Blown head gasket pics

[Tony_Urwin]

I pulled the head today to fix what I hope is just a blown head gasket. I guess I had expected a more obvious failure of the gasket.

What do you all think? Is the discoloration between the 4th and 5th cylinders the source of all that white exhaust smoke?

[Merle Coggins]

The gasket looks OK from here. Looks like you may have a bit of a compression leak between #4 & #5, but that shouldn't cause any white smoke. If anything you'd have slightly lower compression on those two cylinders. It doesn't look to be blown out in that area, just leaking enough to carbon up the gasket.

After re-reading your initial post on this subject I suspect when you removed the front bolts to install your A/C bracket, it may have loosened the head gasket in that area enough to leak some coolant into #1 cylinder which got burned off when you started it up. That would make more sense with the white smoke. It doesn't look like it was enough to "wash" the #1 piston clean, as you sometimes see if there was a more serious coolant leak into a cylinder.

All I can suggest, at this point, is to clean up the block and head and reinstall it with a new gasket. You may want to inspect the area on the block between the valves of #4 and #5. But even if there is a problem with the block in that area, the only way to fix it would be to have the deck milled, which would entail a complete removal and tare down. Unless it's the head surface that isn't flat in that area. Then you could just have the head milled. It doesn't look that serious, so just reassemble it and drive. But, don't forget to retorque the head once it gets warmed up.

Merle

[Tony_Urwin]

I can only hope that the problem will be solved with a new head gasket. Your theory that the gasket was leaking coolant sounds plausible enough, but I drove it for 20 miles that way with no problem. It wasn't until the next day that I experienced the billowing white exhaust.

I suppose that the head bolts loosened during that 20 mile drive, and the coolant could then seep in after the motor cooled.

I am just praying that I didn't crack the block. There's no milkiness to the oil that I can see.

[Norm's Coupe]

Tony,

I doubt you hurt the block at all. About the only thing that gets to these blocks is freezing. You may have warped the head a little though. Just take a straight edge and lay it end to end on the bottom of the head. If you have a gap between the straight edge and head you should have it milled down flat. Even though that head gasket doesn't look blown, I would still replace it with a new one.

[Tony_Urwin]

Norm, I will replace the gasket, and have the machine shop mill a bit off the head for insurance. A little extra compression can't hurt, right?

[Norm's Coupe]

Tony, Milling the head will give you a little more umph. The head on my coupe's engine when I rebuilt it was .035 out, so I got lots of umph, plus I had the block shaved a little too. Think the book says .010 gap is ok, but as long as it's off, may as well flatten it.

[Don Coatney]

Tony;

Did you do a compression check on this engine ever? Be nice to see a when purchsed and before teardown comparison. File this for your next purchase. Do a compression check as soon as you can after purchase to get a baseline. And even more importan do a compression check before teardown.

[Tony_Urwin]

No testing done on this engine ever. It ran like a top when I got it, and started right up every time. The PO's receipts showed a $2700 complete rebuild in 2000.

Of course, he also had a receipt for a kingpin replacement, and that kingpin is so tight that it will have to be done again.

[norrism1]

Tony,, While the head is off. Take a straight edge and run it down the head and block, you need to look for low spots to see if head or block is warped.

Easier now than later if still having problems.