Car Engine Problem/Question for mechanics.

[Rat Finkenstein]

What kind of test was done to determine the blown head gasket?

Leakdown test, or pressure test of the cooling system?

I don't know. But the guy is a good mechanic, so I trust his judgement. (It was free as well)
My dad has known the guy for decades.

 

[lizardman_u]

check your thermostat, if it doesn't have a small hole in it (1/16 inch) for air to pass through then drill one yourself, will save you lots of time if you ever add coolant or flush the system as it will allow the air to escape instead of being trapped causing a lock in your coolant system. also buy new head bolts as the old ones have probably stretched some and new ones will torque down nicely... and for only a few dollars worth of bolts it will save you many headaches in the future, if it is a V-6 or V-8 engine do both head gaskets not just one (I made that mistake once had to rebuild the engine because of it). Good luck, Rat.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

check your thermostat, if it doesn't have a small hole in it (1/16 inch) for air to pass through then drill one yourself, will save you lots of time if you ever add coolant or flush the system as it will allow the air to escape instead of being trapped causing a lock in your coolant system. also buy new head bolts as the old ones have probably stretched some and new ones will torque down nicely... and for only a few dollars worth of bolts it will save you many headaches in the future, if it is a V-6 or V-8 engine do both head gaskets not just one (I made that mistake once had to rebuild the engine because of it). Good luck, Rat.

Thanks for the tips- It is a carbureted 4 cyl, single overhead cam. Pretty straightforward. Even if it takes me a while to do it, it will be worth it to save $900. That's some real knife money there!:thumbup:

 

[uncle Alan]

Thanks for the tips- It is a carbureted 4 cyl, single overhead cam. Pretty straightforward. Even if it takes me a while to do it, it will be worth it to save $900. That's some real knife money there!:thumbup:

When your machine gets out of intensive care . Curious as to what the problem was.


Uncle Alan

 

[uncle Alan]

Thanks for the tips- It is a carbureted 4 cyl, single overhead cam. Pretty straightforward. Even if it takes me a while to do it, it will be worth it to save $900. That's some real knife money there!:thumbup:

When your machine gets out of intensive care . Curious as to what the problem was.


Uncle Alan

 

[G3]

When I had my '68 Cougar I had the same problem. It turned out the radiator itself was rusting from the inside and caused the clogs. If the coolant is rusty I would definitely check the inside of the radiator.

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

When I had my '68 Cougar I had the same problem. It turned out the radiator itself was rusting from the inside and caused the clogs. If the coolant is rusty I would definitely check the inside of the radiator.

If the radiator is rusting, that is a quick and easy fix/replacement.

Uncle Alan- The problem was a compression leak from the number 3? cylinder. I took off the head (no small task there) and took it in. The guy said it must have been leaking for a while. On the bright side, there was no mixing of fluids. So, $75 to have the head machined, and $110? for shim, gasket kit, and can of copper crap for the gasket. I figure when I finally get it all put together, I will have saved well over $700 by doing it myself.:thumbup:

 

[G3]

Did that fix it?

 

[Rat Finkenstein]

Did that fix it?

I will let you know when I get it all together. I will probably have to wait till this weekend to get enough time to slap it together. I have assembled all the parts, but I think it would be unwise for me to try and assemble it a little bit at a time.