cpt_koolbeenz

It is all over the engine... It is leaking from the cap.

The reason I thought of the headgasket is because of the excess pressure in the coolant system...

I will have to do a leakdown test...

daniel951

chris u better be ****ting me if u blew a headgasket.

cpt_koolbeenz

I'm 90% sure it is blown... It is the only thing that can explain my problems...
I have a compression tester, but I need to locate a leakdown tester. Then I can check for sure.

I think the headgasket had to have blown before the lean tune (upped the PSI) because the coolant was going out the overflow before I turned up the boost. Just not as much.

Maybe I didn't get enough torque on the head studs... That is the only thing I can think of really.

cpt_koolbeenz

I didn't drive much with 15 psi... only maybe 8 miles...
Coolant smells like exhaust... Great!

Pretty ****ty... I am pretty fed up with this car!

OriginalSterm

what head gasket are you using?

SchnellerUmsetzer

I had that problem. After reading a bit I determined it was not the car it was the guy working on it!

I wish you the best!

daniel951

my dad's friends shop has a leak down tester but u would have to bring the car down here. I will see i can locate one for you if u need.

michael2e

chris, are you having any starting problems? With a small HG leak that pressurizes the cooling system you typically will get some of the coolant draining back into the cylinder(s) after the car is shut down for awhile. When it's fired up it'll run a bit rough until the engine burns it away. You may see white exhaust initailly. You could also take a plug off and look for coolant in the cylinders.

What makes you think you're pressurizing the cooling system anyway? If you discovered a leaking cap that could cause plenty of coolant leak so I'd replace the cap first.

I'm curious which HG you used. There have been several of us who went with cometic and have had external coolant or even oil leaks from around the head so check around the head for this.

A leakdown should pinpoint a lot of this if you have access to the equipmnent.

Good luck

Ski

Chris, this is pretty hard to believe.

Like Mike said on start up when it's warm it should run a bit rough; turn it off and pull the plugs. If it is coolant, it should be on the plug(s) starting with 4.

You have double checked and there is not air in the system and you have heat? Water hoses hooked up correctly, and what head studs did you use in your rebuild?

cpt_koolbeenz

Mike- I have had hard starting problems... Mostly after the car had been running for a while and I turned it off for 5 min then tried to start it again... Like it was getting vapor locked. But I felt the fuel rail and it was cold! One time I started her up after a week of rest, I got a lot of smoke. But this was just shortly after I got her running. (Maybe like the 4th time I started it). I didn't think much of it. I thought maybe the restrictor in my turbo was not small enough and I was just burning off some oil from the turbo. My coolant cap and tank are new... so I don't think that is the problem.

Bret-
It is pretty hard to believe! I'm still trying to swallow it...

I have little black specs of carbon in my coolant and it smells exactly like exhaust (pretty strong). I couldn't find a leak down tester anywhere... Maybe a compression test will tell me something if the failure is large enough... Maybe I'll start her up and look for white smoke and bubbles in my coolant... I bled the coolant properly and I did get heat.


Attached is a pic of my head gasket upon installation...

Ski

Are those Raceware studs or ARP? I ask because they look black instead of the stock dark grey but maybe they are stock - and if raceware, did you you do a retorque after the first heat cycle?

cpt_koolbeenz

They are ARP... I checked them... but they seemed tight. Maybe I should have done two heat cycles. Maybe the gasket crushed more after I checked them. I don't know. I'm going to go to The Homo Depot and make myself a home made leak down tester because nobody around here has them for sale or rent!

Ski

ARP, that's install the studs with red loctite, head gasket, head and torque to second torque and let sit overnight right? Then no retorque I thought.

will951

Chris...best of luck with your troubles. I'll keep my fingers crossed

Ski

Chris, any news or diagnostic report?