Oil in Water - Need Intake Gasket Recommendation

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Detroit Iron

Detroit Iron

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My 340 was acting like the engine was seized when I tried to start it. So, I checked the oil, and it looked like milkshake. Oh NO!!! A friend of mine suspected the engine was hydrolicking. Example: cylinder is full of fluid, so engine can't turn over. He was right!

I pulled the plugs and put a dowel into the spark plug holes. Sure enough... cylinder #7 was full of water. I pulled the intake and found where coolant was seeping into the intake runner. See photos. You will notice the intake runner is clean whereas intake runner #5 has carbon as it should.

The intake is an LD2340 and the heads are Edelbrock Performers. I was using the intake gasket that Edelbrock recommended to use with their heads (Felpro #1213). I built this engine 20 years ago, so the intake gasket did a good job for a while. I'm looking for an intake gasket recommendation that might be better for my combination. Thanks for any input.

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The head gasket has probably pushed out right under that intake port.
 
I hope I'm wrong too but it just happened to another member. It's a very common problem. If you disagree, then explain how water will move horizontally four inches and go into the intake port. That thread should still be pretty close to the top. You could see the head gasket pushed out looking through the valve cover area. Coolant leaks out and is sucked right into the intake port. Like I said, I hope I'm wrong. I'd sure be lookin at it though.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I hope I'm wrong too but it just happened to another member. It's a very common problem. If you disagree, then explain how water will move horizontally four inches and go into the intake port. That thread should still be pretty close to the top. You could see the head gasket pushed out looking through the valve cover area. Coolant leaks out and is sucked right into the intake port. Like I said, I hope I'm wrong. I'd sure be lookin at it though.
Click to expand...

I appreciate the input. You can clearly see in the photo that the gasket did not distort or push out. Water was also leaking into the intake runner on cylinder #1. So the two cylinders closesed to the water jackets were affected. I believe the gasket has deteriorated. Like I said, I built this engine 20 years ago, so maybe there is no problem and it's served it's purpose.
 
Detroit Iron said:
I appreciate the input. You can clearly see in the photo that the gasket did not distort or push out. Water was also leaking into the intake runner on cylinder #1. So the two cylinders closesed to the water jackets were affected. I believe the gasket has deteriorated. Like I said, I built this engine 20 years ago, so maybe there is no problem and it's served it's purpose.
Click to expand...

Maybe you can see it but I cannot. I hope it's ok.
 
The gasket pictured isn't a 1213 its a MS90109 which is recommended for iron on iron. The 1213 is for recommended for aluminum intakes.
 
Also double check the intake to cylinder head angle. You don't want a repeat performance.
 
skrews said:
The gasket pictured isn't a 1213 its a MS90109 which is recommended for iron on iron. The 1213 is for recommended for aluminum intakes.
Click to expand...

Good to know. Thank you for the input. I dug out my spec sheet that came with the Edelbrock heads, and I have circled (20 years ago) the part number for the 1213 intake gaskets. I may have had the MS90109 laying around and used them. Who knows.
 
Skrews did his forensic homework where I did not. If you all look at my second photo, on the left side; it clearly shows the part number 90109. Wrong intake gaskets for my application. I think this mystery is solved.
 
Also too, I don't see a lot of evidence that you used RTV around that water port. I always apply a coat to the head and intake side of the gasket all the way around that port. Anything you can do to promote a seal there is a good thing.
 
I hate people that start a thread asking for help, and then never update everyone once they get it resolved. I'm trying to not be that person. Haha...

I didn't install these yet, but wanted to update with a comparison photo. Obviously the 1213 set is cut differently, but they also feel thicker. Don't know if that's because the previous set was installed for 20 years or not.

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20 years on a gasket is good! I'm using same ones on my sb build. Makes sure prep is good and follow their instructions.
Good luck, although you won't need it.
Ps instructions say to use rtv if need be.
 
I just realized my title should have been Water in Oil. Not Oil in Water...

So after replacing the intake gaskets; I continued to have water in the oil. Like in a major way. I ended up replacing the timing chain cover thinking that may be the problem.

Today after I got it all back together it hydrolocked again. Engine wouldn't turn so I pulled the #7 spark plug and the cylinder was full of water again. So I pulled the head and the below photo shows what I found.

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That's a special one; glad you found it. Happens in /6's in a certain spot in the original metal head gaskets when the antifreeze stays in the block for year and years and gets acidic.

Looking at the crud in that hole, your block probably needs a really good cleaning. Pull out the block drain pugs and see if coolant drains out OK.
 
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