i removed the banjo bolt off my driver side head and it was filled with crust! upon further inspection, i saw that one of the seals was missing off of the steam pipe on that side. i think that that caused the holes in the bolt to misalign, thus causing an air pocket in my driver side head making it overheat and blow my head gasket... does this make any sense?

 

Its possible.Although aluminum heads and iron block are bound to blow gaskets sooner or later.The cross-over tube is to relieve air pockets,if they occur,not to cool the head.. My bolts were plugged too when I changed heads,the gaskets were fine.

 

Absolutely possible.

I was having overheating problems on and off for a few months, and eventually the head gasket went. It blew on #7, and my steam pipe was also clogged. The pipe is designed to relieve air which can become trapped in the rear of the head. If the pipe is clogged, the air becomes trapped back there and creates a hot spot which can cause the head gasket to blow.

https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=560683


I ended up replacing the pipe, as it is not very expensive. The GM part # for a '95-'97 steam pipe is 12556260, and the # for a '93-'94 pipe is 10108635. I paid $48 for mine.

Good luck!
Thomas.

 

or u can have one made at a local hose shop out of ss house with fitting on the back of the head and u can use 3/8 insted that little 1/4 pipe ( the fitting on the back of the head are bpt)

 

that's EXACTLY what happened to me, stoop... so did your car start running nice and cool after you fixed it? because i'm really hoping it will stop running hot after i fix this.

 

Yep, sure did. Got everything back together with new head gaskets and steam pipe, and it runs around 160-170 now with a 160* stat and tune.

Thomas.

 

I think the "crust" might be minerals in the water. It should be worth the few dollars to make up the anti-freeze, water-wetter and water solution using distilled water from the local supermarket.

 

you're right, thats what the crust probably was, but i think the real culprit is the missing washer. i think that caused the holes in the banjo bolt to misalign