Does this look like a leaking head gasket

So Ive been fighting this problem on my 8BA for a long time and finally submitted to the fact it must be the head gasket leaking. The symptoms are: when driving it faster than about 65, it will eventually push coolant out(almost alway 1 1/2 gallons?).
So today I took the upper hoses off and filled the moter up with water to the top of the thermostat housings, let it idle for a few and the blip the throttle to full throttle for a couple seconds.
The left bank started pushing water out and I saw a few bubbles I repeated this for a couple minutes and it was pretty consistant. Eventually the right bank overflowed a little too but I think that was just from expansion. Anyways so I pulled the left head off and couldnt find any noticable leaks maybe just the spot marked. Any ideas or thoughts on this? TIA Mike

 

First pic, right-hand cylinder, straight left of bore....looks like a compression leak into the water p***age.

 

pIc 1 and 5 looks like the leaker to me.

 

Yep, steam cleaned.

 

Got it apart, may as well do the head gaskets! I would do the standard checking the head and block surfaces for flatness, maybe a little spot-check to screen out anything beyond the gasket.

Bob

 

I know its hard to tell from those pics but I think pic 1 and 5 was just a bit of water that dripped out when I lifted the head off, at first I thought that was it too but it was just a wet spot in pic 5 you can see where I wiped it towards the other bore. what about the highlighted spot?

 

I just drove this thing 500 miles and it didnt miss a beat. No smoke, no overheating the temp ran like 180*-190*. I ran it 180 miles with no issues then I found that if I ran it over 65 MPH or so I would smell it puke coolant out. Then I would stop and top it off (it did this only twice in 500 miles) both times it took exactly 1 1/2 gallons to top it back off. If I ran about 60 or so it wouldnt do it.

 

are you running thermostats, or restrictors, to slow the coolant flow through the radiator? I found that running at that very same speed, the water goes through the radiator too fast, the temp. elevates and it pushes water out. Slowing down the engine would quickly reverse the trend.

putting in the correct thermostats solved the problem. They slowed the flow of coolant through the radiator, allowing for better heat exchange.

restrictors, like used by circle track racers, supposedly work in similar fashion.

 

I have tried everything I can think of. Ive been fighting this for over a year I have run with 180's without any with 160s.I have had the radiator checked and tanked 3 times they swear its good it never gets over 200 until I shut it off after it pukes a bunch out. I have tried 3 different caps (yes the long style) today when I checked it the water being pushed out the top of the housing would have to be combustion pressure leaking into the water p***age somewhere would it not? and that could only be a headgasket of cracked head or block?

 

Check for cracks between the valves and seats.common area.How many rpms are you turning at 65.you may be pushing it to hard.

 

There is a chemical/tester called block check....search

install freeze plugs into hoses...one with a tubless tire valve stem
pressure test.....pull plugs spin over

 

I have pressure tested the coolant system a few times in the past it held about 12 psi.

I tried to find a smog sniffer to check for HC's in the radiator today but the few shops I checked with didnt have one or wanted to argue with me about that working? ( I live in the lamest town in the world)

Today with the water pump belts off and it pushing water and a few bubbles out the left thermo housing what else can it be? I mean I am going to change gaskets anyways now but I'm one of those guys that wants to know why **** breaks too, and this is driving me crazy for awhile. Again plugs all look about the same, no smoke out exhaust, no water in oil, no missfire or dead cylinder, no real overheating until it pushes the coolant out and its always pushes out about a gallon and a half no more and no less and it seems to do it pretty much all at once not a little over time?

 

I'd try a higher pressure cap and install a catch can so as water expands and cools it returns to the radiator

 

Does not show signs of any water leaking from the deck surfaces but it does show a rusty trail of water entering the valve seats.