Video: http://masra.org/video/chug/smokey.wmv
Pics: http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pics/enginetest

At one point someone was helping to setup the FAST and had the base timing WAY wrong. He glowed the headers pretty good and since then, its been downhill. The motor setup is 355cid, stock crank, scat 4340 i-beams, SpeedPro/TRW PowerForge -21cc dished pistons, AFR heads.

After recording the video, the block test results don't surprise me. The block tester is one from NAPA. After draining a bit of coolant and clamping the upper return the test tube was secured in the radiator spout. While the engine was warming up to temp the suction ball was being used to pull air from the radiator into the test tube. The test fluid remained blue for the first few minutes. All of a sudden the blue fluid expanded to fill the entire tube and turned dirty yellow.

There is definitely combustion gas in the coolant system. My guess is at least a busted headgasket. Going to pull the plugs in the morning? Any other bets? Rings? Block? I have a leakdown tester, just need to go pickup a portable air compressor.

-j

 

i wouldnt bother with the leakdown tester, just yank the heads off and check it out since you already know something is wrong, and the longer you wait, the more time the coolant will have to eat into the cylinder walls if any is in there. all the tester will do is tell you that you have a leakage problem which you already know

my bet is just a popped head gasket. i dont recall, what gaskets are you using? bolts or studs?

 

My guess would be a head gasket gone bad and maybe a warped head.

 

holy **** ... hey Darren !!

FelPro Head Gaskets 1074
ARP Bolts

There is a definate problem. I just question piston and ring integrity. Thoughts on confirming if the rings are dammaged or not?

Thanks
Jon

 

the head gaskets should have given way before the rings/lands would get hurt unless you built a lot of heat up in the pistons without detonation first, and werent running enough ring end gap. when you pull the heads take a good look at the cylinder walls. they will tell you if the pistons or rings heated up too much and scuffed them

you could just bolt the heads back on with new gaskets and then do the leakdown test before you do any further engine assembly. that way the gasket issue would be resolved, so you would know if the test was revealing a different problem. if you do a leakdown test now, you wont know if you are seeing a ring/valve problem, or if the cylinder is just one of the ones the gasket gave out on.

also while at it, i would make a switch over to head studs from the bolts. on both my firebird's 396, and the boosted 383 in my black car i had much better luck with studs than i did with ARP bolts. 1074's on both cars

 

Darren,

Will do then. BAsically the timing reference he used was for a crank trigger setup (50 deg) rather than optispark (6). The RPM range was only from idle to 2500. I wouldn't imagine there was detonation ... but still...

Thanks
j

 

btw if you do switch to studs, be sure to get them with the 12pt nuts, and use a good sealant on them when you put them in the block. myself and others have had to use RTV sealant, since the normal ARP thread sealant didnt work well enough with the studs and let coolant seep up through them (though a little alumaseal in the cooling system seals things up fine as well)

 

Here is the picture gallery:
http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pics/pullheads/

Heads - #1 & #3 - White valve is somewhat odd ....
http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pi...iew?b_start=15

Heads - #5 & #7
http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pi...iew?b_start=16

Head Gasket - it looks like its ok. I was expecting carnage or hoping fomr something clear case after the PITA of pulling the driver side head
http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pi...iew?b_start=17
http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pi...iew?b_start=18

Cylinder - Vertical lines in the cross harching
ttp://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pics/pullheads/car%20020.jpg/variant/xlarge

Cylinder - More vertical lines in the cross hatching This is a different cylinder
http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pi...variant/xlarge

Got coolant?
http://plone.shoberg.net/CarStuff/Pi...20022.jpg/view

Its not looking good ...