mystery liquid and rattling

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SGGDuster

SGGDuster

Dreaming of Burnt Rubber
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Jul 9, 2005
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Charleston, SC
I have a 74 318 with 120k on the motor. About 15-20k ago, I put on new full length headers, 2.25 dual exhaust (no x-over) with some summit mufflers, eddy air gap, eddy 650, and replaced the timing chain.

I recently got the car out of storage and drove it about 500 miles to North Carolina and it seemed to run pretty well save for being a little whimpy on the low end. I've noticed over the last couple of days that the driver's side pipe spits out a decent spray of liquid every few engine cycles--this occurs throughout the RPM range. My first thought was just condensation, but it does it whether the car is hot or cold and it only ever happens on the driver's side. The sound also sputters a bit at every spray. EDIT: The liquid is clear, mostly odorless, and tastes just a little salty and, you know, exhausty.....

I checked out the plug wires (a header tube runs right next to 2 of the wires and I've had arcing issues before) and they were fine but then I noticed that when I rev the engine the PCV valve rattles as the RPMs are coming back down and stops once the engine hits idle. I wiggled it around a little bit and it almost feels like it's hitting up against a rocker.

1. Should I be concerned about the liquid?
2. Do you think the PCV sounds and liquid are related?
Bonus: Does anyone have a nifty trick for insulating plug wires that rest against a header tube?
 
Sounds like you blew a head gasket. Check the radiator, pop the cap and look for girgling bubbling etc along with the oil in the pan. Water could be in the oil.
 
Ptdartfreak said:
mine spits stuff out all the time and in one tailpipe its worse than the other
Click to expand...

Mine spits out condensation until it is warmed up and it stops. I also park it in my shop so condensation would be less than someone who parks outside.

The OP says it does it ALL THE TIME, Cold or HOT!
 
Mad Dart said:
Sounds like you blew a head gasket. Check the radiator, pop the cap and look for girgling bubbling etc along with the oil in the pan. Water could be in the oil.
Click to expand...

I'll check out the radiator. Oil looks clean from the dipstick...

I would think a blown head gasket would really dampen the low down power and it seems like the liquid would resemble antifreeze a little closer; but I've no experience with blown head gaskets. Thanks for the input!
 
You've got nothing to worry about but drive the car more... Sounds like condensation in the muffler. Most mufflers have a tiny hole in one end on the seam. That hole should point down but not everyone knows that and if it's up theres a good chance theres water stuck in it. BTW, not the best idea to taste it... If it was coolant (it would taste sweet), even a small amount that you ingest it, you will destroy your kidneys permanently.
 
A solution for the plug wires laying on top of the header tubes (I bet it's # 5 and 7 cylinders, right?) is to run the wires underneath the offending header tube using 90 degree boots on those wires. If you want a picture of how I did mine I can take one and post it. Those plug wires might be arcing through causing it to run rough.
 
An easy way to check for arching is to check after dark.
C
 
my barracuda used to put out water all the time it can be a side effect of unleaded fuel and no catalytic converter in a humid enviroment, a bad head gasket will almost always cause serious overheating at least the 3 vehicles I've blown that way did.
 
Oh, and they make high temp sleeves for the wires.. Summit, Jegs, and probably a local RV store would have it.
 
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