Head gasket woes... can I postpone?

[sparks57]

My HG is leaking behind my thermostat housing, so I need to replace it. It is not leaking bad, just creating a damp mark on the block and head about the size of an enlongated silver dollar.



Can I postpone the fix untill this summer? I have been keeping an eye on my oil and coolant, no problems as of yet.



The reason why I want to wait is because I'm kinda broke right now, and if I pull the head, it's going to be ported and o-ringed so I don't have to pull the head again down the road.



So what do you guys think?

 

[ata]

Chris, If that`s all it`s leaking or weeping I`d just throw some Bar`s Leak in the Radiator and not worry about it.

 

[LV-CTD]

I'd try block sealer instead of Barr's Leak. I used it on a V6 SUV I had and drove it across the country and back and it had gotten water in the oil before I treated it. It held nicely. You need to follow the instructions to use it. You have to drain ALL coolant and run water with the block sealer, I ran it for a day, then drain ALL coolant again and replace with your antifreeze/water mix. But of course, your mileage may vary!



Tom

 

[LV-CTD]

After thinking about it, I know I should have done that first I think I'd just watch it for a while and not worry too much about it unless it started getting worse. Keep a close eye on the slow leak, the coolant and oil.



Tom

 

[dpuckett]

Chris-

If you arent even getting an oil and water mixed, (yet), I'd go ahead and run it. I unwittingly ran mine over 10K mi with the gasket blown between two cylinders. No oil and water mixing, just a funny noise under a load. Got to where I couldnt even accelerate like a blue hair w/o making the noise.



I wouldnt even bother with the stop leaks until it got real bad. Might do more harm than good with your fututre BOMB plans.



Daniel

 

[1stgen4evr]

engine weeping

The spot you mention is not too serious BUT you will be the one weeping if you mess around and run it hot. It probably isn't going to dash out all the water anytime soon. If you keep strong antifreeze solution in the coolant, you will smell the leak if it gets bad as the water will be blown on the manifold. These trucks aren't air tight as you know. I am running some of the AC Delco stop leak tabs in my coolant right now to try to get to a more convienent time to do the heater core. I know that I am taking a chance as I am sometimes quite a long way from home. Try the tabs on your engine. It just might help.



Went out and looked at the engine. I would try installing new (four) bolts on that corner of the head and torque to spec.



Carry a couple of gallons of antifreeze solution and check often.



1stgen4evr

JAMES

 

[MMiller]

I ran mine for well over a year when mine started leaking below the stat housing. I honestly could not find the leak, I found a couple drips on the bottom of the A/C pump, and nothing else. Then one evening I hauled a tractor for a friend and when we unloaded the tractor I noticed the whole front diff was covered in coolant. Then I finnaly found the leak then. Just keep an eye on it!



Michael

 

[BCook1]

Powdered metal stop leak worked on mine.

I used that powdered alumiseal stuff on my 250-6 chevy motor when I had a steam leak out the back at the head gasket - looked like a smoking cigarette. It hasn't leaked since. It also did wonders for a leaky soft plug behind the flexplate on a 360 gas motor I had. Sometimes a guy gets lucky.

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Don't do it.....



bob.

 

[sparks57]

Originally posted by BushWakr

Don't do it.....



bob.

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

Last week I replaced a weeping head gasket on my friend's 1994. He had been running it that way for several months by checking the coolant level often. The original head gasket is just weak there and the new gasket much better. There was no coolant getting to the oil, just coolant weeping out behind t-stat. The leak stop stuff can cause more harm than good.



Trent

 

[MicroOutlawRacer]

I would NEVER EVER use a stop leak of any kind water or oil. I cant tell you how many 350's that I have torn down turning into race motors and found that crap in them. What it will actually do is stop up ANY hole under about an 1/8 in the cooling system and most of the time it will even close up some of the radiator. I have seen a couple of block's where the person that owned it must of put in like 3 bottles and only about 1/3 of the radiator would still flow water, all the water jackets inside of the motor where coated with it and both athe heads where warped/cracked because they where TOTALLY stoped up. Sorry to be so down on the stuff but I HATE it with a passion after seeing what it does inside a motor.



David

 

[BushWakr - RIP]

Really... don't do it... fix it. .



PB

 

[sparks57]

I will! I'm just waiting for the $$$ to aquire the parts! Because you know me... I'm not going to just replace the gasket, other goodies are going in too!!!

 

[EZGZ]

I have seen what outlaw was talking about.



Years ago my friend bought a used 62 corvet. It had a souped up small block in it. It ran pretty good but the cooling system was mickey mouse. We thought it had a hot cam because it ran kind of ruff.

By the end of the summer it was running poorly and we had thrashed it pretty bad. Pulled the heads and found it had blown the head gasket between two cylinders and it actually ate a groove down into the block so far we couldn't save it.



If you plan on modding it in the future is all the more reason to fix it right. Your going to be stressing it more with the mods.

Good luck

 

[sparks57]

No no... I wasn't ever planning on just putting some stop leak in it and forgetting about it.



I just wanted to know if it was ok to put it off a couple of months untill summer break when it will be exponentially more convenient to get it done.



There are a couple of reasons for this:



#1: Being a college student, I don't have much time to do this job.



#2: Funds are kinda short right now.



#3: When the head comes off, it will get ported and o-ringed, so I need a lot of time to set aside for the downtime of my truck.



Does that make sense? The leak is just more of a weep than anything... and I was just wondering if putting it off for a couple of months would be ok.

 

[Greenleaf]

Chris,

I have one here at the school leaking same spot.

It has a new head, gasket,and thermostat. I won't do anything with it 'cause it's only a small leak and no oil contamination. If I had to fix EVERY leak in a 27 rig operation, there wouldn't be much time to post on the tdr,... eh, 'er... . I mean fix other problems.



When this bus was obtained used it leaked coolant at the head,charge air cooler and oil cooler. Now, $1260. 00 later it leaks coolant at the head still and the stand pipe at front of head leading to charge air cooler. I simply moved the leaks with all the time/$$$$$$$$ invested.



Look at it this way; make big $$$ payments and take it to the dealer for the recalls/engine lights on OR..... fix stuff continuously. Darn if ya do, darn if ya don't.



Happy motoring.



Scott

 

[dpuckett]

Yeah, and dont forget that with older ones, you have an excuse to BOMB, er, I mean, upgrade to stronger parts (for when you get around to BOMBing). Just think of the BOMBs you can buy with $500 a month you arent paying to the bank.



Daniel

 

[ata]

Chris, I didn`t mean to put Bar`s leak in there and forget it for ever. I meant until you can get to it. If you let it keep weeping it will just keep eating away at the fiber in the gasket and leak worse or eat it`s way to an oil galley and start mixing oil and water. Hopefully you won`t leak enough coolant that it gets hot and hurts something.

 

[sparks57]

I know... but Bob made it seem like that's what you meant... I think! A lot of people are throwing different ideas in here.



The leak is nothing but a weep mark, so I'm going to keep a very close eye on it and hopefully it will last untill a more convenient time to replace it.