Hi Mike. Before pulling the head I suggest towing the truck to a shop and having
a "leak down test" done on it. It's done by blowing a regulated amount of
compressed air into each cylinder and monitoring how much and more importantly
WHERE the air escapes. For instance; bubbles in the radiator would indicate a
blown head gasket, or cracked head/block. Out the carb- bad intake valve. Out
the
tail pipe- bad exhaust valve. Out the crank case vent- bad rings. You get the
idea. You can do it yourself using the fitting from a compression gauge and a
regulated air source but it's much safer to have a shop do it. Just my 2 cents
on
the subject.- Jeff
Jeff Street -Seattle, WA
'55-2 short/step "Street's rod project"
MKlepp4335@cs.com wrote:
> First, thanks to all those who provided input in my New Year's Eve stranding.
> I have checked everything (twice) and still cannot make this 235 run more
> than a few seconds. With much pumping and choking, the truck will fire but
> soon die. The real problem is revealed by the large cloud of white smoke
> (steam) that comes from the tail pipe. I'm guessing that the head gasket is
> blown, head or block cracked allowing coolant to be sucked into the
> combustion chamber. The one thing I fail to understand is that most vehicles
> with blown gaskets and/or cracked castings continue to run, some quite
> smoothly. Mine will bearly fire and only run briefly.
> Believe when I say I have checked and redone everything. I guess my last
> resort is to pull the head and see if I can locate the problem. This is very
> frustrating since I consider myself a fair wrench and have built and repaired
> many different type motors in the past. Any more things I should check
> before I jerk the head? I heard Dan Rather talking about global warming on
> the news tonight, what do you think? Thanks.
> Mike Klepp
> '48 3100
> Wichita Falls, TX
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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