OK i have a '65 289 it built up a bit but i am having a problem with water in the oil. I have ran a compression test 120 psi at each cylinder. I put the rad on a compression test and i was holding 7 psi for 3 hours then it dropped when i tryed to start the engine it seems if the leek is getting worst. Now it will not hold pressure at all. and with the drain plug out of the pan you can watch it drip I have changed out the intake gaskets and the timing cover gaskets water pump and gaskets. making sure every thing is sealed up tight. Whe i just when to check it again it acted if if had a small bit of hyd lock.. Oh yeah i am smoking out of one pipe a bit more then the other but both have white smoke the right bank is the smoker and you can see antifreeze in the tip. The right banks is running 25 deg hotter then left also at the tail pipe Ok my question is can i have a blown head gasket or cracked head with out loss of compression?? Question 2 If i have a cracked intake how does one go about testing for it/ I saw no visable cracks when i cleaned it down with a rolloc wheel It is an aluminium intake. But i didnt take prussian blue to it or anything like that. Could the crack be deep inside on the front ports??? I am pulling my hair out and didnt have alot to start with. HELP
I,m thinking maybe a crack in the right hand head or in the block.Have you done any port work??might have gone to far. Sorry. john.
There are numerous areas to check for the problem. 1. Intake manifold flatness from end-to-end. If the intake is used, it MAY be bowed, and not allow enough clamp load to seal the gasket properly. 2. If the block, heads, or intake have been milled, alignment of the head-to-manifold angle will change enough for the gasket not to be properly "pinched", allowing a leak from the lower intake side. 3. Head bolt torque: The short bolts should be 68#s, the long bolts should be 80#'s. IF anything but Moly-Lube or Anti-Seize was used on the head bolts for installation, IMPROPER torque readings and clamp load will be achieved. As much as 3000# of clamping force will be lost using other lubes or sealers, per fastener. Your torque wrench will "SAY" your at the proper torque setting, but the truth is you are NOT acheiving the real torque load. Note: DO NOT TRY TO OVER TIGHTEN THE HEAD BOLTS, ALL YOU WILL DO IS STRETCH THE THREADS IN THE BLOCK. 4. The proper way to install our (Fel-Pro) head gaskets are to to torque in 10# increments (following the proper pattern) until maximum setting has been acheived. Then wait 30 minutes, and in reverse order, back each bolt off 1/2 turn. Then wait 20-30 minutes, and re-torque to the proper specifacation. 5. This proceedure allows the gasket to "Take a crush-load-setting, then "relax", and then acheive proper sealing. The small block Ford is notorius for having head gasket failures do to it's 10 bolt head clamping design. Having the cylinder decks and cylinder heads perfectly straight and the correctly designed head gasket, and following these instructions, (assuming your heads are not cracked) you should be successful in sealing your engine. Best Regards, Glenn Hayes Fel-Pro
The funny thing about all of this build is nothing is new> the heads are milled brodex. the intake is ported and polished. But all of that is over 2 years old. I tore the front of the engine apart tonight and found that one of the water pump bolt holes had the backing knocked out of it. I am in the middle of sealing that up tonight but that will only leak into the water jacket unless it was blowing by into the timing cover. still scratching myhead. I plan on finish filling the hole tommorow. filling the block with boiler reapir filler (old school trick) Pulling the head and dropping them off at the machine shop for checking...
there's been a couple of times i had to drill and heli-coil most of the water pump/timing cover bolt holes on a SBF,what a pain in the ass that was.
Also the intake gaskets are different between 289 and 302 make sure you have the correct ones. The water passage holes on the 302 gaskets are bigger and when put into a 289 may not leak when first installed but can easily become a leak. Shawn
<font color="green">Sounds like it's right side. Try taking the plugs out, all of em. Then turn the engine by hand and see which cylinder sprays. At least then you will know which cylinder or cylinders to focus on. More info on head bolts and torque sequence... </font>
Roaddevil 289 had banana shaped water passage in the head that was good about leaking through gasket. If you use gasket sealer of any kind it will guaranty a leak. Judd
The answer to your basic question is yes. Water can be leaking into the oil without have a negative effect on compression. The most common problem would be the head gasket leaking between a water jacket port or headbolt. Your not by chance using head studs are you........they can be a challenge. One way to check for water is to pressurize the radiator with 15 pounds of pressure. I have a MAC Tools kit that has a cap, guage, and pump to do what I just suggested, you might be able to rent one. With the pressure on the system and the valve covers off......watch for water weeping out of the intake or head bolts or the head gasket. It's already been said, the intake runners, block and head have to be flat, torqued properly and use a good gasket. To the Felpro guy, the $35.00 units that don't need re-torquing are exceptionally good quality gaskets! If you have a minor weep, K&W blockseal will often solve the problem or go to a drug store and ask for what they refer to as "waterglass", it will seal a cracked block or head in a heartbeat! Shoe
John I was talking to my dad about it last night and he was telling me about using waterglass on it the problem. I vere away from head studs. and all of the gaskets are felpro. i have been checking the pressures in the coolent system with a rad pressure tester (snap on I put his children thru college allready) I really dont think its in the intake. I was wonder on how to test on them.
What kind of intake gaskets are you using? Not brand, but type. The sheet metal bath tub style I use in the roadsters 455 Buick engine leaked around the water port as evidenced by the milky oil. Found that when I swapped intakes right after startup. I used a thin smear of Permatex's copper RTV around the water ports. It cured the problem. If the Fel-Pro guy is reading this - and I prefer Fel- Pro gaskets by the way - how come the rope seal for the 430-455 Buick front crank seal is so short? Every one of them I've installed open up and leave a 1/4 - 1/2" gap. I bought some bulk rope seal at an orchard pump supply house, cut it to length and it worked better, but I think the dedicated car stuff would be better. In the end, I machined the timing cover, machined an adapter and stuck a rubber seal on the crank front. Now I'm building another 455 Buick for a different car and will have to go through the same machining process for it. It's not too bad, but using the rope seal would be easier and quicker.
I agree with C9, Felpro makes excellent gaskets and I to, use a little RTV around the water ports on the intake gasket. With a copper head gasket, you can also spray them with K&W Coppercoat, it's real copper in a spray can, gets tacky and seals well, but you really shouldn't need it with a good quality head gasket. The pressure tester would bubble out coolant on the top side of the intake, obviously, the bottom wouldn't be visable. As much as it sucks, your probably going to have to pull the heads. Shoe
I am using felpro paper gaskets for a 289 not 302 with permatex right stuff gasket goop on them. when i put pressure on the coolent system the top side is dry there is no external leakage at all
waterglass= sodium silicate.moroso sells it as well,however,after you use it and it seals up your leak,you should thoroughly flush your system.water should be fine,as the flushing chemicals could dislodge your patch. good luck
Stealthcruiser is right on target, that's exactly what waterglass is. If you read the back of the can of K&W block seal, it contains the same chemicals. It should be used with water only, it will migrate to the leak and form glass crystals which is what closes the crack, leak, what ever. When your leak is gone, the water should be drained and the cooling system should be flushed clean, then add the long term coolant. This is usually a bandaid fix for a huge problem. shoe
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