Competition Blown Headgasket

[HVAC]

Folks, I just pulled the head on my spunky ISB this afternoon and was surprised to see that 4 & 5 were blowing out. I don't see problems between the cylinders, it's pushing from the cylinder into the tear drop shaped oil passage. This is what most of you will see if you blow the gasket. Usually it will manifest itself by spitting oil out of the front of the engine. It blows into the oil passage and then the oil migrates forward and spurts out between the head and the deck surface and is blown all over the engine compartment by the fan.



This is old news for me except I had blown a gasket a year ago. I installed new bolts and torqued the bejesus outta them newby bolts. I thought I had the problem dicked until this afternoon. I felt my head gasket job would outlast the oem install. Ain't happenin'.



Know this...



You cannot run twin turbos without O-ringing the head/deck. I made two passes at the strip in vegas and a sweet pass on the dyno as well. I'm runnin 70 psi on the street now and the gasket isn't close to dealing with it. Note that I have not run propane for over a year now!!! Nor have I run Nos which one might blame for a pooched out head gasket. I'm on straight #2 at the moment and

the bigtime boost pressure has taken it's toll on my head gasket from what I can plainly see.



Now I'm O-ringing my engine so we can turn it up for Muncie I'm installing Performance Diesel high performance head studs too. I don't want to pull my head for many moons and I hope this system will keep the head sealed up as we continue to turn up the power.

 

[JHansen]

That sucks Nowel..... but the combination of studs and O-rings should fix things right up eh? Don't burn 'er to the ground at Muncie-I really want to see the Red Rocket run in Cowtown!



Jason

 

[Chipstien]

12. 8 in the quarter mile. HVAC, I envy you. I had a Mustang with a built 289 that did 12. 6 in the quarter..... man do I miss that car (engine is sitting in the garage). I don't think people really know how fast mid 12 quarters are. My car went 145 MPH before I swapped from 3. 54 to 3. 73. PS. When you gonna hit 650! Good luckOo.

 

[TxDieselKid]

Nowel,

Thanks for the informative post! It's nice to hear some of you high HP guys tell us some of your problems every now and then, keeps us from dreaming too high.



Andrew

P. S. You've got mail! Check your email please Nowel.

 

[HeberRam]

Head gasket???

HVAC... the blown head gasket you are describing, was it a stock one???? Was it a copper???? I thought you had O-ringed prior to May Madness??? I guess I'm concerned as I plan at this time to run only one turbo, however, getting rid of my . 020 marine gasket and installing a 24v copper gasket and torquing the beejjesus out of it !!!!!! Any thoughts or suguestions????



Steve

 

[HVAC]

Heber, my head has not been off since last year at this time. When I reinstalled the head it was with a stock gasket. However, I took good care with the install and retorqued the head very carfully, a step at a time, and to greater then stock spec. I thought I Had a good thing going. I was in no hurry to O-ring it. After the success we had in vegas it was time to get the O-rings in so as to handle a stiff shot of Nos and maybe some LPG. When I spotted the blown areas I was surprised. It had to be blowing between the barrels as well, to some degree.



I'm sending you an email Steve about O-ringing the head.

 

[K_Arts]

Ditto to what Andrew said. Thanks for the informative post Nowel... it is greatly appreciated. .



Kev

 

[csutton7]

thanks to HVAC and his "o" ringing tool "big red" popped a 670 on the dyno with some NOS and the B1 plus on 6 sled pulls(diesel only) where the temps shot over 1740* with 55 psi flowing thru the engine inards--the ol' headgasket hasn't flinched--now two of the sled pull runs were 442' and 305'-another run was at 250' with the sled set for a 4 engine tractor--i. e. at the highest setting--there will be further testing with higher boost #'s in the future and we expect to have no problems-I'm definitely impressed-chris

 

[Strick-9]

csutton,



I don't want to get off topic, but you just brought something to my attention. When you first installed the B1 you talked about how EGTs were 1740° while pulling with the previous turbo and the B1 lowered them a few hundred degrees. I realize at the time you were only testing it on the street without a real load.



Would you now say that the B1 didn't lower your EGT any on sled pulls or is there something else you changed that I don't know about. Just an interesting observation.



Thanks,

Chris

 

[csutton7]

it lowered 'em with the DDIII's on the street, but when the BD5's went in the EGTs went up--since my SPA guage maxes out at 1740 I don't know where I'm at, but I'm above it---I can bury the guage on the street or on the sled pull track with the BD5's..... chris

 

[Cummins Corvette]

Chris Sutton- Are you still running the B1? How much more (anything) do you think you could get with compound turbos?

 

[TxDieselKid]

laugh darn it...

Originally posted by Cummins Corvette

Chris Sutton- Are you still running the B1? How much more (anything) do you think you could get with compound turbos?

Compound turbos ='s fancy name for twins





Andrew

 

[csutton7]

don't know how much more or less EGT# one could get with twins--if I ever get there I'll let you know--one thing to remember with twins is you can add a lot more fuel which will keep the temps up there, but you do have more air also to help keep the temps down--which one will overcome the other is the question/answer --chris

 

[HVAC]

My experience is that compound twins will decrease egt when done right. If the air is too hot then it's all for not.



Also, the additional air will burn much more of the fuel load your feeding the engine.

 

[willyslover]

Nowel. . I noticed how that twins gave you the air to burn more fuel when you ran the Silverstate Dyno... . 10,000 sq. feet of light blocking diesel in 2 seconds really cleaned you up LOL ... OH I forgot those five gallon buckets with the bottoms cut out were the injectors

 

[HVAC]

Oh boy!!! Gary, your really helping you know that???



You were one of several people present when we did that 600 hp and change run on the

Silver Stage dyno. Now your fueling the Joe Donnelly fire :-{}



Thanks a lot pal!

 

[csutton7]

HVAC--I don't think Joe D. has anymore fule to burn in ol' sickly or for that matter to try and douse the fire in your 600. 9 hp 24 VALVER---he's running skeared knowin' that the gap in the injectors is closing around his undervalved dyno machine----..... chris

 

[willyslover]

No offence was ment... yes I was there and was damnn proud to see that run. . what could Joe say only that you were not at the "official" run spot... you ran that run for you not the "event" and I know your integrity is not in question here

EDIT. . to correct spelling

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Nowel, I was just noting something I heard. I don't care what drugs or how you use them If you are getting 85 more hp out of your VP44 than any mere mortal can, and 16 more than Lawrence does, that's more to your credit. If you have a "creative" way to get "enough" #2 into the cylinder, that's OK too. You still have 32. 9 hp to go before ol Sickly gets skeered. Then I'll have to put in the black injectors Maybe even another turbo or two :--)

 

[HVAC]

FYI

A few people mentioned that I went off on Gary, that's not really what happened. Joe and I may play some 12v vs 24v games and I guess I was perpetuating that melodramatic role playing



I was really planting my toungue firmly in cheek when responding to Gary's post. He along with MADDOG(and others) were there watching while we ran up the rocket to launching power.



I know it sounds hard to believe Joe, but I was not running the dyno. Besides, if I do well then Lawrence should be proud since I consider myself a protege' of his. Heck, my front bumper still has a DD decal where the license should be. I'll never forget who turned me onto the "MONSTER INJECTORS"!!! That's a fact you can take to the bank. Two years ago I recommended the III injectors. I still feel they are the best addition to our CTD