Head gasket issue

[hotrod69camaro]

My Small block in my camaro had developed a small water drip coming from what appeared to be in the area of the most aft head bolt on the passenger side. It would drip a few drops after a drive. The motor is about 3500 miles old. Yesterday after doing the auto cross at Del Mar, I was going back to my hotel and the upper radiator hose blew off at the radiator. I use the Gates heat shrink type clamps. I thought maybe it was a freak deal, since I've never had a problem with them. I had some regular hose clamps with me in my tool bag. Put it on and got some water and made it to the hotel. Cooled it down, topped the radiator with coolant and was letting it idle when it blew the other end of the upper hose off at the thermostat housing that still had the heat shrink clamp. Im thinking the compression is getting past a bad head gasket and pressurizing my cooling system. Do you guys think this is whats happening?........Thanks..........Mike

[hotrod69camaro]

Bump....

[camcojb]

They sell inexpensive test kits at the auto parts stores to check for carbon monoxide in the radiator. If the head gasket is leaking into the coolant it would show up with this test.

[GregWeld]

Real simple test ---- open the radiator and look to see if the coolant is bubbling… if it is -- then you have "compression" in the radiator.

A head gasket is not that big of a deal -- unless you get water into the cylinder because liquid doesn't compress and that's a bad thing.

[chr2002ca]

I also had one of those Gate heat shrink wraps give out on me and what a mess. Hopefully you were able to hose that coolant off quickly because it loves to permanently stain aluminum. Seems like the more important question here is: Why isn't the compression being released properly? Reasons for too much compression in the coolant system(causing leaks and shrink wrap failures) could be your radiator cap and or your overflow system. Be sure your radiator cap pressure relief spring isn't gunked up and seems to compress okay in order to release pressure, and be sure your overflow system is flowing freely and overflow canister is vented properly. If your cap is relieving the pressure normally and the overflow flows freely and is vented, you should not have too much compression(regardless of the source) and that will at least save you from those blowouts and/or leaks. If either of those systems is not working properly to vent pressure, that could be your only problem right there.

[GregWeld]

Good post Chris…



I've seen aluminum radiators become leakers because people run to high of a pressure cap.


The thing that tips me off is that he never said he was overheating beforehand.

[chr2002ca]

Yep, you can start sprouting drips and leaks all over the place if the normal pressure build-up in your system is not being released properly. I dealt with this myself recently on my rebuild. Forgot to vent the overflow canister properly. A 'too-high' pressure radiator cap would do it also as you mentioned.

[hotrod69camaro]

Well per Ron Davis( whom I got the radiator from) I got the combustible gas detector from NAPA. And thanks Jody for the suggestion. The blue solution turned yellow in about 15 seconds. And it was bubbling like something in Grampa Munsters lab. Lots of air moving. My cap is the one Ron Davis sent me with the radiator, and the puke tank is a CSR aluminum deal vented at the top. My disassembley has just started.

[DETON8R]

Hope it's a head gasket and not a cracked head.

[hotrod69camaro]

Me too

[Matt@BOS]

Hey Mike, hope it is just a simple fix with the gasket. Did you ever notice if the car got hot on you before the hose clamp/shrink blew?

[hotrod69camaro]

Hey Matt. That day after the autocross, I didnt notice anything. Fairly cool day as I remember. I was on my way to the hotel fat dumb and happy. It usually runs between 165 and 180. I've never let it get above 200. I'm tearing it apart now.