Water leak from head gasket

[BDallin]

My 1995 2500 (198k mi) left a puddle of coolant after returning from a trip. After drying out, I found it seeping from about 2 in of the head-to-block interface near the front under the thermostat housing. There are two head bolts near the leak, one just to the rear and one just around toward the front. The one to the rear would not break loose at 105 lb-ft but the one forward broke loose at 95 - 100. I torqued it to 105 and now the seepage is not 2 in long but a small spot, maybe 1/4 in nearest the front.

Anybody had a similar experience and is there a fix anything short of pulling the head?

Thanks,
Bill

 

[NIsaacs]

That area is prone to leak on our trucks. You will need to change the gasket. Note the pink dots in the picture. See how narrow the teflon bead is at the thermostat bypass port? The picture is of a 4 cylinder but 6 is the same.

 

[JMcCoy]

Deck the head for sure. Do the newer style valve seals and any valve spring upgrades while you've got it apart. I would also do studs as well. You can run much higher torque on the studs to prevent future head gasket issues.

Oh yeah, lots of beer and a buddy stupid enough to come over and help.

 

[JMcCoy]

And a cherry picker. You're NOT going to be able to lift the head off. Good luck.

 

[GAmes]

That commonly is an external leak and just an annoyance. I put 50 or 60k miles on mine while it was leaking before I took the time to replace the head gasket. Back in those days there were two quality levels and the Dodge engines got the lower quality. The other was the "marine" gasket which is what was recommended for the fix. Now they are all marine gaskets. I pulled my head, cleaned the mating surfaces and installed the gasket over a weekend. That was at about 280k miles. When I pulled the engine at 800k the gasket was just fine. I do regret not taking the time to have a valve job done but I needed to get back to work. If your engine is stock or mildly turned up studs are a waste of money. In fact, the Cummins upper gasket kit comes with a gauge to measure the head bolts you removed. If they are in spec they can be reused. I reused mine.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

Wondering if my '99 is coming up with the same. The truck doesn't get driven much but I am noticing a drop in the coolant level. No visible leaks or oil contamination tho' which leads me to think something else may be going on.

 

[BigPapa]

I am noticing a drop in the coolant level. No visible leaks or oil contamination tho'

If the leak is slow enough and onto a high temp surface such as the exhaust manifold or head, the coolant will evaporate leaving only a residue.

 

[JMcCoy]

That and it may be getting burned up out the tailpipe. If the leak is small enough, you won't get the signature white smoke.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

^^ Yes, I was thinking the same.