> I went to pick up a BMW track car with it this AM....the head
> gasket blew on
> the way down to get the BMW...second cyl from front left now has
> antifreeze
> coming out of the spark plug hole. Pulsing pressure in the
> cooling system.
> James Bond-style white smoke out the left exhaust.
>
> So....
>
> any thoughts on the value of pulling the engine/ heads, check for warp/
> re-surface; new gaskets
> or...
> should I just look for another engine?
> should I check for other faults?
Paul, if the alternative is another junk yard engine, and this one seemed
sound before the gasket let go (no bad noises, no oil smoke, good
compression, etc.); then I'd at least have a second go at the gasket.
Depending on how hard it is to get to, I'd probably even leave the engine in
the truck. Check both the head and block for flatness in several
directions, and pay special attention to the surfaces around where the leak
was, make sure there's no low spot. Check out the head bolts too, maybe
even just replace the two nearest the problem, and for all of them, measure
the height of the head at that point and be sure the bolt will thread into
the block easily at least 1/4" farther. If I've misremembered, and the Olds
350 had head studs, then check the thread on the studs for distortion by
spinning a new nut down them. Likewise check them for length, the nut
should not wind up at the end of the threads when things are assembled. If
you're a "belt and suspenders" kind of guy, you could even use gasket
dressing on the new gasket, I've heard Yamaha dealers sell a product called
"Yammabond" that works well, and the stuff sold by
http://www.headgasket.com/sealant.html
works even better.
Then if the gasket lets go again, I'd look for another engine.
Randall
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