Head gasket Went for a ride

[Brendan]

I went for a ride yesterday, in my 29 Roadster we drove about 130 miles it ran great. and did not get hot. but the last 1/4 mile home. stopped at a stop sign, and it started running rough. and no power. i got home, shorted out the plug wires and , found that i had 2 dead holes, 3 and 4. i did a wet compression test 1 ans 2 at 60 lbs and 0 at 3 and 4. so the conclusion is a head gasket. is that common for them to blow like that? i hope to replace the gasket soon

[Jacksonlll]

Don't pinch your fingers. Easy to do. Retorque several times during the first 100 miles or more. That new gasket will settle

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by Jacksonlll

Don't pinch your fingers. Easy to do. Retorque several times during the first 100 miles or more. That new gasket will settle

i like your videos on y tube! i hope to have it done in a couple of hours! the weather is getting better i want to drive my car!

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by Brendan

i like your videos on y tube! i hope to have it done in a couple of hours! the weather is getting better i want to drive my car!

Boy was i wrong! 2 hr no way! almost everything i do to this car it fights me. i got everything off but the head it stuck good. i put a mix of acetone and Marvels mistory oil on the studs drove a screw driver into the head gasket and hooked a chain-fall into the water pump hole. i picked up car, got the wheels off the floor about a 1 1/2 inch. it will not move. also i broke out the porcelain of 2 spark plugs and bolted a chain to them. then pulled from 1 and 4 cylinders, also got the wheels off the ground. the head is still stuck. what should i do next?

[Mitch//pa]

Maybe starting it with the head nuts loose would have helped... i use a head puller

[100IH]

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Have you confirmed that there is a compression issue? H ave you confirmed that coolant is entering #3 or #4 or both. Have you done a cylinder balance test to confirm where the compression is being lost, and where it is going? Have you Pulled the valve side cover to see if the valves are hanging open or the cam is broken. All of the above must be done first before removing the head. Maybe your engine is trying to tell you something?

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

I made some wedges from a REAL THIN, Oriental Meat Cleaver!
Bill Stuck

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by 100IH

Have you confirmed that there is a compression issue? H ave you confirmed that coolant is entering #3 or #4 or both. Have you done a cylinder balance test to confirm where the compression is being lost, and where it is going? Have you Pulled the valve side cover to see if the valves are hanging open or the cam is broken. All of the above must be done first before removing the head. Maybe your engine is trying to tell you something?

yes, first thing i shorted out 3 and 4 no change at idle. 1 and 2 the engine would stall. then a compression test 3 and 4 . 5 lbs, then a wet test still the same

[TinCup]

First thing is a quality head puller makes all the difference. I like to use wood wedges the kind used for leveling doors and windows to get between the head and the block. I have also used sisal rope in the cylinders to push the head up. When heads are stuck like this they are really stuck. Be patient and it will come.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Brendan,
That's NEAT, when you do DIAGNOSIS, FIRST, Kudos to you!
Bill W.

[Brendan]

i am a Electrician, by trade and a Backyard mechanic. i just keep my old junk on the road. but in electrical work you need to troubleshoot things sometimes. i like to know what i need to fix before i fix it. sometimes in electrical work you take something apart, and can't see what is wrong. then put it back together and it works. i like to know what was wong.

[TinCup]

My father was a Motor Pool Sargent during WW2. He would tell me that when they finished rebuilding a motor they would paint it red so that whoever got the motor next would know that it had been rebuilt.

[Tom Wesenberg]

The first head gasket I changed on a Model A was the same way. Someone had use shellac on both sides of the gasket. I had the front of the car off the ground also, then tapped the sharp edge of kitchen knives into the center of the gasket. It finally came, but that was by far the worst head removal I ever had to do.

For sure the head removal tool will be your best friend.

[larrys40]

Agree with tom, the stipe head removal tool is nice.... but not necessary. Have removed lots without it. It's a matter of soaking the holes and studs, using some wedges splitting the head gasket, and working it up front to back.

See if there's someone near you that has a head puller.
All the best to you. Be careful of the valves, and the edge of the block, particularly front and back corners where the water jacket passages are.
Larry

[Bob Bidonde]

After many attempts to loosen cylinder heads by running the engine with the head nuts off, it has not once worked. This is especially true when the head gasket is already leaking.

Penetrating oil and driving metal wedges into the gasket works, but it is a difficult and slow process. Be careful not to pry upward on the wedges because it is easy to damage the surfaces of the block and head. Let the geometry of the wedges do the uplifting.

[Mitch//pa]

I wouldnt use wedges..only the proper tools ....

[Brendan]

this thing is stuck hard! it won't move i borrowed a Bill Stipe Head puller. i tightened it up, and pulled on it with my chain fall. i broke one of the spark plug studs i am now using some heat and some kroll.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I'd also tap the sharp edge of some kitchen knives into the gasket to get it moving.

[Brendan]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I'd also tap the sharp edge of some kitchen knives into the gasket to get it moving.

i am gonna try that, i also think the gasket it self is stuck good!

[rocket1]

I had the same problem,I picked the entire front of the truck up with eye bolts in the spark plug holes.I made hardwood wedges and drove them in between the head and the gasket I soaked all the head studs,a couple of weeks later the head let go!