Head gasket leak.

[Rocket88]

We've had the car for a few weeks now.

My son does not have his licsense yet so I've only driven it on the weekend we picked it up, but we put about 450 miles on it!!

It ran fine, no over heating, the temp stayed in the middle of the gauge.

There are receipts in the glove box for a new rad, water pump and hoses.

As for the weeping it seems to be more prominent at the front between the #1 and #2 spark plugs.

Here is where it gets tough, the antifreeze forms a line all along where the block and head meet. A small pool the size of a penny formed on the passenger back corner of the block. After the car is up to temp, the coolant evaporates, except for some slight dampness between #1 and 2.

Is it leaking all the way along, or just at the front and "wicking" down to the other end of the engine, I'm not sure.

I am going to have the kid fire it up today and watch the leak develop, to try tell how much it is leaking or wicking, I'll report back later!

Great discussion guys, lots of good info and many different points to consider.

Edited May 22, 2010 by Rocket88

[Gary in NJ]

I thing neglect causes far more problems than the appropriate use of Bars leaks mate!

Indeed.

To be clear, I'm not saying Bars doesn't work, it does. My only concern is creating a blockage where there wasn't.

I have no experience with this happening, it is just a concern.

[Z train]

Hang on a tick, I'm talking from personal experience.

Let me fill you in on why I make the comments I make. My L28 had a new NISSAN gasket put on by me approximately 30K kms ago. In that time it has performed over 60 individual dyno pulls, gone on holidays with the family twice (3500km round trips each time) and has had many subsequent performance improvements to the engine and cooling system (LD28 water pump, reconditioned 3 core radiator, thermo fan, water wetter etc). Compression tests recently proved that all my cylinder pressures are spot on too.

The point I'm making is that all of this is on "the HG that was weeping after I installed it". I solved the weeping problem with a dose of Bars leaks and have never looked back. I could've replaced the gasket at the time with another but I'm glad I waited and have had zero problems since then.

"You don't need your appendix out if it's been so far diagnosed as pain in the guts" Treat your symptoms and see what the resolution is. Go from there.

Like Zed Head suggested in his post........K.I.S.S.

Personal experience?Mine starts from 1966 and continues to this day.HG's are NOT supposed to weep,wizz(or moan),leak,show moisture or any other term anyone cares to use.

If coolant is making it to the outside of the block without opening the radiator cap,something is BROKEN.Fix it.

As for Bars leak and the like,they are a stop gap "get your arse home remedy"Or a "I'm selling this roach and don't give a $^!#" tool.They work by getting in every nook and cranny in the cooling system and PLUGGING it.How many little nooks & crannies in a original cooling sytem with all the rust & scale build up?

A leaking HG,is going to pop sooner or later.(Odds are on sooner)Here's a question-the gasket will pop where:

1)In the most inconvienant place with probable head warpage

2)in your driveway

3)In the most inconvienant place with probable head warpage

This whole topic can be reduced to a simple question:What do you do with a faulty part?

Edited May 22, 2010 by Z train

[Zed Head]

Didn't mean to stir things up with my KISS comment. The last S can be inflammatory and that was unintended.

So Rocket88, you have options. Since you mentioned that the coolant was flowing along the head/block interface, you should make sure that you look closely at the thermostat housing. It might be starting there, flowing down to the interface, and just showing up between plugs 1 and 2. It's difficult to see up under there, a mirror might help. There are several sensors in the housing that could leak plus the housing gasket itself.

Have fun.

[ozconnection]

Didn't mean to stir things up with my KISS comment. The last S can be inflammatory and that was unintended.

The last "s" can be "silly". That's not offensive!

My gasket was new and weeped. Your gasket is old and weeps. I guess that's where I was wrong.

Bite the bullet, replace it...replace it now (Arne accent required! )

[Z train]

Do NOT forget the anti-seize!!!(not the head bolts though.)

[Rocket88]

My gasket was new and weeped. Your gasket is old and weeps. I guess that's where I was wrong.

Oz, you hit the nail on the head with that statement!

A new head gasket it is, can you guys guess what my next post will be? ...

Again, thanks for all the tips and advice!

[Z train]

[quote name=Rocket88;328848

A new head gasket it is' date=' can you guys guess what my next post will be?

QUOTE]

How do i get my 14mm wrench back that landed in the Dobermans pen three houses down?