I need advice on a water leak in my Model A block!!!!!! And the Banger meets have shown me there's plenty of experts on here so please help a dummy. I built a header for my motor and the manifold flange got a little warped in the process. This has always bugged me but I kind of put up with it as I'm kinda lazy and just lived with it. It always leaked like a sieve at the back of the block. I have a sneaking suspicion that this may be the cause of my problem but you're welcome to school me. My problem is this. I've got a water leak coming out of my rear (Firewall side) exhuast chamber. I can see where a very small piece of the block has come away from the valve guide but the guide is intact and in place so no problem there I think! And anyway it would seem the water comes from a higher point in the chamber. I'm running twin carbs and all the chambers fed by the rear carb are rich and all the forward ones fed by the other carb are lean. I figure the rear carb is overcompensating for the leak in the manifold flange. Compression is equal in all chambers. I've had the head off to check the head gasket but that was not blown. (That I could see) The head's been retorqued numerous times but doesn't seem to help. I was going to use some Irontight to seal any crack but I don't have a great deal of faith in things like that so I thought I'd ask you guys what I should look for and do next. I'm sick of the leak and I'm tired of not being able to keep my carbs in balance so I figured it's about time I sort this out. I'm taking the header to a machinist today. By the way all you English Hambers, I totally miss the flathead meltdown and the whole scene. You lucky b#####ds. I'm not online a lot so don't be surprised if it takes me a while to respond. Thanks for your help.
Well, I ain't no expert (and if you truly want an answer I would frequent more often) but I am guessing one of two things is going on. There is water over the top of the exhaust port chamber so you may have a rusted through or cracked section over the top of the port allowing water to drip into the port, --OR you may have a valve seat in the block that has come out/loose. Maybe even a crack into the seat area. I think I would pull the head and have a look/see down into the water passages as my first order of biz. Then advise us from there. Oh, BTW... I think your problems are two seperate things right now. Maybe one did cause the other but maybe not.
Thanks for the info. By the way I would log on more but at the moment I don't own a computer. This is only a temporary however.
Damn...it's Weird-Oh! How are ya, Simon?! Sorry to hear you've got problems with the banger, I'd be doing what Brent is saying and have a bloody good look around the valve seat area and inside the top of the port. My guess is that the block may have gone a bit porous in that area. I know it sounds a bit sacreligous, but have you tried a bottle of rad-weld to see whether it eases off or not? The Meltdown misses you as much as you miss it, Simon! It has it's own four-banger class now as well. You're welcome back at any time...
A suggestion--before you takeitapart, remove the end fitting from your tire pump (B-17052, right there under the seat...) and connect hose to your radiator overflow--pumpitup and see if the main source of hissing locates the problem for you. If no clarity is achieved, try it again with header plate off. Have a fat friend lean on radiator cap if it leaks too much for test. $%%#@ repro parts...
Hey Artiki. Glad to hear from you. And thanks for the advice (You too Bruce, I'll try the pump trick - I like it.) I've been watching you and Clark on here it looks like you're doing amazing things. you're leaving me in the dust that's for sure. At the moment I've got a 30 Roadster going together. Mainly stock A stuff with a few little touches to make it interesting. I also just scored a Volvo motor with tranny and overdrive off a mate of mine cos I really dig your gearbox swap. I might do that on the 30. The only bummer is the gearshifter doesn't come straight out the top but out the back of a real long extension like a sports car. I just got a computer yesterday and am in the process of getting it online so hopefully I can get more involved witht the rest of you bangers on here.
I fancy getting a trans with an OD at some point, though it'll mean doing some work on the central A x-member as the OD unit takes up a fair bit of space. It would be a hell of a lot of fun in an A though. Will the extension come off? It may be possible to swap it for a non-remote shift tower. Let us know how you get on with the water leak.
Have you remove your cylinder head? if it's done, could you please take some pictures from the top of the cylinder block and the bottom of the cylinder head I already have the probleme on a ford four banger AF 1930, it's was only the head gasket who was rusted (copper)
Artiki. The top of the box looks like it just comes right off and could be replace with the standard shifter top like yours. I've repaired my manifold. I sliced through the exhuast pipe to free it from the flange and then heated and bent the flange flat then rewelded the pipe to it. It's not perfect but it's bloody close and it's made one hell of a difference. It runs great. I'm going to keep running it as is, add some irontight sealer and see what happens with the water leak situation. As for taking the head off, I'll pass on that right now but when I took it off a while ago the gasket was fine and everything looked hunky dory. Just driving it now and having a ball. The suns out and it's great. No traffic. I don't miss the M25 that's for sure.
Hey Simon, the Volvo tops are interchangeable as you thought dont forget to get the matching gearlever though.You will also need to drill and tap the new top to accept the cut out switch.Make sure to keep the box upright so you dont lose the detent balls and springs.
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