Hey Guys, Id appreciate any time in reading this and giving some advice on what could be causing these problems Im having. NOTE: this problem happend and got worse over the course of a few days. I know it is long just trying to give as much info as possible. First off a list of what I have.. 327 sbc .060 over maybe 3500 miles. "Stock style" 4 valve relief pistons Vortec 906 casting heads cut for 2.02 1.60 , angle milled .125 with the works and quiet a few miles until rebuilt last week. Mild cam with matched springs Edlebrock Perf RPM Vortec intake and 1406 Carb. It was having a random hard start issue. It would be real hard to start. But then once started would run great. No smoke out the pipe, plugs burning CLEAN. Almost too clean for what im used to seeing. But then after shut off for 5 or 10 min it would have a real hard time starting agian. I noticed the major problem when I changed valve springs to match the cam. During the valve spring change pressurizing the cylinder with air, i could hear air coming from the combustion chamber around the valves, and coming out of the exhaust port. So I knew at this point there was a problem. But it was not currently in my garage and i needed it to run for two more days so i finished the valve spring install. When i got that done I drove it home and to town the next day. I still experienced the hard start and it also started to blow a lil steam or smoke out of the breather but no milky oil. So i took the heads off and they were in bad shape, NOTE: they were added to this short block after being run on another motor. Took the heads off and had them checked for leaks and rebuilt with a new valve job. With that done and back on the motor with a fresh oil change and all new gaskets, It started right up after some timing adjustment and immediately started puffing that steam out of the breather. This time it was worse. More steam so much that there was ALOT of condensation out of the breather. Oil was very milky kinda like a starbucks drink.lol There is alot more pressure than I think needs to be under the valve cover as I can place my had over the breather hole and feel pressure and hear it when I remove my hand. There is also now water in the oil. Oil was very milky kinda like a starbucks drink.lol And the hard start issue is still there. No smoke anywhere else and the spark plugs still very clean. I will be doing a compression check this evening to see if there is a problem in the head gasket or piston ring area. Im not so sure it would be the rings. Not very many miles and no smoke out the exhaust, and it dont burn oil. But i have an area of concern around the intake. It being a vortec intake I used the intake gasket style that is plastic with the blue rubber bead around the runners and rtv on the ends. the gaskets lined up great on the intake and heads individually but when put together i have a small amout of the blue rubber bead that goes around the runners sticking up above the intake on both sides. IS IT POSSIBLE- IF THE COMRESSiON TEST COMES BACK GOOD- that the heads being angle milled as much as they are is causing the bottom of the intake runners and water passages to leak. Since it changes the angle at which the intake meets the heads? Maybe there is an air leak around the runners causing the hardstart/air pressure and the water leaking out underneath the intake into the oil.? Also there was no rtv put on head bolts. I have never done that and never had problem but maybe this is one of them? ThANK you for taking the time to read and hope someone can chime in with a possible soluition.
I vote intake gasket leaking from the angle milliing,are you sure the head bolts aren't bottom out from the milling.
I dont believe so. I guess it would be something to check out tho. How would I go about checking that? I cleaned the bolts up as much as a could run them down with my fingers, and snugged them up with a ratchet. Then pre torqued to 45 and then 65. They didnt feel like they come to a sudden stop... They are arp bolts. I just didnt put rtv on them. Ive never done that and it kinda slipped my mind. Can arp bolts be reused?
Thank your for that vote. Im kinda hoping thats all it is cause i dont wanna have to pull the heads agian. Should I try to find a lil thicker intake gasket like the fel pro 1225 or should i have the intake milled too?
This is a good article about what you need to do to fun angle milled heads. Maybe you'll see something that will help you diagnose the problem. http://www.circletrack.com/enginetech/ctrp_0312_angle_milling_cylinder_heads/viewall.html
Hmmmm. Vortecs, and you angle milled them .125?? I didnt think the deck surface on those head was anywhere NEAR thick enough for that...
Thanks for that article. Gives me a few things I need to check. Sorry I ment .0125 on the milling. I just removed the intake to find a a distributor lookin like a straw from a milkshake. Not a good day here. I also seen water in the intake valley and on the back side corners right under the head on the both sides of the head gasket. The intake gaskets also had quiet a bit of water oil mixture in the center of the gasket in between the ports. It's hard to find when the crap gets everywhere. Can I still do a compression / leak down check on this if the intake is removed
I'm unsure on how much they are milled. The guy that had them before stated a number of .0125. The machine shop that rebuilt them last week just cleaned them up by taking .005 off of them
Is the intake designed to be compatible with the Vortec heads? Was the intake also milled to match the heads?
The intake is an edelbrock perf rpm vortec intake but has not been milled by me. The heads and intake both cam off a 350 and now put onto this motor. It has run like this for 1.5 years before this has happened
Rent a radiator pressure tester that - pump up to about 12 psi - If you still have dist out you should be able to see water running if the intake is leaking
Why were the heads angle milled to begin with? I have worked in machine shops that will not angle mill a head unless the intake is done at the same time and marked as being cut. Pull your intake and look at the bottom of the gasket at the coolant port for an impression of the intake, more than likely if there is no impression, you are dumping coolant (water ) into the crankcase.. But it may be too late for your bearings.....
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