Block Test Video
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 457
Likes: 0
no I don't believe so. Ive heard of this happening before. My buddies civic was having cooling issues resembling hg's and ended up the water pump sucking in air. Just something to look at.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 817
Likes: 27
Was your cooling system under pressure during the test or vented to atmosphere? I could only see air ingestion as a possibility if your system is atmospheric pressure during the test.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2015
Posts: 415
Likes: 1
Did you use the test fluid that was specifically designed for Diesel engine testing? If not, you might want to retest. Also take fluid and run it n the exhaust stream to see if it changes color. When I did mine using std test fluid, it never changed color even when running and vacuuming exhaust gas directly in the exhaust pipe air stream. Using diesel specific fluid, it would change color in a minute or two of exhaust gas sampling which verified it was working correctly.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 817
Likes: 27
You'd have to be drawing a vacuum at pump suction to pull air in. I don't know the hydraulics of the system but it doesn't seem likely to me that the pump suction will be under atmospheric pressure when the system is pressured up. Your line losses through your radiator and cover would have to exceed pressure plus head. Typically pump suction lines are generously sized to avoid any appreciable pressure drop (although I have no direct experience with engine design). My gut would be that it is not air. I also don't know any easy way to confirm.
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More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 643
Likes: 6
Did you use the test fluid that was specifically designed for Diesel engine testing? If not, you might want to retest. Also take fluid and run it n the exhaust stream to see if it changes color. When I did mine using std test fluid, it never changed color even when running and vacuuming exhaust gas directly in the exhaust pipe air stream. Using diesel specific fluid, it would change color in a minute or two of exhaust gas sampling which verified it was working correctly.
Elder User
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 979
Likes: 4
From: Vancouver
Fluid color change definitely indicates combustion gases present. I think you have a head gasket problem. Another unlikely possibility is a cracked head. Ford heads are pretty well made so that is uncommon in a stock motor.
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More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 643
Likes: 6
Yes it is. Shop is going to warranty it and figure out what happened. Heads were decked and oringed, new valves, guides, the whole works. I think I'm going to break a record for how many times my truck has been torn apart and put back together. I'll update with what he finds. He's been super good about taking time to figure it out but I think he's been hesitant to call it head gaskets because of the oringed heads.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Feb 2016
Posts: 817
Likes: 27
Good luck with your truck.
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More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 643
Likes: 6
If you don't mind me asking, what warranty do you have on the heads? I talked to a local shop about o-ringed heads and they hinted at warranty, but in my haste to get my list in front of them I didn't actually ask them. I'm curious for additional data points.
Good luck with your truck.
Good luck with your truck.
Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 1,760
Likes: 21
Did they measure pertrusion when they did the head work, and how did they prep the block?
A simple test is to warm it up, then release all the preasure and drive it. If it gets back to 16psi again then there's a good chance the gaskets are leaking.
.
A simple test is to warm it up, then release all the preasure and drive it. If it gets back to 16psi again then there's a good chance the gaskets are leaking.
.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Mar 2013
Posts: 4,097
Likes: 23
From: Kissimmee,Fla
I'm not a fan of o ringed head on a stock truck. I've seen a bunch of them fail due to the ring cutting the gasket and leaking. Fel Pro don't hold up well to being o ringed for sure. Only gaskets that work well with o rings are Cometic.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 3,952
Likes: 117
From: Upper Left Coast
Yes. And as such, the pressure due to the 50/50 ethylene glycol water solution operating at 190 (ish) temp should only produce around 7.5 PSI pressure.
I thought it should be more so I had to dust off my thermodynamics books and do a little searching around in the Dow Chemical engr stuff on ethylene glycol + water mixture properties. using their own chart, a 50/50 mix @190F should be right at 7.2PSI.
Because it sounded "low" I went to the actual equation for determining vapor pressure of an aqueous solution of eth-gly and got 7.01xxxxx psi....
(Nice to know because I want to use a 10psi cap with my new 4-row rad in my 55 F-600 + 292 Y-block)
For all of us Power Strokers (can we say that?) with "16" psi caps, the vapor pressure of a 50/50 ethylene glycol mix reaches 16 psi at around 230 degrees F.
If the cap is even a a little "defective" on the low side, it could start "puking" as temps exceed 230.
If you're producing 16 psi running the engine at ANY power level (but operating at 190 deg F assuming your gage is NOT defective........) That pressure is coming from somewhere else other than the hot coolant. I.E a leaking EGR cooler that is doubling as a "steam generator" or a leaking head gasket.
Regards,
Rick
I thought it should be more so I had to dust off my thermodynamics books and do a little searching around in the Dow Chemical engr stuff on ethylene glycol + water mixture properties. using their own chart, a 50/50 mix @190F should be right at 7.2PSI.
Because it sounded "low" I went to the actual equation for determining vapor pressure of an aqueous solution of eth-gly and got 7.01xxxxx psi....
(Nice to know because I want to use a 10psi cap with my new 4-row rad in my 55 F-600 + 292 Y-block)
For all of us Power Strokers (can we say that?) with "16" psi caps, the vapor pressure of a 50/50 ethylene glycol mix reaches 16 psi at around 230 degrees F.
If the cap is even a a little "defective" on the low side, it could start "puking" as temps exceed 230.
If you're producing 16 psi running the engine at ANY power level (but operating at 190 deg F assuming your gage is NOT defective........) That pressure is coming from somewhere else other than the hot coolant. I.E a leaking EGR cooler that is doubling as a "steam generator" or a leaking head gasket.
Regards,
Rick