About a year ago during Halloween I threw a rod in the truck I had just bought in July of that year. After tearing down the motor and learning that the block was ruined, I set about looking for a new block and an engine re-builder. I found a re-builder who was able to secure a re-buildable block, and paid a fair amount of $$$$ to have it done. About this time last year, I took delivery of the new re-built engine. Well for various reasons, which I won't get into right now, it has taken a lot longer than I expected to get everything up and running again. Today I stopped by the shop to see my truck 95% complete, and the engine ready to be filled with oil and water and fired up. Wow was I in a good mood today about lunch time. Well about 6:00 pm, the mechanic calls me to reveal that before he filled the crancase with oil, he decided to fill up the radiator with water. He told me that the driver's side is fine, but water is already leaking out the exhaust manifold of the passenger side!!! You know, when I look at this project I think, if I didn't have bad luck I woudn't have any luck at all!! Anybody have any ideas???? The mechanic started to rattle off the simple stuff.. no1 the head was not properly torqued at the re-builders....no 2. the head gasket is bad....no. 3 the head was not finished properly and there is a "valley" allowing water to migrate....no.4 Ditto for the block,......no 5 the block is cracked!!!! I feel sick!!!!! I've been waiting so long for this truck and every time it seems it will be up and running.....something happens!!! The thing that makes me especially sick is the re-builder gave me a one year guarantee on the engine, but because of all our delays, I am already past the year!!! I think I need a stiff drink!!!!

 

Any reputable rebuilder would warranty an engine with zero miles/zero run time that leaks.

It could be any of the above, but if it's a reputable builder, assume the head has just lost its torque or the head gaskets were put on the wrong sides (causes one side to leak, not the other), or something else simple and cheap... Don't panic just yet! Stay calm and get the rebuilder in to look at it. Good luck!!

 

thats a great looking truck to bad you cant drive it yet did you call the rebuilder and tell him about it someone who knows these mtors will chime in with advise just wanted to tell you how nice your truck is

 

This doesn't help you solve your problem, but I know the pain. My truck is on hold because I am rebuilding a jag engine. Does this sound familiar: I install the engine, make all the zillion connections, add antifreeze right before I am about to crank it for the first time and well, the antifreeze leaked. Heck, it poured not leaked. Turns out I missed a copper washer on a banjo bolt. So again, sorry I can't help you with your problem other than saying "Oh, I know that pain" Maybe misery does love company. Start with the simple before tearing it down. Good luck.

 

If he's any kind of builder he would take care of you. Could be any of those things you mentioned. Hope things work out for you. Nice truck!

 

I installed the gaskets wrong way around once. They do leak that way.

A reputable rebuilder would normally have checked for serious cracks by magging the block before machining and pressure testing with water after machining.

Hope it's something simple. Pull the manifold and try to see where it's coming from. Next, pull the head and trace the water to its source. Good luck.

That stiff drink won't solve the problem, but you might quit worrying about it for awhile.

 

Thanks to everyone for the moral support, but my bad luck continues.......can you believe the engine re-builder I used went out of business in November?????? Argggggggg!!! In all the literature I had from the re-builder, they say the head is magnafluxed and thoroughly checked before any work is done on it, so I try to remain optimistic that we only have a bad gasket or head. My mechanic has isolated where it leaks from...first cylinder on the left side. He says when adding water it literally flows out as fast as he adds it. There has to be a big gap somewhere. Everything else is sealed and tight. This engine has never been fired up, and he told me that normally if it's a cracked block you only notice a problem after the engine gets up to operating temperature and expands. (unless of course there's is a giant hole in the block that the builder knew about and ignored). After Christmas we will pull the head, and keep our fingers crossed that it's just a bad gasket !!! Thanks again and I'll keep you posted. Merry Christmas!!!! And when I think about Christmas, I guess I don't have it so bad when this is the biggest problem I have!!!! Have a great one!!!!!

 

If I remember correctly, that front hole is where they leak if the gaskets are switched. (MT?)

 

Yeah, if it leaks that fast I'd bet on the gasket being flipped end-for-end.

If it's a crack in the block or head it'll only leak serious volumes under pressure.

 

Hmmmm....... strange....... Wonder why the rebuilder went out of business?

Sounds logical to me, what everone else has said. If the leak is that bad, I doubt that it is a crack in the head or block.

I had the same problem when I was a young lad back in the '50s. Replaced the headgasket on a Pontiac I-8. When I was installing the head (it's about 6 feet long and weighs a ton) a wire got caught between the head and gasket at the back of the engine. Got it all torgued down, added water and had a river running from under the car. Hope it is something simple as that.

Gil

 

man ol' murphy found someone else to plague for a bit !!!!!!!!!!! sorry dude i've had that kinda stuff happen before , last time if you can beleive this i left a freeze plug out in the back of the block where the tranny covers it !!!!!!!

 

Joe, I have a suggestion..you oughtta take it here for a complete diagnosis.

Early V8 Garage / 1217 Azusa Canyon / West Covina / 626-338-2282

 

Well, we pulled the head and found out what was the problem. Apparently my defunct re-builder was rushing to get to the bar or something and didn't bother checking everything before he torqued down the head. Had he been more conscientous he would have noticed that one of the Heli-coils he inserted in the block to repair the threads to bolt down the head was not right and actually sticking up a little. It's the one to the left and up from the first piston. There was no way for the gasket to seal properly. The guy working on my beast now thinks he will be able to carefully buff it down. He also thinks the head bolts were bottoming out and the head just was not going to get tight enough. I mean the water was just flowing out as fast as he put it in. He is going to measure everything and if necessary grind the head bolts down a thread or two so he can torque it correctly. I'll keep my fingers crossed!! What a pain.

 

Hope you finally have some good luck for a change.
We`ll keep our fingers crossed for you, keep us posted.

 

Sounds like you found the culprit - that's enough to create your flood.

If your head bolts are stock they shouldn't be bottoming out. Many run into the cavity of the waterjacket - thus the need to use waterproof sealant on the threads.

If your defunct engine rebuilder used grade 8 bolts of the nearest longer length then you might have a bottoming-out problem in a couple of holes. I can't honestly remember that any are blind holes - been a couple years since I chased threads for a head.