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help 451 loosing coolant somehow. #1520162
10/19/13 08:05 PM
10/19/13 08:05 PM
Joined: Mar 2008
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central P.A.
HEMIDOG 70 Offline OP
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HEMIDOG 70  Offline OP
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Both valvcovers showing milky moisture near breathers and coolant level is dropping. We have removed both heads and had them resurfaced and thoroughly checked again. Replaced head gaskets again using felpros and the same problem is there. This engine has very very few miles and the problem has been there from the beginning. The coolant is not on the floor or in the oil pan could this be a broken block?

Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: HEMIDOG 70] #1520163
10/19/13 08:45 PM
10/19/13 08:45 PM
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JohnRR Offline
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It's going somewhere , either inside the block or on the floor. Get a cooling system pressure tester and pump it up , if you don't find it on the floor then pull the oil pan ...

Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: JohnRR] #1520164
10/19/13 10:11 PM
10/19/13 10:11 PM
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Lincoln Nebraska
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RapidRobert Offline
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Quote:

Get a cooling system pressure tester and pump it up.


Yes, with it good & hot pump it up to 15 lbs & let it sit (overnight if need be) & monitor the pressure drop & post your results. You'll likely see a drop in minutes. Yes it might be a crack in the block. did they pressure check & magnaflux the heads when they did them? Did they check the block deck(s) with a straight edge?


live every 24 hour block of time like it's your last day on earth
Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: RapidRobert] #1520165
10/19/13 10:45 PM
10/19/13 10:45 PM
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NY NY
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340duster340 Offline
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check the plugs, at least one of them will look different if its getting in the combustion chamber.

Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: 340duster340] #1520166
10/20/13 01:11 PM
10/20/13 01:11 PM
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Marysville, O-H-I-O
70Cuda383 Offline
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Marysville, O-H-I-O
I had a similar problem. Coolant would dissapear. Cooling system held 15 psi overnight.

Had a hairline crack in a cylinder wall, when hit it would seep into the cylinder and go out the pipe as steam. Finally found it when the leak filled the chamber and hydrolocked on the next start up.

Odd thing was that somehow the water was pushed into the intake from hole 3, and hydrolocked #6. Found the crack on engine tear down.


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Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: 70Cuda383] #1520167
10/20/13 02:27 PM
10/20/13 02:27 PM
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Graham, WA
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Polarapete Offline
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Graham, WA
This can be maddening! A shop I worked at had a Camaro with a small block loosing coolant. Engine ran well enough, but lost coolant. Shop owner replaced the short block, had the valves ground and heads surfaced, still leaked. Finally found a crack inside a port. This was back when Chev small block heads were cast 3# lighter in Mexico. Blame the engineering not the foundry. Machine shop shared the cost, but no one won. Pressure test the assembled engine and then the heads and you will find it!


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Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: 70Cuda383] #1520168
10/20/13 03:51 PM
10/20/13 03:51 PM
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central P.A.
HEMIDOG 70 Offline OP
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Thanks for the info guy's keep it coming if anyone has run into this issue. This is my friends engine. The short block was bought from a very well known big block stroker engine builder. My friend is sick he has many $ in the engine and virtually no use of the engine so far. We will try the pressure check but I'm afraid it my be in the block. The moisture is in 2 cylinders I think but can't remember which #'s. I think he's going to join here so he can post questions.

Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: HEMIDOG 70] #1520169
10/20/13 04:00 PM
10/20/13 04:00 PM
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U.S.S.A.
JohnRR Offline
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Quote:

Thanks for the info guy's keep it coming if anyone has run into this issue. This is my friends engine. The short block was bought from a very well known big block stroker engine builder. My friend is sick he has many $ in the engine and virtually no use of the engine so far. We will try the pressure check but I'm afraid it my be in the block. The moisture is in 2 cylinders I think but can't remember which #'s. I think he's going to join here so he can post questions.




A friend had a similar issue with an engine built my a big name engine builder in Pa. He had Alum. heads on a stock 440 block with 13.0 compression and they put it together with head bolts, I suggested studs with this build, they didn't chase the head bolt holes and were getting a false torque reading that allowed coolant to leak into the valley, it took 3 attempts before they finally figured it out

Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: HEMIDOG 70] #1520170
10/20/13 04:06 PM
10/20/13 04:06 PM
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Rittman Ohio
fourgearsavoy Offline
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Rittman Ohio
I have seen coolant loss from exhaust studs running down the headers and into the exhaust system. The owner put head gaskets on it and still had the issue that's when he called me.
Gus


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Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: JohnRR] #1520171
10/20/13 04:18 PM
10/20/13 04:18 PM
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1,913
central P.A.
HEMIDOG 70 Offline OP
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This engine is a very mild build with iron heads in a 63 Plymouth street cruiser. The builder is not in P.A. I do not want to bash them til we see how they handle the situation. I will say my friend had issues from the beginning with this engine including a rear main that leaked badly. My friend spoke to them at the nats about the coolant issue before we pulled the heads again.We had them checked again and local shop says they are fine they pressure tested them twice magnafluxed etc. The engine builder did not seam like they were very open to making it right if it was the block. I hope they will. I feel bad as I suggested this builder to him, as they supposedly really know stroker Chrysler bigblocks.

Re: help 451 loosing coolant somehow. [Re: HEMIDOG 70] #1520172
10/20/13 06:49 PM
10/20/13 06:49 PM
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,323
NY NY
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340duster340 Offline
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NY NY
what is there to know? unless he ground a custom cam and hand made a main girdle everything else is off the shelf and tried, tested and verified in various books and magazines.

it is not my intent to be a jerk, there are just many bozo's out there claiming to be the guru of something.

i hope, for your friends sake its something simple so he is not out the cash and can get his car back on the road.







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