head gasket ?

[460 jus getn it]

are u able to reuse a head gasket if the only thing u did was torque down the heads. friend just got engine fired up but he has water in his oil.

[GofastRacer]

What gaskets are they?, what motor?? I've reused Fel-Pro's no problem with 12 to 1 comp!..Have you found out the reason for water in the oil????

[Fiat48]

Chevy's yes...but I have heard many guys have trouble reusing the Ford's.

[GofastRacer]

Chevy's yes...but I have heard many guys have trouble reusing the Ford's.
Hmmmm, wonder why?? what would be the difference??. :confused:

[Fiat48]

May have something to do with fewer and larger head bolts....just a guess.

[steelcomp]

May have something to do with fewer and larger head bolts....just a guess.
That's a big 10-4, c'mon. :coffeycup

[460 jus getn it]

his motor is a chevy.454 .30 over not sure on his comp ratio and what type of heads he has. i think his felpro gasket number is 1037. im not a chevy guy so i have no clue.

[Moneypitt]

Well since its a Chevy...........Without more info as to how much water, how soon, and what type boat it is, I would say the intake water ports will leak into the valley, the upper water passages from block to head can leak without silicone rings around them,(the 1037 gaskets have them now), and the back ports out of the heads, the ones that don't go anywhere, will also leak into the valley. The head bolt threads are live to water jackets and should be sealed with silicone on the bolts.........How much water, how soon???.........MP

[460 jus getn it]

well after about 20 min i noticed that there was a little white stuff comming from his front seal we shut it down and checked the oil and sure as shit white as white can be. we drained it let it cool and tried again sure as shit again it was with in 5 min we noticed the it was getting water in there again

[Moneypitt]

Without seeing it go together, my first guess would be the intake. If the block has been decked, and/or the heads milled,and/or using an aftermarket aluminum intake, the sealing areas between the intake and the heads can and do fail. This is do to angles involved and although the seal/gasket looks good on the top, the bottom may be angled away from the heads. Did he use the rubber "end" seals that came with the gaskets? or a bead of silicone at these locations? Sometime the rubber pieces add to the above sealing problems. Another harsher problem could be a pin hole in the block. These holes do not have polarity and seldom show up during a "mag" check for cracks. I don't think a cracked block or head would be that quick in poluting the oil, so I would suspect the intake to head seal. Carefully disassemble and look for telltale signs of leakage around the gaskets. Also, how are you suppling the water, garden hose, pump, jet???? What is the history here? fresh rebuild, head gaskets only?.....etc. etc..................MP
PS, after thought, drain the oil again, leave the plug out and hook up the water source and see if the water runs right through without the motor running......

[GofastRacer]

May have something to do with fewer and larger head bolts....just a guess.
Well I can't speak for the "385" series but I've reused the Fel-Pro on the FE's 3 times with 12.5 to 1 comp. with no problems and they only have 10 head bolts!.. :confused:

[460 jus getn it]

Without seeing it go together, my first guess would be the intake. If the block has been decked, and/or the heads milled,and/or using an aftermarket aluminum intake, the sealing areas between the intake and the heads can and do fail. This is do to angles involved and although the seal/gasket looks good on the top, the bottom may be angled away from the heads. Did he use the rubber "end" seals that came with the gaskets? or a bead of silicone at these locations? Sometime the rubber pieces add to the above sealing problems. Another harsher problem could be a pin hole in the block. These holes do not have polarity and seldom show up during a "mag" check for cracks. I don't think a cracked block or head would be that quick in poluting the oil, so I would suspect the intake to head seal. Carefully disassemble and look for telltale signs of leakage around the gaskets. Also, how are you suppling the water, garden hose, pump, jet???? What is the history here? fresh rebuild, head gaskets only?.....etc. etc..................MP
PS, after thought, drain the oil again, leave the plug out and hook up the water source and see if the water runs right through without the motor running......this motor is being build from scratch he did not use the rubber end pieces that came with the intake gasket set he put a bead of sealent there. he is going to pull the top end apart tommorrow and see what is going on. hopefully its only a bad gasket and nothing elese.

[Moneypitt]

Check the water deal with the motor off. You may be able to hear it running inside the valley...........MP

[460 jus getn it]

ok so my buddie pulled hid motor apart tonite and found no visible sign of any gaskets leaking.what elese should he be looking for. he thinks that there might be something internal maybe a water jacket etc..... what do u guys think?????????

[GofastRacer]

ok so my buddie pulled hid motor apart tonite and found no visible sign of any gaskets leaking.what elese should he be looking for. he thinks that there might be something internal maybe a water jacket etc..... what do u guys think?????????
Hey is this Billy you're talking about???????? Tell him to give me a call!..

[Moneypitt]

Was any of this assembly Mag'd. Block, heads tanked and mag'd prior to assembly? It would take a hellova crack to spoil the oil in 5 minutes, gotta be a misaligned gasket or something like that. How about the bottom of the water passage through the intake?? .............MP

[460 jus getn it]

Hey is this Billy you're talking about???????? Tell him to give me a call!..
no its another friend of mine.

[460 jus getn it]

Was any of this assembly Mag'd. Block, heads tanked and mag'd prior to assembly? It would take a hellova crack to spoil the oil in 5 minutes, gotta be a misaligned gasket or something like that. How about the bottom of the water passage through the intake?? .............MP
are there any plugs on the bottom of the block that need to be pluged. also how possible is it for water to come through the head bolts. if we cant figure this out we are going to regasket and try again

[Moneypitt]

No, there are no internal water plugs on a BBC. Yes it is possible for water to leak around the head bolts, but most of that would also be captured by the head gasket around the bolts, and any water that climbed the bolts to the valve cover area would be minimal. The amount of water in the oil indicates a large leak, and I still think its in the area of the intake to head water passage. Did you try the engine off and the water on with the pan drain plug open?? This will tell you if its a gusher or not. Any slight leak in the chamber area of the head (crack) would be boiled away when running. Any crack in the block, that is leaking that fast would be an open crack to the eye. I'll ask again, was this assembly mag'd before assembly? Did this engine EVER get really hot? Were the valve spring pockets opened up for larger springs,(ala sbc). When re assembled, do not add oil. try the engine off, water on test with the pan open and see if it runs through. You might also leave the valve covers off to check for leaks at the head bolts and down in the valley. The water is coming from somewhere, and that much should be easy to find.........MP

[Fiat48]

If the head bolts are not sealed...water can crawl right up the threads of the bolt or stud. The other big place they leak is intake manifold where it seals to the water in the heads. If you don't find anything obvious..silicone all the head bolts...and around the intake manifold water ports and try her again.
If it's a copper gasket...you have to silicone around all the water block holes. Permatex ultra blue works for me.

[454-ways-to-go]

thanks for the info guys,but we figure out it wasn't the head gasket or the block.I have a cracked head :cry: . The head is cracked on top side next to the valve cover mounting holes. where do i get these fixed? :confused:

[LakesOnly]

... I have heard many guys have trouble reusing the Ford's.
Spray a very used 1018 Fel-Pro head gasket with Copper Coat and you may reuse it, if you must...
Gernerally speaking, though, I wouldn't recommend the practice of re-using head gaskets... :hammer2:
LO

[396_WAYS_TO_SPIT]

Spray a very used 1018 Fel-Pro head gasket with Copper Coat and you may reuse it, if you must...
Gernerally speaking, though, I wouldn't recommend the practice of re-using head gaskets... :hammer2:
LO
Amen to that LO! I would just replace it just for cheap insurance;)
396