Leakage around the head gasket

[Redbird]

Went out for a spin Sunday and after the cart sat overnight, there was a little leakage where the head meets the block. Should I retorque the head nuts while warm? 55-60 ft lbs?

[katy]

Wouldn't hurt.

[Redbird]

Torque while hot to what ft lb?

[Mitch//pa]

i torque cold to specs and the proper torque sequence

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

YES, torque it COLD!! & DON'T loosen the nuts AT ALL!
Bill W.

[Redbird]

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What is the recommended torque?

[Mitch//pa]

55 ft lbs

[Brentwood Bob]

It took several times putting some miles on the motor, then letting it cool, then retorquing to finally get the head bolts to stabalize after a head gasket install.
In other words followup on this retorquing until the head nuts no longer loosen.

[burner31]

Torque sequence

[Bruce Adams]

Is it a HIGH COMPRESSION HEAD or a stock head? HC might be 60 lb-ft. Be VERY CAREFUL doing the gooseneck. Do, maybe two pounds at a time between them.

[Bruce]

At the engine building seminar at the MARC National at Niagara Falls, Rich Fallucca recommended a half tube of copper or aluminum radiator sealer to eliminate the "lace" that streaks down the block below the head gasket. He said the streaks are not harmful, just ugly. Wipe 'em off.
I took his advice -- one tube did two engines (easy math) -- and the streaks have not reappeared in the last 1,000 miles of highway driving.

[katy]

Rich Fallucca recommended a half tube of copper or aluminum radiator sealer.
I took his advice -- one tube did two engines (easy math)

Are you saying to coat the head gasket w/radiator sealer? Is the sealer in a tube thick like gel? Or?

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by katy

Are you saying to coat the head gasket w/radiator sealer? Is the sealer in a tube thick like gel? Or?

he means to use technician in a can

[Bruce]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

he means to use technician in a can

Don't misinterpret what I said. I am pretty sure it was clearly stated.

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by katy

Are you saying to coat the head gasket w/radiator sealer? Is the sealer in a tube thick like gel? Or?

"radiator" sealer, eh ...as he stated ! I suppose that this treatment is to stop water/coolant from seeping thru head gasket and down side of block as...'lace' ? Lace as in no longer rust ..go figure.
IMO, just use copper coat on both sides of head gasket, with proper torqueing, and accomplish same same ?

[katy]

What the heck is "technician in a can"? I tried Google but even that usual find-all didn't give an answer.

Bruce, I'm trying to understand what you "clearly stated". Radiator sealer that I'm familiar with is a liquid, so I don't see how that could be effectively used on a head gasket, methinks it would just run off.

[burner31]

"technician in a can"
It's like using sawdust or cut up banana peels in you car, but then again...I remember the 50's

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by katy

What the heck is "technician in a can"? I tried Google but even that usual find-all didn't give an answer.

Bruce, I'm trying to understand what you "clearly stated". Radiator sealer that I'm familiar with is a liquid, so I don't see how that could be effectively used on a head gasket, methinks it would just run off.

Using a radiator sealer should seal up any small seeping from gaskets or pin holes in the radiator. Many new cars come from the factory with some sealer installed. Some sealers are liquid, some are powder, and some are pill or cube form. My 28 has the original radiator and had a damp spot on the upper right of the front of the radiator. I used a radiator sealer, and that damp spot dried up and never came back. This was at least 15 years ago.

Technician in a can = mechanic in a can, or in other words hoping for the easy way out to fix a mechanical problem. Not all fixes in a can perform as advertised. I have had good luck with Sea Foam and the radiator sealer I used. Wish I could recall which sealer it was.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Technician In A Can is SYNONOMOUS, (sp?) with SNAKE OIL, which may be POISONOUS????--Chief called such stuff, "PANTHER PISS"!!
Bill W.

[Bruce]

Originally Posted by katy

What the heck is "technician in a can"? I tried Google but even that usual find-all didn't give an answer.

Bruce, I'm trying to understand what you "clearly stated". Radiator sealer that I'm familiar with is a liquid, so I don't see how that could be effectively used on a head gasket, methinks it would just run off.

Evidently some of the experts on this board do not think radiator sealers work, hence the cute jab, "technician in a can."

I was reporting to you a remedy to the white streaks that appear below the head gasket on newly rebuilt and painted Model A engines (that get driven). It was suggested by a guy who is responsible for many of the new rebuilds in our hobby and almost all the insert bearings/rods/and soon, pistons. The radiator sealer is powdered and comes in several varieties. Rich recommended either copper or aluminum. Then he said that he "liked" aluminum.

The sealer comes in a tube. It looks like gold ... or silver ... flakes. You dump it in your radiator and go for a drive. Like Tom suggested, it "finds" the leaky places in your radiator and remedies them. In its swoosh through your cooling system, the sealer courses through the block and head, too. That's where it deals with those pesky head gasket leaks and vanquishes the white streaks.

Or not. Unless you try it, you'll never know.

A Model A friend of mine who now drives on streets of gold was sure that a couple raw eggs would do the same job. I never tried that cure.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Chief said that DESPERATE folks tried ALL kinds of stuff to stop leaks. CAYENNE PEPPER, MANURE, RAW EGGS, EVEN CLAY DIRT!
Just IMAGINE the things that our cars MIGHT have been through????
Bill W.

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by BILL WILLIAMSON

Chief said that DESPERATE folks tried ALL kinds of stuff to stop leaks. CAYENNE PEPPER, MANURE, RAW EGGS, EVEN CLAY DIRT!
Just IMAGINE the things that our cars MIGHT have been through????
Bill W.

back in the day they had a whole supermarket aisle of technicians in a can to pick from HUH pop...
i just changed out a radiator today blocked from tech in a bottle

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by Mitch//pa

back in the day they had a whole supermarket aisle of technicians in a can to pick from HUH pop...
i just changed out a radiator today blocked from tech in a bottle

Had a 280Z, blocked about 6" wide, in the middle & NO HEAT, to kick in the fan clutch. Looked like IMPROPERLY installed "WATER GLASS"!
AMATEURS are DANGEROUS!---If you don't know what you're doing, GET HELP
Dad

[Bruce Adams]

ANTIQUE ENGINE REBUILDERS of Skokie, (Rich Fallucca) in their instructions for new engines recommends adding 1/2 jar of engine block sealer to the radiator, as quoted here. Why (disparagingly) call it "Technician in a can"? Radiator and block sealers have been used on newly rebuilt engines regularly by thousands of reputable mechanics for many decades.

"6. Do not attempt to start or run engine at anytime without maintaining proper coolant level. We recommend the use of antifreeze and 1/2 vial of block sealer."

[katy]

Bruce, I misunderstood your original posting. I thought you said that Rich was suggesting to coat the head gasket w/radiator sealant, which didn't make sense to me. As the old saying goes, sometimes I can't see the forest for the trees.

Burner31, I remember the 50's also, I was just a snot-nosed teenager then growing up in a small town, but I never heard of "mechanic in a can" either then or since until now. But then again, I'm in Canada and I suspect there was a lot of expressions or slang terms that never migrated to Canada from the US.

We all speak "english" but there is sure a lot of variations from country to country around the world.

[Y-Blockhead]

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To me, "Mechanic in a Can" is a generic name for many different products that are going to miraculously solve all your current problems, i.e. Stop Leak, STP, Motor Medic, Trans Medic, Restore, Exlax etc.

I will admit to using Sea Foam and Alulaseal on occasion.

[Henry1953]

I know from experience that it works very well. Years ago I had seeping around the head gasket. I added one container of stop leak crystals and ran the engine until hot. I never had another head leak, seepage or otherwise. I used a modern replacement head gasket this time and so far I have not had any sign of seepage.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

COFFEE is better than "ENERGY" DRINKS, but NOT in yo' GAS TANK ! !
Bill W.

[lakeside]

Hi,
Do you want aluminum radiator seal or'' Block and Gasket seal''? BAR'S LEAKS makes both Products.Thanks

[lakeside]

Hi,
You may have already recd. my question. Are you talking about aluminum radiator stop leak? I've heard that you should use BLOCK & GASKET LEAK instead. Bar's,for example, makes both. I'm trying to stop a small head gasket leak before having to install a new gasket. Thanks.