It Never Quits
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From: houma, louisiana
It Never Quits
today when i got home from work i climbed under the truck to trace a wire to the back. as soon as i climbed under the drivers side i noticed antifreeze dripping down the exhaust pipe. i followed the trail of antifreeze to the guilty culprit, low and behold coming from the head gasket. man i tell you this thing never quits. ive spent so much money on trying to bring this thing back from the grave its not funny. the bad thing is i only drive it to and from the store. i fix one thing and something else goes wrong. i dont know if i should put a for sale sign on it or fix it. do you think this might be my blue tinted exhaust smoke ive been complaining about, and do you think i should go ahead and tear it down emediatly or do you think i could buy some time for now. i dont know why im even asking that question because i already know the answer. the funny thing is when i did the compression test it didnt show any signs of a low cylender. oh well i guess i vented enough. man i wish it would just quit so i could just start driving the damn thing and enjoy doing it.
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From: KY
Head gaskets don't always show up on a compression test. Alot of them only leak when the motor is cold.
As a general rule if a head gasket shows up during a compression test you have already seen the cap fly through the hood
As a general rule if a head gasket shows up during a compression test you have already seen the cap fly through the hood
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From: houma, louisiana
nope, no cap through the hood, no water in the oil, no oil in the water, just a trickle every now and then at the seam of the head and the block wright at the corner of the head.
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From: houma, louisiana
you know i havent seen it leak when the motor was cold, i just noticed it when the motor was hot and the radiator had pressure in it. as for as me putting antifreeze in it i think i put some in it twice since i owned the truck and that is a little over a year. and it wasnt much.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Campbell River, B.C.
It's just a thought, but could it be possible that the glow plug relay is leaking and the coolant is following the gap between the block and the head?
If it is a head gasket, than you may not actually see a drop in compression.
However if combustion gasses are getting in the coolant then you will probably start to notice bubbles getting forced past the rad cap into the recovery bottle. Eventially it will look like a foam (usually when running it harder) and can cause the recovery bottle to overflow with foam. If leak develops at the cylinder (as discribed above) than it should be fixed sooner rather than later. Due to the high combistion pressures in a diesel, the leak will start to erode at the gasket mating surfaces. We had to use some engine grade filler on my dad's 6.5 turbo (knock on wood). If however, the water jacket is leaking directly out of the engine, than you might be able to put it off for a little while.
If you like the truck than I would fix it, if nothing else you can get more for it if you deside to sell it.
If it is a head gasket, than you may not actually see a drop in compression.
However if combustion gasses are getting in the coolant then you will probably start to notice bubbles getting forced past the rad cap into the recovery bottle. Eventially it will look like a foam (usually when running it harder) and can cause the recovery bottle to overflow with foam. If leak develops at the cylinder (as discribed above) than it should be fixed sooner rather than later. Due to the high combistion pressures in a diesel, the leak will start to erode at the gasket mating surfaces. We had to use some engine grade filler on my dad's 6.5 turbo (knock on wood). If however, the water jacket is leaking directly out of the engine, than you might be able to put it off for a little while.
If you like the truck than I would fix it, if nothing else you can get more for it if you deside to sell it.
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From: houma, louisiana
you know i checked to see if that could be it, but unfortunately that wasnt the case. its dripping wright at the corner of the head. i guess it wouldnt be that bad of a deal to just go ahead and fix it, at least ide get my oil leaks fixed and i could go ahead and put new valve seals in. lol
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From: Halstead, KS
I would fix it too, but being the nitt picking mechanic I am, the removal of the heads would only empty my billfold. "Well, it could use new valve seals,, well I could just replace the valves, well I can drop these heads off at a shop and have them rebuilt, the injectors are leaking, mine as well get new ones...." Im telling you man, you think you got it bad....lol it never ends for me, my wife says "I cringe each time you open the hood, I wonder how much more things youll find wrong each time you go gandering around under your truck!"
LOL
I joke with my wife and tell her, a year from now I will STILL be replacing parts, because it will NEEEEEVVVER be done!!"
LOL
LOL
I joke with my wife and tell her, a year from now I will STILL be replacing parts, because it will NEEEEEVVVER be done!!"
LOL
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Joined: Apr 2006
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From: houma, louisiana
man you sound just like me, everytime i fix one thing two things break. i have no problem fixing things its getting the funds to do it with and nothings cheap on these trucks. you know pulling things down and fixing the head gaskets is no problem, but what about those bad injectors and putting a set of new glow plugs in cause mines toast, and changing that injector pump cause it has 235,000 miles on it. it sure would be nice to change it all while its all tore apart, but guess what dont have the funds to do it all. so its a little at a time, damn i think im going to go to work tomorrow and demand a raise. lol oh well i guess thats enough b------g for now.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2003
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From: Campbell River, B.C.
Hey, just be glad it's a 6.9, it was a nightmare to do a head gasket job on my dad's 6.5 turbo, if I ever get my hands on who ever desighed that turbo manifold......I'd make him do a head job.
But thats the way it goes with these older trucks, some are better than others, but sooner or later, they will need some upkeep. The good news is that there are a limited number of thing that can go wrong, and sooner or later, all those gremlins will get scared off (they'll probably move on to a chebby). Although these are above average trucks, but the real reason they lasted as long as they have is because of how well they were mantained. Mine gave me plenty of trouble too, but when I compare that to the cost of a new truck, I'm happy for what I've got.
After learning my truck inside out, I now know there is nothing left that could go wrong that I can't fix. And I'll tell you there is no greater peace of mind than to not only know that your truck is reliable (any truck can be), but also fixable if something does go wrong.
But thats the way it goes with these older trucks, some are better than others, but sooner or later, they will need some upkeep. The good news is that there are a limited number of thing that can go wrong, and sooner or later, all those gremlins will get scared off (they'll probably move on to a chebby). Although these are above average trucks, but the real reason they lasted as long as they have is because of how well they were mantained. Mine gave me plenty of trouble too, but when I compare that to the cost of a new truck, I'm happy for what I've got.
After learning my truck inside out, I now know there is nothing left that could go wrong that I can't fix. And I'll tell you there is no greater peace of mind than to not only know that your truck is reliable (any truck can be), but also fixable if something does go wrong.
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From: houma, louisiana
today when i got home i started the truck up , and let it reach operating temp . I left it running while i climbed under and checked where it was leaking at .it is dripping water from the head gasket and you can see bubbles everytime it makes a compression stroke. it kind of acts like the head bolts are not torqued down like their suppose to . i wonder if i can retorque the head bolts down again and maybe stop the water leak , and possibly get by with out changing the head gaskets , for now .
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From: Campbell River, B.C.
Although I wouldn't recomend it, I can't think of any real harm it would cause. I seem to remember doing this on my f150 (302), and it bought me a little time. Just don't over torque anything. Since you mention that the bubbles match the cylinder firing cycle, chances are it's not just a coolant leak anymore. Like I said before high pressure gasses escaping from the cylinder and getting between the deck and the head can cause minor erosion around the breach. Than again, in the case I observed, the engine had been run in that condition for a long time (a few months if I recall), and it was turboed.
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From: houma, louisiana
i think this is something that has just taken place. every time i drive the truck i have a habit of looking under it to see if i can see something leaking under the truck. i havent noticed anything, this has just accured so hopefully there isnt anything major. man it just seems like since ive adjusted the timing everything is just going wrong. first i bought a set of motorcraft plugs and put them in and they didnt last 3 days and all 8 were toast. it wouldnt surprise me a bit if it wasnt that starting fluid that did the damage. everytime i used it it was just a little dab of it.
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From: Kent WA
Originally Posted by j tate
......man it just seems like since ive adjusted the timing everything is just going wrong. first i bought a set of motorcraft plugs and put them in and they didnt last 3 days and all 8 were toast. it wouldnt surprise me a bit if it wasnt that starting fluid that did the damage. everytime i used it it was just a little dab of it.
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From: houma, louisiana
when i put the plugs in i didnt have to use ether, i could hold the button for 5secs and it wouldnt make two revs and it would fire wright up with no prob. i only use ether now cause all of my plugs are toast, and without starting fluid it just wont start.
