928ntslow

Pulled that radiator. I will take it to get checked out tomorrow at a local shop where they have all the right equip...only $35 for the full test.

Drained the milkshake from the oil pan...milkshake all the way up to the oil fill canister...yuk!

Tranny fluid is nice and clean on the one side of the rad, but of course the oil side is milkshake.

Drained the block and the water looks fine...a bit dirty, but no oil.

Removed the t stat and measured the distance from the t stat seat to the port it closes when open and that is approx 30mm. Pulled the t-stat open all the way and that is about 33mm, so you would think it would close the port when open. I just have to stick it back in boiling water to see how far it does open.

Checked the water bridge ports (again) just to make sure nothing was blocking and they are clear. One thing to note was the passenger side block drain was not as free flowing as the driver side, but that is no big deal.

Pulled the plugs and they look normal. They are dark because I haven't gotten to the point of fine tuning the thing and I think it has been running rich when it did run.

Had a conversation with Jim B today about the issue and he suggested I get an adjustable freeze plug and fit it in the waterbridge port to make the engine flow through the rad to see if is still overheats...another process of elimination. He also agreed that I should loop the oil to the cooler, refill with cheapy oil and run the engine. If I get a milkshake then, we know what the definitive answer is.

Pics of plugs and water from the block

Lizard928

I dont see a blown headgasket from those plugs, and I do agree with Jim regarding plugging that port and forcing it to go through the rad. Though finding a plug of the right size where I live isnt that easy.

Mrmerlin

since you have a coolant sample can you get it tested for Hydrocarbons? This may tell you about the coolant hoses being so very hard/pressurised if there is a head gasket problem, you might also try removing resivor cap and running the engine up to temp, if there are bubbles then you know there is a combustion leak into the cooling system

Adam Geist

In addition to the compression test, have a leak-down test done.

IMO, a leakdown test is a better indicator of engine health.

Just my $0.02 cents.
Adam

Charley B

I don't know how you got that thing to run Keith. Only plug number 8 has a gap.

marton

Plugs look OK so
IF it should turn out not to be the rad &
If it flows OK through the water bridge &
IF you do have a head gasket problem then it is not a leak into a combustion chamber but between oil & water passages; time for the Barrs leak..

Marton

928ntslow

The guess work is over.

In short, cleaned and refilled, tried to start and it didn't want to run. Pulled the plugs and checked the oil. oil looked fine, plugs were a bit moist and I figured I would blow some air in the cylinders to dry them out. #8 looked like old faithful. Drained out about a cup of water.

So its bad news, top engine tear down is on the menu. Just to be safe, I drained the water out of the block and blasted out the water in the cylinder and blew air into the others just to get as much moisture out as I could. I thought this to be a good idea.

So reality sets in.

Now the decision is how to do the job. It looks like I can do this with the engine in the car. I would just have to remove components from inner fender walls. I don't have a stand or a cherry picker and quite honestly, I am not in the mood at the moment for pulling an engine. Might be easy in the long run, but I really do think I can do it with the engine in. looks like some folks have done this with no issues.

So I need suggestions on the job ahead. Anyone have any advice or can direct me to a thread or write up somewhere aside from the WSM? Any WYIT's?

Thanks for the help friends.

heinrich

fugg ... sorry keith

Dennis Wilson

Keith,

Sorry to hear the news. It really isn't that hard to remove the heads in the car. Once the cam carriers are removed, you will have top access to the exhaust manifold. Soak the exhaust manifold studs with a good penetrating solution then remove them using the double nut technique. Take pictures as you go to save confusion when reassembling. It's cheaper to buy a complete gasket set than buying the individual gaskets (BTDT). Have the heads checked by a good machine shop and have all the mating sufaces resurfaced. This includes the top and bottom of the head and the cam carrierto head surface.

Dennis

AO

Welcome to the club.

Hopefully the heads are in good shape and you can just put a new HG on. Oh well. Dink some brew!

Charley B

Hell yeah!! Dink till your Dunk.

Mrmerlin

pull the engine out then take it aprt if you should finsd a cracked block or other bad thing you will be doing this anyway, plus it will save you a bunch of time in the long run , I promise .
You may want to after your down this road get a deal on a running bigger engine

928ntslow

Yea Stan, I know. I tell everyone else to do it and need to listen to my own words. I have had some time tonight to think about it and pulling the engine is actually a lot easier than trying to fool with it in the car. I can probably do it myself, but will see if I can enlist the help of a couple of locals if they are up to it. I can get a stand and shop crane for well under $200 and it just seems like a no brainer. BTW, it's a 4.7 Euro, so tossing it is not really an option I prefer.

I mean heck, it's only a 16v auto and there really isn't much to disconnect. I'd probably have it out in a day from start to sitting on a stand. Sure makes it easier to work on and around the engine. I'd probably even get it done quicker and back in within a couple of weeks if even that long. This of course is with no unforeseen headaches.

So if anyone with experience on pulling a 16v wants to throw some comments out on the job, please speak up. Also the actual job at hand in replacing the gaskets. I really do need to replace the cam box gaskets too as they leak oil..,may as well do a pan gasket too huh. Guess I will order up a top end gasket kit.

Oh yea, nothing but fun ahead. Just wish I truly had the time for this. I GOTTA get this freakin thing outta my garage already!

marton

Aaarrgghh, feel for you.

If you are stuck for time and short of enthusiasm then put some Barrs leak in it - what can you lose?
Worst case, a couple of bucks & an hour.

Otherwise look for a cheap motor to put in & rebuild the bad one at your leisure.

BTW, as Charley said No. 8 was the only plug that had a gap.... Moral there somewhere

Marton

Richard S

Kieth, here are links to the checklist I made when I pulled the engine from my 79 a/t. Should be similar for your Euro.

Removal:
http://members.rennlist.com/exturbo/...0checklist.pdf

Installation:
http://members.rennlist.com/exturbo/...0checklist.pdf


Not hard at all. Buy a full gasket kit. The kit will also include new valve seals, so you might as well do those.

Rich