan, it would spin, but not how it was supposed to.

 

[safarijeepjim]

Not sure what u mean by the duct work on the radiator? It's aftermarket aluminum with dual electric fans. Right fan cycles, left fan doesn't but I was told it comes on with the a/c.... Intercooler is a front mount.

 

[BogusSVO]

The duct work seals the rad to the car.

Air will flow in the path of easiest resistance.

So if there is large gaps from the core support to the rad, the air will flow around the rad instead of thu it.

 

[trillatl]

Been through this last year... Save yourself time and money and do coolant pressure test... My issues where harder to figure out because my HG was blown with I got the car... Didn't know what real power it could make till after I get her running right!

 

[JustinP10]

Not sure what u mean by the duct work on the radiator? It's aftermarket aluminum with dual electric fans. Right fan cycles, left fan doesn't but I was told it comes on with the a/c.... Intercooler is a front mount.

Has the car run well without overheating, since installing this radiator/fan combo?

 

[cianfar]

I had the same problem with my old GST run fine on the freeway but tend to overheat while in town. About the same set up as your front mount and aluminum radiator with 2 Spal fan running all the time. It turned out to be my ignition timing. I was increasing my timing with link to make the car run hotter for smog purposes but my dumbass forgot to retuned it after that. I see you have DSM link. Check your iginition timing with link and post the logs. You might be running a little lean. If you're sure that there is no visual or mechanical problems.