Head gasket leaking coolant (and other headaches)

[ratterrier]

Hi Guys,

I'm starting a new post because more serious problems have been uncovered. My original post was about a fluctuating temp gauge. More recently the gauge moved to hot, so I checked the coolant. It was real low, so I added some to the resevoir. I brought the truck to a Goodyear and was shown I had a leak from the head gasket on the driver's side.

Apparently the previous owner hadn't maintained the cooling system properly and corrosion occurred. The mechanic said I should try a sealant called CD-2. I thought about draining the coolant myself, but figured a chemical flush was needed to remove any corrosion before using the sealant. Not being equipped to handle all the flushing ecologically, I decided to let the shop do it all. I only observed part of the procedure, and the mechanic was having a tough time forcing out fluid (after the flush, I think). My temp gauge continues to wander between cold and midrange (more than ever), but I still have to replace the thermostat and radiator cap as recommended by the nice folks that replied to my earlier post (will do this coming weekend).

But the bad part is that I still seem to have some drippage of coolant. It may be less, and it seems to appear in a different location. So I'm not too sure about what's going on. Does anyone know how long it should take for the sealant to work (or miles) ?? And does the stuff work, or will I need a head gasket replacement ??

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Richard

 

[RiverRat]

I don't have any experience with "head gasket in a bottle" but a new gasket sounds like a good idea.

 

[ratterrier]

Oooops, the stuff used was actually called BG radiator sealer, not CD-2. And I was told a head gasket job would be about $1000 !!

 

[mmsdrummer]

I got it done at the ford dealer for around $550

 

[ratterrier]

Thanks for the price info, mmsdrummer. That makes me feel better in case that's the route I need to take. Even though dealer charges are generally the highest, I wouldn't trust most other places (especially Goodyear) to re-assemble my truck correctly. I'm taking the truck on long trips to work, and hopefully the sealant will work its way in.

I'm putting on a new radiator cap today also to try to get rid of the temp gauge wandering, but if it still leaking out of the gasket then maybe it'll make no difference.

By the way, what caused your need for the head gasket??

Thanks..

 

[mmsdrummer]

I had a leak that I could not find, and I didn't mess with trying to use sealant. Then I just took it to the dealer to have the work done. At the time it didn't have very many miles for a '92 (about 78,000).

 

[Elendil]

How much coolant are you losing?

Where is it going? Any in your oil (milky / bubbles?) or through your exhaust (white smoke, moisture, smog test can find as well...)?

You sure it's not the intake manifold that needs tightening or a new gasket? (typical problem) Did you check the water pump? A leak from there may blow back from the fan. How about the thermostat housing? Could get blown by the fan too.

How did they 'show' you the head leak? A leak is often very, very hard to see. Where was it and where did it go? Did they do a compression test on your cylinders to confirm it was a head problem?

Did you ever check for air in the upper radiator hose? I promise it will collect there and may have a hard time getting out of the system after a good flush. Take off your radiator cap when cool and give it a squeeze.

I have a tiny leak from one of my heads - nothing going into the engine, it's dripping down the side but not even enough to collect on the ground. My car is not going to blow up or anything... just keep replacing my coolant as required.

My 94 Explorer is a nice car, but barely worth more than the cost to repair the heads ($1500 was my quote). It runs fine. Now, if I was losing a bucket of coolant every week I would think differently...

 

[ratterrier]

Hi,

Elendil:

I don't think I'm losing coolant rapidly. But I crawled under and saw a drip hanging. The source seems to be located towards the front of the truck, but it's tough to see because the exhaust mainfold is there. There is also a whitish streak traveling along the block..like dried salt after winter..maybe this is due to the "sealant" that was put in. I haven't checked the oil, but definitely will (great advice !!). No compression test was performed. A friend just suggested that the gasket may eventually give way to more leakage if not changed. I am planning on doing the thermostat on Sunday, and will take your advice on the top hose too.

I am relatively new the area I live in, and don't have much faith in any of the shops I've dealt with so far. In fact, I had the local Ford dealer inspect my car and they failed me for ball joints, which 2 other shops said it wasn't necessary ( I had no noticeable symptoms either). But if I need the gasket done, I'd rather find a dealer (different one) to do the job because of familiarity and hopefully experience.

mmsdrummer : Your price was $550 ?? I could live with that but I keep hearing about a grand, and Elendil got a quote of $1500. I havne't checked yet locally, but was yours a standard job or anything different ?? Just curious about the range.

Thanks all,

 

[plrs x45]

Think of it in a positive way: Port and polish with new gaskets.

 

[Elendil]

Curious to hear how things are going. Are you still losing a lot of coolant? Any luck with that top radiator hose? Your oil ok?

The white streak you see is probably dried coolant. Coolant turns white and crystaline when dried. Wipe it off and see if it comes back. Maybe clean off all your other coolant traces and see if they redevelop so you can monitor the situation.

After a flush, your coolant level will go down for a few days as the system burps air - especially if it wasn't burped well immediately after the flush. You have to keep an eye on that, adding coolant as needed. So, unless you can see the leak really well, it is tough to tell how much coolant is actually leaking and how much is going down because of burps at first.

Can you use a flashlight to see if the leak is coming from the Thermostat housing area? It is easy to crack (only needs 15psi to keep it on) and may have been damaged during the repair, dripping coolant which is being blown to the back of your engine by the fan.

Regarding repair costs, replacing / machining the head(s) is a labor intensive job so prices may vary quite a bit by where you live. I am in San Francisco where labor is quite expensive. Maybe you should ask other forum members to recommend a shop in your area?

 

[ratterrier]

Hi Elendil,

Thanks for maintaining an interest. I am not going to be able to work on the truck until this Sunday due to weather and other commitments. But I will be doing the thermostat and burping the top hose that day (and checking the oil). Sounds like a good idea to try and wash off the old coolant to pinpoint the leak. I will post an update on Sunday night as to what I find. If possible, please check then.

Thanks,
Richard

 

[jschoneboom]

As far as the wandering temp guage check to see if the fan clutch is working. I had to replace mine. Or the coil on the front side of the clutch is packed with dirt. I am having a almost the same problem with the heads on my explorer, water leeking into the #4 cylinder. It's not unusual for the heads on the 4.0 to develop small cracks and leak. I am getting new heads from pep boys at about $550 for the heads and head gasgets. If you do the work yourself your going to save a bunch. Just pick up a hyanes or chiltons manual and follow the steps. It's not that bad. Don't let it go too long because you could end up having to replace an engine at $2500 instead of a cylinder head at about 250 each.

 

[ratterrier]

OK...here's the latest. I replaced the thermostat yesterday, but the temp gauge still wanders from the cold side to midpoint. I attempted to burp the system during lunch at work, so I'll see if that helped on the way home tonight. I don't think the stat and new cap are the answer...I'm wondering that maybe this wandering is caused by pressure leaking out from the head gasket leak I have.

The Goodyear mechanic who did the flush for me called up a couple days ago to see how the stat replacement affected the truck. He wants to try another can of sealer...don't believe it's a good idea because I remember seeing on the can that there was a recommendation not to use more than one 12oz can.

Looks like I will have to price out the head gasket change. But again, not too sure about the gauge movement reason.

Thanks,
Richard

 

[Explorer94GV]

Do it Yourself

I just got done replacing my head gaskets about 2 weeks ago. They costed $67 total for both. There is an article in the Explorer Tips section called "Fixing Overhead Valve Clatter" that has great pics to take apart the top-half of engine. This was my first time and it was not hard at all. Toughest part is getting the head off itself. I was quoted that the job would be $300 for a mechanic like you i do not trust anybody around in my area. I say do it yourself since there is plenty of people that will help you on this site.