Builds New project, 1969 fj40

[6f40j9]

Tonight my son and I bled the brakes and I topped off the coolant. Tomorrow I jump start it, check for leaks, and hopefully take it for a spin.
Since I did the headgasket and a bunch of other stuff, it’s run for maybe 10 minutes total, I’ve turned it around in my driveway (with no brakes ) and towed it to a car show. That’s it in the last ~2.5 years.

 

[6f40j9]

Good news, the water pump doesn’t leak...
.
.
.
the headgasket does though.

 

[65swb45]

Noooo!

 

[6f40j9]

Noooo!

Yep. Externally at least. Not sure what made me think I could tackle it. Time to save up the coin to take it to Mudrak.

 

[middlecalf]

Leaking oil or coolant or both? From where? Maybe retorque HBs in proper sequence again. GL.

 

[6f40j9]

Leaking oil or coolant or both? From where? Maybe retorque HBs in proper sequence again. GL.

Looks like coolant, externally and it’s steaming out of the overflow hose.

 

[6f40j9]

Pulled the valve cover off and attempted to re torque all the bolts except number one which is under the rocker shaft. Then I find out I’m supposed to loosen all the valves first.
Oh well. None of the bolts were loose anyway.

At a crossroads. It’s bound to be cheaper to find a good, used motor to install, but who to trust and what route to take?

Another 1f? A 2f mated to my 3 speed? It’s a recreational driver at most, and I don’t want to over complicate things.

 

[65swb45]

If you didn’t chase all the bolt holes in the block and blow them out, it’s possible that the bolts reached torque without sealing the head and gasket.

 

[6f40j9]

If you didn’t chase all the bolt holes in the block and blow them out, it’s possible that the bolts reached torque without sealing the head and gasket.

I did not, there was no mention of it in my manual and no one said anything until after the fact. Not blaming anyone but me.
I suppose I could start all over again but what’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results...

 

[65swb45]

I did not, there was no mention of it in my manual and no one said anything until after the fact. Not blaming anyone but me.
I suppose I could start all over again but what’s that saying about doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results...

Yup, that’s unfortunate. There’s a lot more pablum and infomercials on here than there used to be. But I got burned out on hanging out in tech by the increasing edginess of a certain faction, along with the newbs that just expect to be spoonfed without posting any links to show they’ve tried to do some research.
The odds are good that if you get all the holes cleaned, the gasket will hold.

You DO have the washers on the headbolts, right? The core I bought off the forum a few months ago had a blown head gasket…and no washers

Hitting the like button is a good idea too.

 

[6f40j9]

Yup, that’s unfortunate. There’s a lot more pablum and infomercials on here than there used to be. But I got burned out on hanging out in tech by the increasing edginess of a certain faction, along with the newbs that just expect to be spoonfed without posting any links to show they’ve tried to do some research.
The odds are good that if you get all the holes cleaned, the gasket will hold.

You DO have the washers on the headbolts, right? The core I bought off the forum a few months ago had a blown head gasket…and no washers

Hitting the like button is a good idea too.

Hard to see, but yes, washers are present. Thank you for the info, it is appreciated.

 

[majdomo]

Sorry to hear this. The only things I can think of is that the head wasn’t flat to begin with (unlikely as this was a reputable rebuild), the block wasn’t level or had residual stuff on it, or as Mark said, the bolts didn’t torque all the way.

If you decide to go after it again, may help to replace the bolts as well if you hadn’t the first time around. Clean those bores out super good with brake cleaner and an old head bolt with channels cut into the threads to push out the junk, then get super dry with paper towels stuffed into the bores. Bolts should go in lightly lubricated.

Again frustrated for you. Good luck.

 

[65swb45]

If you decide to take another crack at it, I have a couple of head gasket sets in stock.

If you decide to take it to Mudrak, ask him first. Before I started working on vehicles myself, my 1st mechanic taught me a few lessons. The first one was ‘you don’t take your own eggs into the restaurant and ask the chef to cook them.’

 

[6f40j9]

If you decide to take another crack at it, I have a couple of head gasket sets in stock.

If you decide to take it to Mudrak, ask him first. Before I started working on vehicles myself, my 1st mechanic taught me a few lessons. The first one was ‘you don’t take your own eggs into the restaurant and ask the chef to cook them.

I have an email into him, we’ll see. He’s a couple months out I think anyway, I may build up the nerve to tackle it again.

 

[6f40j9]

Sorry to hear this. The only things I can think of is that the head wasn’t flat to begin with (unlikely as this was a reputable rebuild), the block wasn’t level or had residual stuff on it, or as Mark said, the bolts didn’t torque all the way.

If you decide to go after it again, may help to replace the bolts as well if you hadn’t the first time around. Clean those bores out super good with brake cleaner and an old head bolt with channels cut into the threads to push out the junk, then get super dry with paper towels stuffed into the bores. Bolts should go in lightly lubricated.

Again frustrated for you. Good luck.

If I do it again, definitely new bolts, a good hole clean and check the block with a straight edge this time.

 

[Green Bean]

I understand the dejection and frustration after all of the toil and sweat. But here is a vote for doing it one more time. (I know... it's easy for from this keyboard) But I believe that your persistence will pay off.

 

[clrussell]

I understand the dejection and frustration after all of the toil and sweat. But here is a vote for doing it one more time. (I know... it's easy for from this keyboard) But I believe that your persistence will pay off.

I agree with this.

And the 2nd time will go so much smoother than the first, if you get frustrated walk away. Post here. We can help.

I walked away from mine 6 weeks ago, put it under the shed last weekend for another 6 weeks as I have other things to do.

Eventually.

 

[6f40j9]

I agree with this.

And the 2nd time will go so much smoother than the first, if you get frustrated walk away. Post here. We can help.

I walked away from mine 6 weeks ago, put it under the shed last weekend for another 6 weeks as I have other things to do.

Eventually.

I’ve got kids/grandkids coming for a couple weeks. I’ll loop back to it after their visit. In the meantime, it’s happy yard art.

 

[6f40j9]

Re-tourqued the head and topped off the coolant. Started it to give it a once over to find the carburetor puking fuel everywhere. The fun doesn’t stop. The top was loose so I tightened the screws. It’s pouring out of the boot and shooting out of those upper ports.

 

[locklaw]

Re-tourqued the head and topped off the coolant. Started it to give it a once over to find the carburetor puking fuel everywhere. The fun doesn’t stop. The top was loose so I tightened the screws. It’s pouring out of the boot and shooting out of those upper ports.

View attachment 3408449

Likely a sticky needle and seat. Give it a few light taps on the inlet port to hopefully get it unstuck without pulling the top of the carb off.