11 replies to this topic

[87crexsi]

so the new motor is runnin good....feels good....got around 550 miles or so on it so far. but i've noticed that my valve cover gasket has a slight leak on the distributor side so that bottom corner of the head *where part of the cometic mls headgasket comes out* has some oil on it.....but it seems to have some coolant on it. i don't see any coolant leaks from the backside of the motor like the water pipe n all, and the radiator hoses and radiator itself are leak free. so i'm freakin out if my headgasket is not sealing. the car idles fine when its at operating temp, i have it set around 1100-1200rpm and it doesn't smoke any. just a lil oil from the turbo if i park on a hill or something. but i had the block and head shaved, comeitc d16a1 mls .030" headgasket and arp studs....i can't remember now but i think i torqued them to 60 ft lb in 3 stages in proper order. i'm gonna be doin a leak-down test on it very soon now but really.....what are the chances of the head gasket not sealing? or should i do a re-torque on the arp nuts????? plz help cuz this is really burning me thinkin about it.....

[Christ]

so the new motor is runnin good....feels good....got around 550 miles or so on it so far. but i've noticed that my valve cover gasket has a slight leak on the distributor side so that bottom corner of the head *where part of the cometic mls headgasket comes out* has some oil on it.....but it seems to have some coolant on it. i don't see any coolant leaks from the backside of the motor like the water pipe n all, and the radiator hoses and radiator itself are leak free. so i'm freakin out if my headgasket is not sealing. the car idles fine when its at operating temp, i have it set around 1100-1200rpm and it doesn't smoke any. just a lil oil from the turbo if i park on a hill or something. but i had the block and head shaved, comeitc d16a1 mls .030" headgasket and arp studs....i can't remember now but i think i torqued them to 60 ft lb in 3 stages in proper order. i'm gonna be doin a leak-down test on it very soon now but really.....what are the chances of the head gasket not sealing? or should i do a re-torque on the arp nuts????? plz help cuz this is really burning me thinkin about it.....

Retorque-ing isn't going to help, if its' there, it's already contaminated, and won't seal properly. Temporary fix, at best.

Fact is, sometimes, they don't completely seal... that's why some people still use gasket sealant on head gaskets... at least if they don't seal completely on their own, the sealant will help.

Contrary to popular belief, applying gasket sealer to your head gasket WILL NOT compromise it's ability to seal... the head gasket is a gasket just like every other... so treat it like one.

[alexm86]

Don't freak out. The coolant is probably from one of the small hoses that are on the back of the block/intake manifold (or the cast aluminum outlet). I assume you reused a lot of the clamps and hoses. I had a small leak that only happened when I drove it (w/load). Are you losing coolant? How much coolant have you lost? You can always add some dye to the coolant and use a black light to see where the leak is coming from. Ford sells little bottles of the stuff for under $10 IIRC.

[mesean13]

so the new motor is runnin good....feels good....got around 550 miles or so on it so far. but i've noticed that my valve cover gasket has a slight leak on the distributor side so that bottom corner of the head *where part of the cometic mls headgasket comes out* has some oil on it.....but it seems to have some coolant on it. i don't see any coolant leaks from the backside of the motor like the water pipe n all, and the radiator hoses and radiator itself are leak free. so i'm freakin out if my headgasket is not sealing. the car idles fine when its at operating temp, i have it set around 1100-1200rpm and it doesn't smoke any. just a lil oil from the turbo if i park on a hill or something. but i had the block and head shaved, comeitc d16a1 mls .030" headgasket and arp studs....i can't remember now but i think i torqued them to 60 ft lb in 3 stages in proper order. i'm gonna be doin a leak-down test on it very soon now but really.....what are the chances of the head gasket not sealing? or should i do a re-torque on the arp nuts????? plz help cuz this is really burning me thinkin about it.....

I am assuming that you also shaved the head when you put on the new gasket. How much did you shave the head? I know I shave d mine .5mm and I had to also shave down the 2 little guides that go into the head and block. If not than maybe the block is not straight.

[87crexsi]

i had the block shaved .015 and the head shaved .015 and i shaved .030 off the 2 guides to compensate. the amount that i see is on the front side of the motor on the corner near the distributor. not the back. there isn't a leak on the back side is what i was trying to say. lol.

[icebox187]

those pesky gaskets on the dizzy's where they slip into the cam cap like to leak oil alot and make you think that you have a hg leak, but with coolant in that area too id say that its the hg.. but just to keep it simple id start by hecking all those coolant hoses, the iacv can run a trail down the intake mani... so check everything, and check that dizzy gasket... if it still leaks 100% head gasket remove and replace... ive never used gasket sealer on mls gaskets, but i am a strong supporter of the stuff on everything else

[87crexsi]

ok well maybe it was just my eyes or the lighting throwin me off but it looked more like oil. so i resealed the valve cover gasket and adjusted my valves while i was at it...with close to 600mi on the motor. but i'll monitor it and should be aight.....just trippin i suppose. and my coolant level looked the same from the other day when i checked it.

[87dxhatch]

your thread title says it all! I too have been there, so I threw in a jug of water, but never needed it.

[86hamstersi]

I say jb weld and super glue. Remember, its a honda. J/K. Hope you fix it

[crazy87rexsi]

you may not have torqued the head studs all the way 60ftlb seems to low for arp............i have stubs for my b-build and it says to torque them to 80 ftlbs and OE is 60ftlbs
check your instruction that the studs came with it tells you what to torque them to

[Bubba]

Leak checking cooling system:

If you have an air compressor and a pistol type blow gun attachment, there is an easy way to check for coolant leaks on a non-running engine. Take the small coolant overflow hose off the radiator neck and blow a QUICK shot of air into the radiator through the overflow nipple (too much air and you'll blow a hose or blow a tank off your radiator!) The rad cap will let the air enter, but won't let air out (unless it is over 15 psi). The rad hoses should now feel tight since the whole system is pressurized. Watch for leakage or just come back in a few hours and make sure the hoses are still pressurized. If they aren't- then look for a coolant patch on the ground and trace it from there or if you are outside on gravel- place a piece of cardboard on the ground so you can see where the leak is.

If I am replacing a head gasket (or water pump), I like to do this test as soon as I get it torqued down/hoses and intake on so I can ID a problem before I spend a bunch of time assembling the timing belt, lifters, valve cover etc.

[jordanh420]

Leak checking cooling system:

If you have an air compressor and a pistol type blow gun attachment, there is an easy way to check for coolant leaks on a non-running engine. Take the small coolant overflow hose off the radiator neck and blow a QUICK shot of air into the radiator through the overflow nipple (too much air and you'll blow a hose or blow a tank off your radiator!) The rad cap will let the air enter, but won't let air out (unless it is over 15 psi). The rad hoses should now feel tight since the whole system is pressurized. Watch for leakage or just come back in a few hours and make sure the hoses are still pressurized. If they aren't- then look for a coolant patch on the ground and trace it from there or if you are outside on gravel- place a piece of cardboard on the ground so you can see where the leak is.

If I am replacing a head gasket (or water pump), I like to do this test as soon as I get it torqued down/hoses and intake on so I can ID a problem before I spend a bunch of time assembling the timing belt, lifters, valve cover etc.

In school we used a pump with an attachment that goes right in place of the rad. cap. It also had a gauge so you could make sure you didn't over pressurize the system. The method bubba recommends would probably work, but be very careful not to over do it. If you are that paranoid, I would suggest using the correct tool to check. Also, with this tool, you can pump it up to 15 psi or so and watch the gauge. If it starts dropping, you know you have a leak for sure.