This is topic head gasket question in forum Tech Talk at Northern California Ford Owners .
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Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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So i have went through two sets of head gaskets with only a total of 30 min run time each set. I never took the car over 2000 rpm. It is a 1988 5.0 and i just put a set of gt40p heads on it and i am running 6lbs of boost(have not yet even boosted it)with a paxton supercharger. The heads were just resurfaced also. The only thing i can think of is that the block needs to be decked and resurfaced. Any info would be greatly appreciated guys. thanks
Posted by 79 cobra (Member # 10137) on
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get a feeler gage and straight eedge and see how much warpage its got
Posted by JohnB (Member # 969) on
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What gasket, head bolts, and torque settings are you using?
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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i used some stock felpro head gaskets and stock head bolts the first time and torqed to 72lbs. then the second time i used some performace felpro head gaskets with some arp head bolts and torqed to 70lbs, then re-torqed the top bolts to 80lbs like the gasket instuctions recommended. oh and both times i torqed the bolts in 3 different steps and i went by seqeunce.
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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oh and i am planning on checking the block after i get some info. thanks
Posted by JohnB (Member # 969) on
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..and the head gaskets were installed correctly? "Front" to the front?
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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of coarse
Posted by JohnB (Member # 969) on
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quote:
Originally posted by von89stang:
of coarse
You'd be surprised how many I've fixed that were done "right".
Too many probables here. Either the gaskets were on wrong, torqued incorrectly, bolt holes gummed up (causing incorrect torque readings), heads warped, or deck surface warped.
If you pulled the heads off the engine and all was ok, you can probably count the deck surface as being ok. You stated the heads were surfaced, so they should be ok.
Were all the bolt holes chased with a tap, the bolts all torqued with lube, and cooling system purged properly prior to reaching full operating temp?
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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no purge and the holes were not tapped but i did all the others. so youre telling me that theres a chance that my block wont need to be decked? that sounds good to me man. oh and prior to the hci swap my car ran perfect and no head gasket or over heating issues.
Posted by JohnB (Member # 969) on
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quote:
Originally posted by von89stang:
no purge and the holes were not tapped but i did all the others. so youre telling me that theres a chance that my block wont need to be decked? that sounds good to me man. oh and prior to the hci swap my car ran perfect and no head gasket or over heating issues.
You didn't purge the cooling system after the install? There's your problem. Air in the system = no water = overheating.
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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It could happen that fast? i filled the radiator right after i started the car. So do you think if i do the job over again and purge it that it will be good? thanks alot for the info bro.
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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Hey john one more thing i just remembered. When i first started the car it got pretty warm, then i added more coolant and my temp went back down to normal operating temp. after that i drove it and it was all good but when i parked at home 15 min later, thats when it started getting really hot so i turned it off and thats when i noticed that it had coolant in the oil. anyway what im getting at is that the first 20-30 min of run time my oil was just fine and i was wondering why it took 30 min to blow the head gasket. thanks
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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still looking for a solution here guys.
Posted by JohnB (Member # 969) on
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It will take a while to get all the air out of the cooling system. And yes, it can happen that fast. Also, did you change the oil in between HG changes (each time)?
Posted by Secnd2nun64 (Member # 1431) on
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You sure its the head gasket and not a misaligned intake gasket? Maybe the intake flange is warped. Take a large flat file to it and check for high/low spots.
Posted by Blind (Member # 3052) on
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run a tap down ALL of the head bolt holes to remove the old crap so your torque setting is accurate.
once you get it together, fill the radiator, then leave the cap off and jack up the front right of the car really high so the cap opening is the highest point.
I've used the T fittings sold by prestone in their flush and fill kits for years, I tap it into the heatercore hoses and fill the coolant through there after the radiator.
Then let the car idle until it comes up to temp, the coolant will get sucked out of the radiator and into the motor to replace the air once to thermostat opens, wait for the bubbling to stop in the radiator and it's purged.
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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okay cool thanks guys. yes i change the oil each time. i have been throught 3 oil and filter changes. and as far as the intake i will double check it, but i do know that it is the head gaskets cause the first set i put on were blown badly. i will defenately run a tap through the head bolt holes. and i will purge my coolant system. well thanks for the info guys i hope it works this time which i doubt it will lol.
Posted by SPECIALTY15 (Member # 2978) on
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check the egr plate gasket
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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Why do you think that would cause a blown head gasket?
Posted by SmokinLX (Member # 1684) on
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More than likely You are detonating which is the most common way to blow HG on supercharged engine. With the added noise of supercharged engine You probably would'nt even hear the detonation. Other problem might be fuel system not being up to par as supercharged engines require more fuel tha NA engines so it's good to go overkill with the fuel system. If I were You I would change the HG's & fire up the engine to make sure it is running OK "not even allowing it to heat up enogh to cause any damage" then tow it in for a tune & also call them and go over Your combo with them to see if You have all Your system's up to par before You spend the money to have it towed in. What size injector's and fuel pump are You running? Do You have an aftermarket radiator & fan? Electric fan? The more info You share about Your setup the better for everyone to try and diagnose the problem.
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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24lb injectors, 8:1 fmu, 255lph fuel pump, stock radiator, stock fan. thanks
Posted by Secnd2nun64 (Member # 1431) on
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So did you do a compression test or are you leaking coolant into the engine? How do you know that they head gaskets are blown?
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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coolant is leaking into my engine oil and i check my last set of head gaskets and they were blown.
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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hey guys could it have anything to do with head gasket thickness? seeing how the gt40p heads already raise the compession a little.
Posted by von89stang (Member # 7162) on
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bad torque wrench! car is now running great lol
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