> > 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
I'd do both heads. There's a good chance whoever did the work didn't
torque things right. As Randall says, check for flatness. I'd also
take a look at the
bores before I did anything but yank the heads. If there's a big
ridge, or they don't look good, I might consider another engine,
depending on how long you plan on running the truck. Otherwise, slap
the heads back on, with new bolts (they're cheap). Make sure the
bolt holes aren't gunked up, which cause the head not to be bolted on
square. You can clean them, or you can get hardened washers to put
between the bolt head and the head, which reduces the amount the bolt
threads into the head a bit.
David
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