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rtferguson39

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rtferguson39 last won the day on March 25 2021

rtferguson39 had the most liked content!

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  • My Project Cars
    1949 Dodge Wayfarer Sedan

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    Just a guy who's into old Mopars, guitars, and the outdoors.
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    Mechanical Engineer

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    North Carolina
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    Mopar cars of all ages, Jeeps, playing guitar, singing, NASCAR, hiking, camping, the outdoors

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  1. So I ran a leak-down test, and found some crossover from cylinder 3 to cylinder 4...imagine that. I pulled the head and this is what I found, block side of head gasket pictured below. To me, it also looks like this gasket was allowing coolant to pass from the center cooling passage (right in picture) into cylinder 4. Anybody else have an opinion on this? An initial quick cleaning did not shoe any major cracks in the head. I will be doing a more thorough inspection this evening of both the head, and the block, again.
  2. It is not necessary to jack the car up to remove the intake/exhaust manifold assembly. Do attempt remove both manifolds as one piece. WARNING: the two lower exhaust manifold bolts between the ports for cylinders 2-3, and 4-5, (sometimes referred to as the "long bolts") will likely break during removal. The rust bond between the manifold and what is left of these lower "long bolts" can make manifold removal a chore; requiring heat, pry bars, and a BFH. As others have mentioned, make sure to remove the "hidden nut" behind the center intake port for cylinders 3 and 4. All the other fasteners are fairly visible. 13 total. Expect a minimum of three hours to remove these manifolds if this car has been sitting outside for as long as you describe it.
  3. Manifolds removed as of last night. What a fun process! Upon a detailed visual inspection of the intake ports, all seems fine! Thank goodness. However, I could feel some wetness around the intake valves for cylinders 3 and 4, and it certainly smelled like coolant. I'll run a leak-down test on those two specific cylinders this evening, and based on those results, more than likely pull the head.
  4. This past Saturday I spun the engine over by hand with the plugs out and was able to observe coolant coming from the 3-4 intake port and into the manifold....So I began to remove the manifolds to inspect the ports... All went well until it was time to remove the two bolts for the exhaust manifold under the exhaust ports for cylinders 2-3 and 4-5. (The long bolts).They both snapped, even with loads of heat applied before attempted removal. I am currently reading (on this forum) that this is a fairly common issue. They've now been soaking in PB Blaster since Saturday and I will attempt to remove the manifolds again this evening. All 13 fasteners (less the two broken long bolts) are removed, including the hidden center lower nut. Hopefully I can make some headway tonight.
  5. I like this thought. Just pressure test the block and head essentially. I think the timing of this coolant issue was extremely inconvenient. The carb needed to come off due to shot accelerator pump bushing, or float issue (dumping fuel out of the base of the accelerator pump shaft). There was no indication of a coolant leak before. At all. This coolant issue likely had just begun on my last drive, or even post-shutdown. No steam from the exhaust, no clean plugs, or valves. Also no coolant in the oil. The compression test numbers may indicate early head-gasket failure around cylinders 3-4. We will have to see. Certainly the first time I've seen this issue.
  6. Well, in the time I had yesterday evening I was able to perform a dry compression test, all plugs removed, and the results came back ok. Not perfect, but ok: 1: 105 psi 2: 95 psi 3: 84 psi 4: 95 psi 5: 112 psi 6: 110 psi I checked head bolt torque. All were at 65 lb-ft, or slightly higher. I removed (one at a time) the three head bolts that pass directly into the intake ports as Plymouthy suggested, all were dry. I did apply thread sealant for reinstall. However, the bolt between the intake port feeding 5 and 6, had an odd rust stain on the bolt and head that looked like water had run down it at one point. I'm doubtful this was the culprit for a 1/8" deep pool of coolant in the manifold. I guess the only things to do next are to pull the manifolds and head and thoroughly inspect everything I can. The only other thought (and question) I have here... Does anyone think it may be worth pressurizing the cooling system with a tester to a minimal amount (2-4 psi) to see if I can expose any leaks before teardown? Or will this cause more harm than good to the radiator?
  7. Right. For all I know, something catastrophic occurred just as I arrived home and parked it, since I've never seen steam out of the tailpipe of this car to date. The system is stock, non-pressurized. So either an oddly compromised heat gasket, or a crack in a port, is seeming more and more likely....
  8. Understood. So we're working with an "indirect link" by sealing the head bolts. I see there is an approximate 1-1.5" gap between the cooling passage holes and the head bolt holes (just looking at pictures) , but a compromised gasket just might allow some crossover.... We'll start small with the sealant and dive deeper if need be. She very well might need a head gasket (not for compression reasons), and other things. It is the original engine to the car, never been pulled, with only 28k miles on it, but wasn't treated very well before me.
  9. Thank you Plymouthy. Certainly worth trying before I take manifolds off. For the sake of ultimate clarity, we are talking about the three head bolts circled in red in the attached photo, correct? (not my engine, just an example picture). And to confirm, 65-67 lb-ft of torque for head bolts?
  10. Good thought. It never ran poorly enough to suggest a large vacuum leak. Hmm. So therefore, your last sentence is my biggest fear.... cracked port. I will know more this evening when I dig a little further into it.
  11. Right. Which raises my concern even further. The only things left are head studs that may possibly leak into a cylinder, and this would only show up if the valves and piston on cylinder 3 or 4 were in a perfect orientation to allow coolant to pass into the runner after shutdown/heat soak. Or as Sniper just replied, a cracked port!
  12. I am positive it is not fuel. No smell and most certainly green coolant.
  13. The car - 1949 Wayfarer with the 230 flathead 6 of course.... Car had been sitting for two weeks before this was found, drove normally before with no white smoke from tailpipe. Radiator slightly low, but not drinking coolant at an alarming rate. I removed the carburetor for a rebuild last night, and what do I see pooled in the intake manifold? Coolant. It looks like the coolant is originating from the runner that feeds the center two cylinders (3&4). I pulled the spark plugs, all look OK (slight rich, but not steam-cleaned). All valves that I could see also show normal operating conditions. I understand that most manifold studs pass into water jackets, but am not sure about head studs. Is it likely that I somehow have coolant seeping past a stud and pooling in the intake manifold? Or maybe a cracked/misdirected water distribution tube? Or does anyone believe this could be something more severe, like a cracked block? All input is appreciated. Thank you.
  14. Not A Bad Pass for a 72 Year Old: As a supplement to my above post chronicling the adventures from Steel In Motion, here's my hulk getting everything it can with a 3.9 rear gear against a 1964 Corvair: https://youtu.be/3LV94HUILzU
  15. The First "Long Drive" After another oil change, one hour of digging sludge out of the oil pan with a coat hanger, full inspection and greasing, minor fuel pump leak fix, the car was ready to drive to Steel In Motion. I was nervous about how much sludge/crap would break loose during the 140 mile round trip as I am one of the unlucky bastards without an oil filter (currently). I've learned a lot about my 230 over this drive; highway oil pressure is stable at 38 psi, but at idle, we may not be in the best shape. Sitting in town traffic, there were a few instances were she dipped down to 5-10 psi. My rule of thumb has always been 10 psi per 1000 rpm, but 5 just seems low at idle. I might have to dig into the bottom end a bit.... Anyway, the initial miles were nerve-wracking, as the longest drive I had previously taken in this car was about 30 minutes. My journey this time was just under two hours one way. Temperature ran right at 170*, the charging system did its job (meaning I did mine properly), and the car tracked straight. We made it to Union County Dragway, where we enjoyed one of the coolest traditional hot rod shows in the southeast. I even took this old girl down the strip. I lined up against a friend's 1964 Corvair in an attempt to own the crown of the slowest 1/8 mile ET in recent history. I lost to the Corvair by a length. I blame this on my launch and the Fluid-Drive coupler. If the track were a 1/4 mile I would have come around and won the race. We were too busy with the sights to photograph more of the show, but here I am with the rest of our friends Sunday morning after most everyone else had packed up and gone home:
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