I'd go ahead and to the wet test so when it's gone into, you will have all the info. 25 lbs difference is too much. Academic sort of, since it's coming apart anyway. It would be nice to think head gesket, but from the noise you describe, well you get it! I suppose you could hope for a bent push-rod and a bad HG. There ARE engines that circulate coolant through the intake manifold, this aint one of them. One of those front head bolts needs sealant since it goes into the water jacket. Grasping at straws here.

For the wet test, I use a long piece of vinyl tube. Suck a few inches of oil into it, then stick it in the plug hole and blow. Contact your guy!

 

I am, but doesn't coolant in the cylinder qualify as a "wet" test? lmao

 

Gads. Idk. "Viscosity" is the "thickness" of a fluid. A leak in a can of water will leak allot faster than the same leak in a can of engine oil. Will adding water to your piston rings bring the potential compression up as much as oil? No, I don't think so. Besides, lubing the rings with oil is better then water.

I'd be pissed, bummed, and depressed if I had your issues. It's got to be gone into. If you get in, and it turns out to not be so clear what's up, you just might, maybe regret not having those #'s.

Not to say you don't have a point, but in the big picture, what's a 1/2 Hr spent on diagnosing a $1,500 dollar engine?

 

Oh I agree. And I will be running the wet test. I was just joking about the coolant qualifying as a wet test lol. My only concern with the wet test is when I do #2, depending on how much coolant is in there, the oil will just float on the top of said coolant. But yes, I'm pretty pissed about the whole ordeal.

 

Stop testing it and rollback it to the guy that built and installed the engine.

Keep your lawyer on speedial.

 

You might consider a couple of other things. Somebody just bolted it together. Once I actually forgot to come back and tighten the damper pulley bolt on an over head-cam, Nissan V-6. I needed to install the damper,(crank pulley), and belt to hold the cam's sprockets, then forgot to come back and tighten the crank pulley bolt. (Btw the equipment operator "Cat Dan" (With a D8), then told me, "it was loosing power and knocking, so I needed to down-shift to first and floor it to make it up the hill". Needless to say that didn't pan out well. I was willing to go back at it, but my attitude was not "sweet". Then he died. No kidding, liver or something. Point being that crank pulley, as well as the torque converter bolts, will make a racket if not properly torqued. There is some chance you have something like that, and no sealant on that head bolt, or a bad HG. I've learned to watch for the old "one-two" punch. You are pulling the head. Just me, I'd watch for maybe another issue as well.

 

Yea... starting to think he's avoiding my calls. No call, no show yesterday, despite what he said on Saturday.

Yes, I will be looking out for other issues when we pull it apart. We, as in, the guy who built the engine and I. Assuming he ever gets back up with me.

 

Do you have that warranty in writing? No call, no show is not a good sign. Good luck.

 

 

I do. Official paper work and his hand writing plastered all over.

Anyway, I finally go ahold of him. Said he opened another shop in Dallas (not sure if he means TX or NC) and that he was in between the two. He told me he would come by Friday afternoon as that is the first time I'll be available.

 

I'd still take a full set of readings before I pulled it apart. You won't know if you wanted them later. <yea I meant that). Pull the E-fan and the lower hose off the rad. Get it dry enough to take the "dry set", than add oil and do the wet test. Dicy that. I might fire it up, for just a minute, with #2 plug out.

Where would you not be tequnal, if int on OEM tech!


I'm curious if you where there helping with the build. Anyway as I mentioned. my "radar" is up on this one.. (expect the unexpected), Please let us know.

 

I'll be doing the wet test Friday morning before he gets there since that will be the only chance I get this week.

As far as being there when the engine was built... I was not. Though I wanted to be and should have been. However, it was built at his shop. I've learned to expect the unexpected. I do drive a Jeep, ya know? lol But seriously, not much surprises me these days with people.

 

Alright, well he showed up. Naturally, after starting it and attempting to show him WTF it was doing, the damn thing wanted to run fine. He believes what I told him and is willing to fix whatever it is, but we got to figure out what it is first.

He's honestly a little stumped since it didn't do it tonight. The plugs have been out all week, and he saw that the one from #2 was soaked with coolant, but when I put them back in, we started the engine, let it run till it got up to temperature and pulled #2 plug again. Dry as a bone. That doesn't make sense. But the oil definitely has coolant in it. Drained it tonight and it's as milky as a cow tit.

Was going to do a pressure test on the cooling system to see if any of it leaks down over night, but the loan-a-tool kit from Advance was broken... Just my luck. I just want crap to stop going to hell all around me...

 

Hey! Now there's a thought! Please let us know when you get that one wired! I do prefer honest crap over the other kind. Shees...Maybe it needs to get really hot to "do it's thing?"

For what it's worth there is a 60 second Head Gasket check. You top up the coolant with it up to temp, then power-brake it with the cap off. If combustion gasses are going into the water jacket, it will blow bubbles, or even geyser. That will not tell you it's good, but it can be pretty clear if it's bad. (A Renix coolant bottle should be left 1/2 empty when you are done).

All I can think is it's gotta be related to heat.

 

Got another cooling system pressurizer and performed the test. Pumped it up to 15 psi and within a minute, coolant starting dripping out of the oil pan drain hole while the pressure steadily went down.