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Need some help, don't know what else to do..
So, I finally finished replacing my head gaskets, and getting everything back together. The shop I brought my heads to told me they cleaned the heads up, and I believe they took .07 thousandths off, I'd have to look for the exact number. Anyways, got everything back together, started the car, and there was a miss, and every now and then i would hear a lifter tick. No big deal I thought, and decided to take the car to a trusted shop and have it looked at, and have them set the lifters right for me, since it was all new to me.
I get a call from them, saying there was still a little coolant coming out of the exhaust, but I figured there would be, since there was probably still some coolant in the cats from when the gasket went. Well, they ran a block test on the car, multiple times, and said it looks like a blown head gasket, or cracked head. I told them that can't be because I just had the heads resurfaced and changed the gaskets. And was told the last thing it could be is a cracked cylinder wall, if everything else was done right. So, here are my questions... My main question is, Since the heads were plained, should I have went and got a custom gasket, instead of using a stock fel-pro one from advance? Others, Could it be a cracked cylinder wall, and if so, I was told about a liquid repair that you can pour in and it will fix it.. What is this stuff called, and is it even worthwhile? There is a small leak at one of the banjo bolts, would that show up as a leak with their test? I guess they put some tool in there that changes color if there is a leak by reading gas or something, not too sure.. I'm completely lost as to what I should do. I took my time putting everything back together, and made sure to do it right the first time, which doesn't seem has happened. I don't know if it is worth it to repair all of this, or if I should just replace the motor. I need the car for work, and it has been out of commission since fathers day, given me a huge headache... |
Incredibly unlikely you have a cracked block.
How did you torque the head bolts and what bolts did you use? Did you use thread sealant on them? |
That is what I've been told by multiple people.
I used the correct head bolts that I bought from advance auto, and I did use thread sealant. I torqued them down using a torque wrench, in the correct sequence, followed everything by the book. Used the haynes manual and shbox's website for the whole thing. Everything I used, I bought new, just in case.. |
I know you had the heads shaved a bit to clean them up. Did the shop check the heads for leaks as well?
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Yes, pressure tested them and everything. Said there was no cracks and it was all good to go.
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When was your torque wrench last calibrated? you might just want to go back in and give all the bolts another 5 or 10 lbs more using the same wrench you used. I have done that in the past with successful results.
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Wait, have you actually verified for yourself that there is a blown head gasket? I would get a coolant pressure test kit and run a few tests of your own, including a compression test.
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It has been a while, so that very well could be the problem. I'll have to go back and try that.
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