How bad is it?

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slimjim

slimjim

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So I attempted to fire up my 360 for the first time yesterday. It started just fine but then died about 10 seconds later. Then I notice that there was a coolant leak coming from the aft part of the intake manifold. The leak was so bad that when I poured coolant in the radiator it started to pour out of the back of the intake. I took off the manifold today and found out that coolant had leaked inside the valley as well as into some of the intake ports. So Im pretty sure there is some liquid inside a couple of the cylinders. Just how bad is this? can I simply drain everything and replace the intake gasket with gobbs of silicon? Do you think it is the head gasket? Im using the fel-pro gasket set. Ive been busting my balls on this project for the last three years and the night I finally try to start it... this crap happens. I have 39 days until I set sail so is this something I can fix before then? If not... Im screwed. Please let me know what you guys think. If its as bad as I think it is then what are my options?
 
Slimjim.,slowly pull it apart & take pictures,and post them. Relax,man.To me,it sounds like a intake manifold gasket/manifold fitment problem. Yes ,you can fix it. You will need to change the oil & filter,of course.
 
Pull sparkplugs out and rotate engine by hand. Figure out why manifold leaks and fix it. Drain oil and change filter. Worst part is you have to buy 5 quarts of break in oil. My worry would be if it hydro locked it may have bent a rod!
 
Pull the plugs out if your worried about water in the cylinders....turn it by hand....
 
So I found out that my intake bolts were too long... I vacuumed all the coolant out of the valley, drained the oil, rinsed from the valley down a quart of oil, evaporated all the fluid in the number 8 cylinder(lost a lot of hair on my hand but it worked), and now it looks like I could put it back together. What do you guys think? Coolant was only in the number 8 cylinder and there wasn't as much as I thought. The pan was filled though.
 
Make sure the fluid is out of all the cylinders, drain oil and change filter. I also use just water to fire up a new engine and break it in. Then when every thing is good I drain the water and add coolant. I would take a tap and clean all the thread holes for the intake. I think you should be ok.
 
I would also try to vacuum any residual water out of the #8 cylinder with a shop vac.
 
slimjim said:
can I simply drain everything and replace the intake gasket with gobbs of silicon?
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Please for your sanity, do NOT use silicon. Silicon has its uses but since you can get the gasket at any auto parts store for less than ten bucks, fix it the right way. Once and for all.
 
Well, no one else has said it, so I will. If it's a flat tappet cam engine, it AINT good. Hopefully you can salvage the situation.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well, no one else has said it, so I will. If it's a flat tappet cam engine, it AINT good. Hopefully you can salvage the situation.
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x2. Shutting it off without breaking in the cam is not a good thing. Make sure the oil you use is break in oil and make sure it's all set before you fire it again. Starting and shutting off is what kills camshafts.

also - The intake bolts go through the heads... They can't be "too long". But, if the intake does not fit right, it will be hard to get the bolts in and started. If that's the case that's why the rear coolant passage didn;t seal - and it will do it again unless you address the mismatch.

So - when the intake is set in place with the gasket in place - can you start the bolts by hand (using your fingers) or do you have to use a tool and pry the intake or press hard on the bolt to get it started?
 
So I have a hydraulic roller cam... Not sure if that's good or bad news. I did completely drain the engine and washed it out with oil. I use a shop vac at first to suck all the liquid out of the cylinder and valley. I threw away the cork pieces that sealed the fore and aft part of the intake. I just used a thick bead of silicon ( as advised by members on this forum). I had a spare pair of intake gaskets so I just swapped those out. I let all the silicon cure over night so I'll attempt to start her up this evening. When I reinstalled the intake the bolts all threaded in very nicely and felt like they torqued down properly whereas before, the section that leaked gave me a little trouble threading in the bolts however, I thought there was a good seal. I guess all that's left is to try and start her up. Am I missing anything?
 
Roller cam = GOOD! You can forget all the cam break in stuff since you have a roller (no break in needed for roller cams)....so that is good. Like others have said, use straight water when you refill the radiator until you are sure you have no leaks (water is easier to clean up if you do have a leak). As long as the temps don't go below freezing you'll be fine with straight water for a while. Assuming you didn't hydro-lock a cylinder and break something, you should be good to go at this point. Oh, and yes, tossing the cork fore and aft gaskets and laying down a bead of silicon is the correct way to install the intake.
 
Sounds good then. The end seals must have been holding it up. If they were present - you did remove the pins from the ends of the block valley, right?
 
Know anyone with a cooling system pressure tester? If so, pressurize cooling system with prior to putting any fluid in it. If it leaks with just air it is not a mess to clean it up....

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/Stant-12270-Cooling-System-Pressure/dp/B0002SRGWU/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1395332237&sr=1-1&keywords=cooling+system+pressure+tester"]Amazon.com: Stant 12270 30 Pound Cooling System And Pressure Cap Tester: Automotive[/ame]


is the one I have....
 
Moper, pins at the end of the block valley? Not quite sure what you mean. The surface where the cork gasket would go is completely flat. I am definitely going to use water only tonight when I fire it up. Dukeboy 318- I did get a new gasket. The way I worded that sentence was incorrect, sorry. Oh and Inkjunkie, I didn't even know that there was a cooling system pressure tester. I don't have access to one now but I have a feeling that would come in handy later on in life.
 
slimjim said:
Moper, pins at the end of the block valley? Not quite sure what you mean. The surface where the cork gasket would go is completely flat. I am definitely going to use water only tonight when I fire it up. Dukeboy 318- I did get a new gasket. The way I worded that sentence was incorrect, sorry. Oh and Inkjunkie, I didn't even know that there was a cooling system pressure tester. I don't have access to one now but I have a feeling that would come in handy later on in life.
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Go rent one from the local auto parts chain. It's worth it.

and I'm surprised no one has said anything about maybe the intake being warped at the rear of the engine or bolt stretch. Those could also cause improper manifold seating

and you see the stupid lil hole in the front of the engine and the one right by where the dizzy goes?

That's where the dowel pins would be. make sure they are long gone otherwise you may end up having some problems.
Roller360May2010012-1.jpg
 
Ahh ok, thanks for the visual PanGasket. Yeah I definitely do not have the dowel pins then. I would hope my intake manifold wasn't warped, its brand new. After dealing with this mess I'm definitely going to rent that tester.
 
slimjim said:
Ahh ok, thanks for the visual PanGasket. Yeah I definitely do not have the dowel pins then. I would hope my intake manifold wasn't warped, its brand new. After dealing with this mess I'm definitely going to rent that tester.
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are you reusing the factory bolts?
 
Well did you get it all figured out !!!!..bolts could be a problem..not grade but like you said..too long..not in overall length,but in unthreaded portion ..the longer overall the bolt is the longer the unthreaded part is from under the head to where the thread starts..this can bottom out and not tighten on the manifold ..some bolts are made threaded all the way to under the head,but they are hard to come by ..I had to just go to shorter bolts,because the flanges on a eddie[.replaced] are thicker than a weind and the bolts wouldn't tighten the man tight..except out on the corners where its a lot thicker..if one wasnt observant,it would be easy to tighten up and not realize the gap wasn't closed and under 35lbs..bolts could be at 35 pounds but not the manifold..j
 
FelPro Print-A-Seal intake gaskets and small amount of additional RTV at those 4 end water ports. Let it all cure 24 hours before adding coolant.
 
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