Cooling system issue - Ford Forums - Mustang Forum, Ford Trucks, Ford Focus and Ford Cars

brenx · 10-30-2003, 16:07

Where do I start???

NO THERMOSTAT (1st thing I removed)

Engine cold but running : coolant level all over the place. Rising and falling.

Pressurizes really quickly

When hot:

60deg starts banging. You can see the radiator hoses expanding and contracting to their normal size. Coolant level still all over the place. If you apply revs 1500-2000rpm the coolant level drops for awhile then starts going up and down again.

Going by the mechanical temp gauge I run the engine doesn't even get hot enough to over heat etc.

If I run a radiator cap. It pressurizes that much that when you relieve the pressure it virtually empties the cooling system. Takes about 3-5lt to get the system full again.

My thoughts :

Compression leaking into the cooling system? I run 11.2:1 compression and also run o-ringed head gaskets.

Water pump?

All of these where fine when I remove the heads in July 2003.

Brenden

XC351 · 10-30-2003, 16:30

Hate to say it but it's the head gasket. What did you torque them to?

brenx · 10-30-2003, 16:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by XC351

Hate to say it but it's the head gasket. What did you torque them to?

125nm (92fltbs) cyl head manufacture says 105ftlbs (140nm roughly). Before I go too silly. I'll up it to 105ftlbs.

Your thought's??

Brenden

XC351 · 10-30-2003, 16:41

ALLways a good idea to tighten them to the max figure, just hope you havent got to rip them off again. By the way ONLY use Nulon coolant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

XC351 · 10-30-2003, 16:43

long life 250,000km or 4 years dont use anything else!

Racer · 10-30-2003, 20:22

You don't use a 400hp shot of nitrous do you?
See my reply in the other section.

brenx · 10-30-2003, 20:49

I've found which gasket is leaking. It's the driverside head. It's either leaking on cyl 3 or 4. As I can hear it. So not this weekend but next I get to pull the top half of the engine down again. Fun, grrr!

Racer : Any suggestions on what gaskets to use. I actually had no issues with the Felpro (no o-ringed) @ 10.5:1.

Last thing I want is gasket failure. I plan to street register this car when I get time. So the cooling system has to be upto scratch.

Brenden

Racer · 10-30-2003, 21:24

O-ringing is not required. The best head gaskets are actually the standard ones that come in the Felpro rebuild kit. The secret is decks that are flat, thick and rigid.

Most Fords dont blow head gaskets anyway. They do what is called "lifting" the head. This is what your problem appears to be. Fords only have 10 head bolts so clamping sucks.

Blowing the gasket (in racing terms) is where the fire ring (the metal bit surrounding the cylinders) splits or blows out or burns. Lifting is where you have combustion blowing into the waterjackets as the head is forced from the block. This is what is pressurising your cooling system.

brenx · 10-30-2003, 22:49

I don't know why mines doing what it's doing because everything was spot on prior. I've only changed the heads (brand new CHI 3V's).

Since the head change the engines only ran for 5 maybe 10 minutes and that was only yesterday. So I doubt the gasket has actually blown. I'll see when I take the head off. Only a fault gasket will blow in such a short time.

Brenden

XC351 · 10-30-2003, 23:48

Didnt the head guy recomend a gasket? I have O ringed heads and copper head gaskets theres no prob even with a heavy dose of nitrous