UP-Date2: Blown head gasket fixed! BLOWN and Fixed Again!!!!

[Ram]

Have a 360 with over 250,000 miles on it and she blew the head gasket out on the 5th cylinder. Was only a coolant leak into the cylinder, no oil in water, no water in oil! Thanks for small wonders, but was a solid leak into the cylinder. Lots of blueish gray smoke from the tail when running. Shut off and started an hour later, had a kind of hydro lock thing going on that after the first go round of the crank it stopped, then one of the cylinders must have took and she started. I didn't like that at all, didn't know what damage could have happened, rod bearings, crank jornals, wrist pins all that went through my mine at once! Well, work and daylight not to mention the cold kept me from doing anything for the first two weeks. I finally decided to run some K&W block sealer through the coolant passageways and try and fix with that prior to cracking the bolts and breaking off things. The engine has so many miles it would be tough to just change head gaskets an not do lifters, valve job, timing chain, cam, you can get the picture. $$$ is adding up here, would be cheaper to find a runner from a junk yard. Well I followed all the directions to the "T" on that sealer and spent the past weekend flushing / drainging and opened all the cylinders (took out the plugs) to find which cyclinder was full, and number 5 shot out like a "Old Faithful" what a gusher! All the other plugs looked good, whirled the motor over, again with all the plugs execpt number 5. She started and blown all the rest of the crap out. Shut her down, filled with clear water and ran till warmed up. Flushed with a radiator flush, ran again, flushed, ran, flushed..... this went on and on until I was crystal clear in the radiator. Drained and added that coolant sealer. I followed the directions, mixed that 16 oz. can with 3 quarts of hot tap water. Added that to the drained radiator and then topped off with more water. Now I made sure I had all the water in the radiator when running again, I sealed the cap. Let "IDLE" for 45 minutes. Temp was fine, oil psi was fine and then shut off. Let cool and drained. This is the screwy part. When I drained the engine of all that sealant and water, I barley got a quart of crap out!!!! I don't know what happened to all that stuff? I have never used this product before, and don't know what its to do, but, it seams to have worked. I waited the prescribed 24hrs and then flushed the system again with plain water, and added coolant and water. Started up again, she ran fine. I drove her this week over 140miles so far, still holding all the anti-freeze and water, not a drop more into the overflow or out of it either!! Still can't explain what happened, but just hope she holds as long as I need to line up a doner engine from a 1998 or so to swap out.

Has anyone used this stuff or a similar product that can give me some info as to what has happed to all the stuff that was in the block? It didn't have any smoking while treating either!

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the long post!
Ram

[jeepsr4ever]

Awesome...i have heard of block filler being used for that, ...LOL you may have gotten away with torquing donw the head.but probly not since the leak was going on for so long.

[Ram]

I'm still driving her, and have over 275 miles since the treatment. I never thought of tighing the head bolts. This just came on to fast to have been those bolts, could be head warpage, don't know, to many miles and had been a Florida truck for its life from 86 (new) to 97 when my father in law died and I took over the truck. Had been pretty hot down in Orlando and that truck showed it. With all the miles on it now, I just don't even want to take off a valve cover unless, I have 2 things. One a wad of cash because I know I'll have to do a total rebuild and two, a replacement engine for my truck to keep her going! It could get ugly, she runs strong enough, just really showing her age, over 250,000 miles.

[Rocky]

Probably a good time to start saving, and looking for an engine core, if you want to do a quick swap and keep it on the road.
Between the quick (and very possibly temporary) fix, and the high mileage, It would be a good policy to not drive anywhere you wouldn't want to walk back, or be towed back, from.
I ceratinly don't want to rain negativity on the sucess of your sealer job, but those sorts of products usually can't be counted on as long-term solutions. Besides.... at 250K, I think your engine might have been giving you a little hint that it's time for some TLC. Probably be a good idea to pay attention to what it's telling you!!
Your best options to keep down time to a minimum would be to either find a core and rebuild it, or buy a long block, and swap them out.
If you have the time and ability to do so, rebuilding a core can give you the best reliability (you can control every aspect of the rebuild) and the quickest turnaround (it'll come w/ manifolds, valve covers, oil pan, etc, so you can have it ready to go before you pull your old engine).
If you lack either the time or experience to rebuild an engine, you can buy a long block, and swap all the needed parts from your engine to it. If you go this route, take some time to research your rebuilders. Get recommendations from people who've used them before. There is a huge range in quality (from quite good to absolute junk) depending on the rebuilder. (I actually know of one eight cylinder long block that was shipped w/ only seven pistons! ...QC man must have had an off day....)

[Mudrat]

Probably a good time to start saving, and looking for an engine core, if you want to do a quick swap and keep it on the road....
There is a huge range in quality (from quite good to absolute junk) depending on the rebuilder. (I actually know of one eight cylinder long block that was shipped w/ only seven pistons! ...QC man must have had an off day....)

Good advice..Hummm 7 pistons... sound familuar to anybody
Mudrat

[jeepsr4ever]

7 pistons.......hmm no doesnt sound familiar I am still looking for the 8th one

[Ram]

Probably a good time to start saving, and looking for an engine core, if you want to do a quick swap and keep it on the road.
Between the quick (and very possibly temporary) fix, and the high mileage, It would be a good policy to not drive anywhere you wouldn't want to walk back, or be towed back, from.
I ceratinly don't want to rain negativity on the sucess of your sealer job, but those sorts of products usually can't be counted on as long-term solutions. Besides.... at 250K, I think your engine might have been giving you a little hint that it's time for some TLC. Probably be a good idea to pay attention to what it's telling you!!
Your best options to keep down time to a minimum would be to either find a core and rebuild it, or buy a long block, and swap them out.
If you have the time and ability to do so, rebuilding a core can give you the best reliability (you can control every aspect of the rebuild) and the quickest turnaround (it'll come w/ manifolds, valve covers, oil pan, etc, so you can have it ready to go before you pull your old engine).
If you lack either the time or experience to rebuild an engine, you can buy a long block, and swap all the needed parts from your engine to it. If you go this route, take some time to research your rebuilders. Get recommendations from people who've used them before. There is a huge range in quality (from quite good to absolute junk) depending on the rebuilder. (I actually know of one eight cylinder long block that was shipped w/ only seven pistons! ...QC man must have had an off day....)

You have a good point. I don't use her as a daily driver. Did get over 600 miles racked on the clock since the treatment. Still holding . Have to wait out the winter here in Virginia Beach, my garage is full of mother-in-laws furniture! Its just to cold to work out doors here in the winter!

I really want to find a 1998 Ram p/u or van with a 360 MPI, as a doner with all the wiring harness, computer, dash, etc... the whole shooting match and use that as then trash the rest of the truck for parts to totally modernize mine. I don't want to chance pouring money into my 86 engine and have to garbage it back up with all of that yr/model's polution crap that does not work at this time. It would take a ton of stuff to make all that old crap work again. Our state inspections just look at the equipment an see its still attached. No sniff check to date. I'm sure it won't be long then I'll be S.O.L. when that goes into effect. Going with the newer, more efficient engine an the computer with the MPI, that will pass any inspection with that all back on my year RC. I know that finding the right doner will take some time, and I do have to use this as a back-up and needed to be kept running. She will just have to hang on a little longer. If a doner is still not found before she goes south again, will find a running long block from a jy and slip that in as a hold over.
Thanks again.
RAM

[Mudrat]

You have a good point. I don't use her as a daily driver. Did get over 600 miles racked on the clock since the treatment. Still holding . Have to wait out the winter here in Virginia Beach, my garage is full of mother-in-laws furniture! Its just to cold to work out doors here in the winter!Thanks again.
RAM

Ram,
Where you at in the Beach? Jack (Lifted79) is down aroundthe waterfront and I'm in Newport news and work by Mil Circle Mall. Were you at the Tidewater meeting Wed?

Mudrat

[Ram]

You have a good point. I don't use her as a daily driver. Did get over 600 miles racked on the clock since the treatment. Still holding . Have to wait out the winter here in Virginia Beach, my garage is full of mother-in-laws furniture! Its just to cold to work out doors here in the winter!Thanks again.
RAM

Ram,
Where you at in the Beach? Jack (Lifted79) is down aroundthe waterfront and I'm in Newport news and work by Mil Circle Mall. Were you at the Tidewater meeting Wed?

Mudrat

Sorry for being out of the site a while, have had computer problems and working way to much.

I'm out here at the end of London Bridge Road, south of Oceana.

Don't know of any meeting that you mentioned, is that the Tidwater Off Roaders at Greenbrier Dodge, mostly Jeeps?

My beast is still running too, have not kept track of the miles must be over 1K at least.

[Tigger]

7 pistons.......hmm no doesnt sound familiar I am still looking for the 8th one

Sounds familiar to me and I am still looking for an 8th