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Bad head gasket again?

15K views 35 replies 9 participants last post by  tcwagner1 
#1 ·
I was wondering if it is common for a head gasket to start to leak again after you have fixed it. I put new head gaskets on about two years ago to fix it from burning coolant. The front head was milled to spec and the back one we bought a reman. Everything was good for about two years and probably 12,000 miles and now it seems it is using coolant again, just not nearly as bad as before. Is there anything else that would cause it to burn coolant besides a head gasket? The is no external leaks anywhere.
 
#5 ·
Yes it is not leaking anywhere. I jacked it up and especially looked at the rear lines( which he put rubber lines in years ago) and the water pump(which is fairly new because the old one the propeller broke into pieces and that's why the engine overheated and the van has had head work done.
 
#4 ·
During the summer of 2007 I pulled the heads off of our 1998 DGC due to a slow coolant leak and didn't find a smoking gun. I put the heads back on and low-and-behold, the engine was still consuming coolant at the same rate it was before the surgery. :( After talking it over with the folks here I came to the conclusion that the most likely suspect was one (or both) of the ten-cent "O" rings that attempt to seal the coolant passage across the face of the timing chain cover. I did that operation during the summer of 2008 (technically simpler than doing both head gaskets, but just as much a royal pain in the hind parts due to the location of the cover) and that did the trick. The only thing is, I don't know for sure that the Gen 4 engine has the same timing chain cover arrangement that the Gen 3 engines had; my guess is that it does.
 
#8 ·
Well lets just say he didn't make it home. The van would not run any more and he was stuck on the side of the freeway. But why would it hold up for two years without a problem?
 
#7 ·
If it a minor leak, try a can of BlockSeal, follow the directions scrupulously, and for about 10 dollars you will seal the head leak, if there is one. If not, you drain it out, flush with water and replace your antifreeze and you are only out 10 bucks. It works, I have used it on at least 4 cars with perfect results.
 
#9 ·
If it is a water jacket leak, try a can of block seal if you can get it home and see if it will seal it. You will be amazed how quickly it will seal. If you can get it back up and running you may be able to either forget it or further troubleshoot the system.
 
#10 ·
No, the van runs. He overheated about five years ago and it left him on the side of the freeway. The next day he went back out there and finished driving it home. For three years it was parked in his garage with warped heads. Two years ago I tore the top end of the engine apart to fix the warped heads. Everything was fine for two years up until recently. I noticed now the coolant is starting to drop slowly. I can't find any leaks anywhere. I just find it weird that it would run good for two years and now it using it again. I didn't know if a intake gasket could cause this. If it is a head gasket I may try that block seal. The oil doesn't look milky at all. I was wondering what other areas in this engine can it loose coolant?
 
#11 · (Edited)
You can get what's called a combustion leak detect kit for around $30. It will tell you if you have an internal coolant leak. I've seen them on Amazon for $25. Should have them at your local parts store. If the test fluid turns a particular color, you have an internal leak. Can't say how well they do the job but, there's the option.

http://www.amazon.com/Lisle-Combustion-Leak-Detector/dp/B0007ZDRUI/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1
 
#12 ·
How much liquid are you losing? A small leak on the upper part of the radiator could evaporate before it hits the ground, but you should see discoloration from the antifreeze. Check the hoses going back to the back heater core, and check you front carpet to see if the underneath is wet.
 
#13 ·
I would say it looses almost a quart a week. It all depends if he drives it or not. I saw no leaks anywhere but I did not check the front carpet. I will check tomorrow as I will most likely go over to his house.
 
#15 ·
Is the coolant level "on the rise" in the reservoir?
 
#17 ·
No its going down. When the head gasket was bad last time, you couldn't keep coolant into it. The overfill was always bubbling. This time the coolant is just disappearing.
 
#16 ·
mine was leaking at eh radiator cap and the tube right blow the cap, no puddles on the floor,
just a small amount of pinkish white residue, but I was only losing a 1qt 3-4months
 
#18 ·
I hate to say this, but one time I was losing coolant and I could not figure out where it was going. I finally noticed the residue of evaporated coolant around the top radiator hose, the clamp was loose so that I could turn the hose by hand. I tightened it and that was it. Sort of embarrassing. It could be something that simple.
 
#19 ·
After reading this other info about the leak, it seems that you have a leak somewhere else. 4th gens are known for the water pump problems which may be a good idea to examine the weep hole closely.
 
#20 ·
Water pump is good. No leaks anywhere I can see. I went over his house today and checked the carpets inside and it was dry. It is starting to bug me. When I redid the heads I reused the intake manifold gasket. Can that cause loss of coolant?
 
#22 ·
I am beginning to suspect you have a high radiator leak, it may allow the thing to leak when hot, but it disappears. Try an ultraviolet leak detector. Better than tearing the whole thing apart looking for nothing. If it is not there, suspect either a rear heater core leak (where you are not looking for a leak) or leaking into a cylinder. Try the Bars Leak (10 for the drain and flush first type, 30 for the add to the antifreeze type at OReillys) and if it stops, motor happy. If not, try the Corvette fan club, sounds like we are about out of ideas.
 
#25 ·
I think I saw one of those kits at Harbor Freight the other day and I may go back this weekend to buy it and test it. He says he should just sell the van for $1500 to $2000.
 
#28 ·
Well I check a few more things. I checked the carpet around the front and rear cores and it was dry. I jacked it up and looked at everything again, didn't see a thing. I drained out a quart of oil, didn't seem milky at all. The oil looked normal. I opened up the radiator cap and started her up. It wasn't bubbling or really doing anything. The thermostat wasn't opened yet but if I had a bad head gasket, it would have been coming out real fast. Hopefully next weekend I will rent that pressure tester.
 
#29 ·
If all else fails, run some bars stop leak through it and probably forget about it for a few more years. The stop leak stopped a leak in our Durango's heater core for about 4 years until the core finally plugged up and I replaced it.
 
#30 ·
Well I finally got around to renting that tool and testing the cooling system. I aired it up to about 17 psi and it slowly leaked down. I aired it back up and I found the top radiator hose leaking at the radiator. In fact there was little bubbles coming out. So I tightened up the clamp and that took care of that one. Then I aired it up again and this time it lost 2 psi over an hour. So I think there is still a leak. I didn't get time to jack up the van and look while I had it pressurized but I will save that for another time. I will checked the fluid again when we drive it more to see if tightening the hose took care of that. But I can almost smell coolant burning from the exhaust. Its hard to tell though because a lot of times when an engine is cold, the exhaust gives off a certain smell. Thanks everyone for your help.
 
#31 ·
If you are burning antifreeze, it will typically have a sweet smell and is should continue after you get it started. A block seal product will fix such small leaks, but follow the directions scrupulously. Have you checked the water pump or a crack around the top of the radiator?
 
#32 ·
Yes I checked the water pump and was looking at the top of the radiator. I may rent the tool again this weekend and do some moe testing, if not I may just get the block seal stuff.
 
#33 ·
Pressure test it while full and leave it sit for a LONG time. If it keeps bleeding down, the coolant is going somewhere. Then you may be able to start it and a combustion chamber full of coolant will make a definite smell. Or you could get a UOA done to see what the oil has to say.
 
#36 ·
The manual for the 05 says 15-18 lbs. is the rated pressure for the cap.
 
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