what the hell is wrong NOW?! head gasket? head crack? (1 Viewer)

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I got to enjoy my new radiator for two whole days, now I'm shooting coolant from the rear half of the engine. I've got coolant all over the firewall, condensation boiling off beneath the intake manifold, and coolant pooled on the glowplug and bussbar.

So what causes this? There is a large amount of steam (or maybe exhaust too, I can't tell), coming from beneath the intake manifold. Its condensing everythere, as I said. Attached are two pictures, and a video is up on youtube:

YouTube - 3B head gasket cracked?

My hope is that this is just a head gasket problem. Maybe the new radiator is holding pressure in the coolant loop for the first time... ever...?

Somehow I think coolant is getting on my clutch too; I noticed it shuddered a bit.

This is starting to become un-fun... :frown:
IMG_1563-800.jpg
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... Maybe the new radiator is holding pressure in the coolant loop for the first time... ever...?... :frown:

Yes I think this is likely to be the cause of it showing up now Andrew.

Perhaps the coolant is just coming from a leak in the "heater return line" that I've marked in red? (Maybe a crack in the thread where it screws into the head or a split in the hose nearby?)

If so, that would be even simpler to fix than a leaking head gasket.

(Nothing like being an optimist.)

andrews3b.jpg

:cheers:
andrews3b.jpg
 
UHHH...doesn't sound or look to good.Would a coolant pressure test pin-point the problem? I would also check the condition of my oil ,,,is it milky?
neetu
 
normally i'd wait a few days for the wizards here on Mud to weigh in, but im in a bit of a hurry this time: my parents are coming out (they live in illinois) on thursday. they owned a '76 cruiser and my mother especially considers it her best veicle ever. they're sooo excited to see my cruiser and relive the experience, and i'm happy for these rare moments of cross-generational enjoyment, so i reallllly want to have it running again by thursday.

so, that said, its torn down already all that's left is the head bolts (i came in to print the removal order from the FSM).

Tom, sadly, it wasn't just the heater return :( I couldn't see any drips at all, looked like it was coming out steamy not liquid.

Oil under the valve cover, at least, looks good, no milkyness. ::crosses fingers::
 
normally i'd wait a few days for the wizards here on Mud to weigh in, but im in a bit of a hurry this time: my parents are coming out (they live in illinois) on thursday. they owned a '76 cruiser and my mother especially considers it her best veicle ever. they're sooo excited to see my cruiser and relive the experience, and i'm happy for these rare moments of cross-generational enjoyment, so i reallllly want to have it running again by thursday.

so, that said, its torn down already all that's left is the head bolts (i came in to print the removal order from the FSM).

Tom, sadly, it wasn't just the heater return :( I couldn't see any drips at all, looked like it was coming out steamy not liquid.

Oil under the valve cover, at least, looks good, no milkyness. ::crosses fingers::

Is it coming from the oil cooler. I cant remember which side it is on a 3B ,but others have had coolant coming from there
 
ok, whole bunch of pictures.... tell me what you think, the head gasket really didn't look bad...

#1 no water in the oil up top
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since the rockers were accessible, I had a look. two of the intake rockers are badly worn, particular the one on the forward-most cylinder. does that mean anything?

Also, see following pictures of my cylinders, feel free to "read" how they look and tell me all about the next clusterf*ck I'm going to get to deal with, if any.
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Have a close look at your welsh plugs [Canukian ,freeze plugs] also check the one in the back [firewall] end of head, not sure if one is there on 3B. cheers
 
note that the gunk on the block that looks like a blown head gasket is just crud that drained out of the head. its only on the exhaust side, my leak is on the intake side.
 
I think those rockers are still okay ,You'll just have to adjust them with a dial indicator from the top because of the gouging on the underside you wont be able to adjust those valves with a feeler gauge . I guess you could replace them though if toyota has em' . I'd run them if it was mine.
 
I've got a new head gasket en route, plus new manifold gaskets since i destroyed them (oops).

Some observations/questions:

-The freeze plugs (if the indentations on the back of the head are indeed freeze plugs) are in place.

-The dial gauge idea for the rockers is a good one. However, if I wanted to try to resurface that rocker anyway, does it need to machined, or can I just grind and polish it?

-Why is my #1 piston a little different color than the others? It has some lighter deposits.

-Any other ideas for me to try before I throw things back together?
 
The differnt burn on your #1 may be related to that rocker. Id definitely replace or try to grind it. With that hole in it you will probably find that the valve stem and/or guide are worn pretty good.

Most of these engines in CA had a freeze plug block heater that is in one of the main freeze plugs near the IP. Maybe yours has one too and its leaking?

I would have pressurized the coolant system with the engine off to see if I could spot the leak before pulling off the head. Maybe try this after you put it together if its still leaking.
 
The differnt burn on your #1 may be related to that rocker. Id definitely replace or try to grind it. With that hole in it you will probably find that the valve stem and/or guide are worn pretty good.

Most of these engines in CA had a freeze plug block heater that is in one of the main freeze plugs near the IP. Maybe yours has one too and its leaking?

I would have pressurized the coolant system with the engine off to see if I could spot the leak before pulling off the head. Maybe try this after you put it together if its still leaking.

I should have pressure tested it, but, well, I was stupid. Not the first time, definitely not the last. :whoops:

Mine is from new zealand, no block heater. Anyway my freeze plugs seem to be in place and just fine. I don't want to call anything "impossible" but it seems pretty unlikely that a leak from the back of the block would cause the smoke/steam that I got, more or less unformly beneath the throttle butterfly to the rear of the block. It definitely struck me like it was coming from the side. You can see it clearly in my video in post #1
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Just had another thought. Maybe the block drain sprung a leak? Its possible that it might be installed with the drain pointing upwards and it sprayed up in that direction when it was hot. Its directly below the area where you pictured the water.
 
Resurface the rockers or buy new, I did mine on the 3B last year and they were available from Toyota new.

Magnaflux the head. I have yet to see a 3B head that was OK after pulling it! Did you torque the head down in the right sequence and with several passes?
 
Block drain huh? I went out and looked (pictures from SOR told me where to find it) but I didn't see anything? Should be right behind the EDIC?

cruiser_guy: is hand grinding ok to resurface the rocker or does it need machining?
 
cruiser_guy: is hand grinding ok to resurface the rocker or does it need machining?

I had mine done at a machine shop for the '55 and I bought new for the '60. Ideally I'd get new ones (they were still available this past summer), second choice is machine shop and hardened then last choice is hand grinding but keep the temps down. You'll want a similar profile. The main thing is to have is smooth and no grrove that throws off the valve clearance check. With your old one the feeler gauge will make a "bridge" across the groove and cause you to set the valve too loose (won't open enough).
 
Block drain huh? I went out and looked (pictures from SOR told me where to find it) but I didn't see anything? Should be right behind the EDIC?....

Here's a photo of the "block drain" on my B engine Andrew. (Just above the starter motor.)

blockdrain.jpg

:cheers:

PS. But I think the heater-return line is a more likely source of the mystery leak.
blockdrain.jpg
 
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